SANTA FE named 2025 Car of the Year as Hyundai dominates Carwow awards
Hyundai’s All-new SANTA FE is celebrating significant success already, having been crowned Car of the Year in the 2025 Carwow Awards.
There was further recognition for the SUV as it also collected the online marketplace’s Family Values award, while the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N’s amazing run of success continued as it was hailed as Carwow’s Tech Trailblazer. And the overall quality and depth of Hyundai’s entire product range was further reflected as it was named Brand of the Year.
Carwow’s awards are decided by its editorial team, who pick out their top choices from hundreds of cars reviewed annually, based on price, performance, efficiency, comfort and practicality.
Mat Watson, Carwow’s Chief Content Officer, said: “Hyundai has absolutely smashed it out of the park. Not only is it building genuinely stylish and desirable cars, they are good value for money, packed full of technology and, in the case of the IONIQ 5 N, have a fantastic sense of humour that makes electric cars fun. No other car maker is showing such a breadth of abilities as Hyundai right now.”
Leading the way for the judges was the latest arrival to the Hyundai line-up, the All-new SANTA FE, which despite having only been on sale for a few months, added Carwow’s Car of the Year title to a number of other awards, including Best Hybrid Seven-seater from WhatCar? and Large ICE Car of the Year from the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers.
Available with two efficient Hybrid powertrains and one Plug-in Hybrid set-up, the SANTA FE is enhanced by a striking design, with a distinctive boxy silhouette and customer-centric spacious interior, suited to a range of outdoor and urban activities. Fully foldable second- and third-row seats provide class-leading interior space, and it also comes with a myriad of safety features, plus a full suite of Hyundai Smart Sense Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.
Three trim levels – Premium, Ultimate and Calligraphy – are offered, while prices for the range start at £46,775, with Plug-in Hybrid models costing from £51,885.
Mat Watson, Carwow’s Chief Content Officer, said: “The Hyundai SANTA FE is a fantastic all-rounder, being great to drive, comfortable and obscenely practical. The interior fit and finish is up there with the best of them, yet it’s priced in line with more budget-friendly alternatives – nothing else has impressed us as much this year. It is the perfect family car, because it’s big and spacious, but also great value for money; it has the design and build quality of apparently posher cars, with a price that undercuts them. And because you can seat seven or fold the third row to open up a massive boot, it’s ludicrously practical too.”
Carwow’s Tech Trailblazer, the high-performance Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, is based on the Electrified-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) of the standard IONIQ 5, and integrates the motorsport-bred tech and expertise of Hyundai’s N division to take driving enjoyment to a new level. The electric motors spin up to 21,000 RPM, providing up to 609 PS in normal conditions, or 650 PS when the car’s N Grin Boost (NGB) feature is engaged, maximising acceleration for up to 10 seconds. 0-62mph is achievable in 3.4 seconds, while a top speed of 161mph is attainable on tracks.
It also sets a new benchmark in terms of emotional engagement for a performance EV, courtesy of N e-shift, which simulates the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission of internal combustion engine N cars, while there’s an addictive soundtrack thanks to the groundbreaking N Active Sound+ technology. The overall package is a thrilling blend of cutting-edge electric performance and old-school hot hatch charm that has picked up a string of prestigious honours, including 2024 World Performance Car in the World Car Awards. The Hyundai IONIQ 5 N starts at £65,000.
