Civic Hybrid, Ranger, ID. Buzz Win 2025 NACTOY Awards
The winners of the 2025 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) awards were announced today during a press conference that kicked off the Detroit Auto Show, which is now back to its usual January timeslot. There weren’t really any surprises, except maybe in the Utility Vehicle category.
“With such a tremendous crop of vehicles to review, our jurors worked overtime to decide the ‘best of the best,’” NACTOY President Jeff Gilbert said. “This year’s winners are on the cutting edge when it comes to technology, styling and value.”
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2025 North American Car of the Year
None of the finalists this year came from an American automaker. As we expected, the Honda Civic Hybrid beat the all-new Kia K4 and next-generation Toyota Camry. The Japanese compact car is now a four-time champion following previous awards in 2006, 2016 and 2022. It succeeds the Toyota Prius/Prius Prime.
“The Honda Civic has won awards for half a century now, and the Civic Hybrid brings Honda’s superb and fuel-efficient hybrid system into one of the market’s best compact sedans. Fun, fuel-efficient, and more elegant than its predecessors, it’s a hands-down winner,” said John Voelcker (Car and Driver, Green Car Reports, Inside EVs).
2025 North American Truck of the Year
This is where Detroit’s Big Three got its revenge. The latest Ford Ranger ended up winning over the updated Ram 1500 and the fully redesigned Toyota Tacoma. That means the Blue Oval is still the king of trucks after earning the award last year with the Super Duty.
“Ford’s expertise in building trucks is evident in the 2025 Ranger that offers plenty of utility plus an added dose of comfort and convenience,” said Jack Nerad (America on the Road Radio, Sports Byline Radio Network).
2025 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year
The third and final category pitted three extremely different vehicles against each other, namely the Volkswagen ID. Buzz electric minivan, the Hyundai Santa Fe three-row midsize SUV and the Chevrolet Equinox EV electric compact crossover. We originally bet on the Chevy, but it’s actually the ID. Buzz that took home the award a year after the Kia EV9.
“If you have to drive a minivan, why not drive the one everybody waves to and just wants to hug? Seriously, the ID. Buzz has a decent range of 230+ miles (370+ km), plenty of space inside, lots of useful features and it’s fun to drive,” said freelance writer Ken Gross.
The NACTOY jury is made up of 50 professional automotive journalists from the U.S. and Canada including The Car Guide’s Marc Lachapelle, Antoine Joubert and Gabriel Gélinas.