Britain's Top Gear experts have named the best cars of the year: the 2025 ranking surprised even car enthusiasts

The prestigious British publication Top Gear has released an updated ranking of the best cars of the year based on its own test drives and in-depth reviews. The list of winners includes electric cars, supercars, SUVs, and affordable models, and the choice for Car of the Year came as a surprise even to industry experts.

Top Gear’s Car of the Year: the BMW iX3 electric crossover

Britain's Top Gear experts have named the best cars of the year: the 2025 ranking surprised even car enthusiasts
The top title of “Car of the Year” went to the all-electric BMW iX3 crossover.
This was one of the jury’s most unexpected decisions, given the fierce competition from premium and sports models.

Top Gear experts praised:

balanced handling
fuel efficiency and long range
modern interior and digital technology
comfort on long drives

The BMW iX3 has become a prime example of how electric vehicles are gradually replacing traditional internal combustion engine models, even at the top of the rankings.

Automaker of the Year — Renault Group

Britain's Top Gear experts have named the best cars of the year: the 2025 ranking surprised even car enthusiasts
The Renault Group was awarded the title of “Manufacturer of the Year.”
Experts noted:

active renewal of the model lineup
significant progress in the electric vehicle segment
the successful development of the Renault, Alpine, and Dacia brands
technological breakthroughs in safety and autonomous systems

The company is solidifying its position as one of the leaders in the European market.

Best Automotive Moment of the Year — the BYD Yangwang U9 Extreme’s world record

A special “Moment of the Year” award was presented to the Chinese hypercar BYD Yangwang U9 Extreme, which set a world speed record for production cars at 496 km/h.

This breakthrough was a key event in the global automotive industry in 2025.

Top Gear’s Best Cars of the Year in Key Categories

Experts distributed awards among cars in various classes. Here is the full list of winners:

Premium and Luxury

Luxury Car of the Year — Rolls-Royce Spectre Black Badge
Best Executive Car — Mercedes-Benz CLA
Best Station Wagon — Audi A6 Avant

Design and Innovation

Design of the Year — Dacia Hipster
Best Sound — Ford Mustang GTD

Crossovers and SUVs

Best Crossover — Renault 4 E-Tech
Best SUV — Land Rover Defender OCTA
Best Luxury Crossover — Aston Martin DBX S

Sports Cars and Supercars

Best Sports Car — Kimera Evo 37
Best Supercar — Ferrari 296 Speciale
Best Hypercar — Ferrari F80

Family and Compact Models

Best Family Car — Kia PV5
Best Supermini — Hyundai Inster

Conclusion: The Top Gear rankings highlight the major trends of 2025

The results of the Top Gear Awards confirm key trends in the automotive market:

electric vehicles continue to lead the way
premium brands are rethinking their approach to technology and sustainability
Chinese automakers are rapidly strengthening their positions in the supercar segment
budget models are becoming more technologically advanced and safer

The 2025 ranking turned out to be one of the most diverse yet and reflects the dynamics of the entire auto industry.

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FAQ

We understand your concerns and strive to provide you with the utmost comfort and confidence in the car buying process. For your peace of mind, we provide the following guarantees and measures. Our managers conduct over 8 steps of a thorough vehicle inspection. This includes a video report prior to purchase. This will allow you to find out whether the car was a party to an accident, the number of owners, its service history, the reliability of the seller, etc. All data about the car is provided to the client and, only after its approval, the manager proceeds to the bidding process.

For you, we are ready to make buying a car abroad easy and reliable. We offer you a full range of services, including car selection, paperwork, transportation and customs clearance. Choose the best among new and used cars with our help. We can also help you to restore and repair the imported car.

You save an average of $5,000 or more. Exclusive models and configurations. Transparent history of car operation. With our help you get the car of your dreams in the shortest possible time and with maximum benefit.

We conclude a contract with you, in which all the terms, conditions, deadlines, milestones and payments are spelled out. After signing the contract, the conditions do not change. We inform you about each stage of transportation of your car, provide video reports. All payments are made in stages and sent to the settlement account specified in the contract.

After finding your wishes, the manager sends you several options for the car you applied for in messengers. Before starting cooperation, we sign an agreement with you on the selection of a car and ask you to make a reverse advance payment in national currency equivalent to $ 500. After clarifying and checking the car chosen by the client, we reserve it and buy it in Korea.

After signing the contract for the selection of a car, our company asks you to make a refundable advance payment of $500, which is returned in full before the car is booked. Why is it needed? The Korean market is in great demand not only in Ukraine, but also throughout the world. The best cars are very quickly "taken apart" from sites and auctions. An advance payment is necessary in order to book a car in a timely manner and get the best offer.

For now, Ukrainian ports do not accept cargo, so all our clients' vehicles arrive at the port of Constantia (Romania). Bypassing delays in queues at the border, your vehicle will arrive quickly and without delays.

Car delivery consists of the following components: preparation of export documents and booking a place on a ship (from 2 weeks), land transportation of the car across Korea to the port of departure (up to 3 days), transportation by sea to a European port (from 60 days), delivery from a European port to Ukraine (up to 10 days). In total, delivery takes from 2.5 months.

Yes, it is possible. For example, OTP Bank is ready to provide a loan for the purchase of a car even to clients without official employment - an amount of up to UAH 300,000 can be approved without a certificate of income. The bank considers alternative sources of income and the borrower's credit history. In other cases, if you have an official salary card (especially in PrivatBank), you often do not need to confirm your income - the bank already sees the receipt. In any case, Bex Auto will help you collect the optimal package of documents or get by with a minimum number of them.

As a rule, the decision is made very quickly. Our partners have made the process as efficient as possible: PrivatBank pre-approves the loan a few minutes after submitting the application - you will find out the result almost instantly. OTP Bank in most cases issues the final decision and transfers the money within one day. In general, buying a car on credit through Bex Auto usually takes 1-2 days, including choosing a car, submitting an application and signing the contract.

The conditions vary depending on the bank and the program. OTP Bank does not have a CASCO requirement at all - you save on insurance, the bank does not oblige to insure the collateral, since the loan is actually unsecured. At PrivatBank, CASCO is required as standard for new cars, but with a down payment of 20-30%, insurance is not a mandatory condition (although the bank itself advises to insure the car voluntarily). Oschadbank always requires full CASCO, since it lends new cars with collateral. Thus, the presence of mandatory CASCO depends on the selected program: if you want to avoid insurance costs, consider options with a high down payment or a loan from OTP Bank.

Yes, you can repay your car loan early at any time without any penalties. All Bex Auto partner banks – OTP, Privat and Oschad – do not charge fees for early repayment. If you have the opportunity to repay the remaining loan early (partially or in full), do so without hesitation: the overpayment will be transferred only for the actual term of use of the borrowed funds. No penalties or hidden conditions – you save on interest by repaying the debt early.

Yes, of course. Bex Auto helps you buy a used car on credit as successfully as a new one. In particular, our partner OTP Bank specializes in used car loans - there are no restrictions on the brand, year of manufacture or mileage of the car. Moreover, no collateral or CASCO is required for such transactions, which distinguishes OTP's offer from classic car loans. You can choose a car at a car lot, a car dealership or even from a private seller - the bank will give you money to buy it. We also accompany the execution of the purchase and sale transaction and registration of the car in your name. If you want to import a car from abroad, we will offer a special program for a grace period (the first months without interest) - this allows you to calmly wait for your car and not pay extra.

The South Korean market is very full of diesel cars. The most popular cars among our clients are: Hyundai Tucson, Hyundai Santa Fe, Renaut (Samsung) Koleos (QM6), Hyundai Palisade, KIA Carnival, KIA Sorento, BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Audi A6, Audi Q7, Volvo XC60, Volvo XC90. Our manager will select the best car option for you according to your wishes.

The most popular electric cars from Korea among our clients are: Hyundai Ioniq 5, KIA EV6, Hyundai Kona, KIA Niro, Hyundai Ioniq 6, KIA EV9, Chevrolet Bolt. Also, the Korean sites are full of imported cars, such as Mercedes EQC, BMW IX, Audi E-Tron, Tesla Model S and others. The biggest advantage of electric cars from Korea is that the charging ports are identical to European ones, so you can quickly charge the car in any situation without any adapters.

Yes, indeed, official dealers have a wide range of Korean cars on the Ukrainian market, but they differ from Korean ones. For example, in Korea, the trim levels are very "rich". For the price that you will buy the maximum trim level from the official dealers, in Korea it will be the basic one. And the fact that in the Korean top trim level it is impossible to even imagine... Engine modifications, for example, Hyundai Tucson in Ukraine is offered only with a 2.0 l petrol engine, or a 1.6 l hybrid, where in Korea you can choose: 1.6 turbo petrol, 2.0 diesel, 1.6 hybrid. Also in Korea, there are many cars that have factory LPG, which is very economical to operate.

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