Renault 5 named What Car? Car of the Year
The Renault 5 has been named What Car? Car of the Year for 2025.
The electric hatchback impressed the judges from Autocar’s sibling title for being comfortable, desirable and “very well priced”.
It’s the first Renault to take top honours at the annual ‘motoring Oscars’ since the original Scenic won in 1997 and marks the French brand’s fourth victory since the awards began in 1978.
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It’s also the fourth EV to have won What Car?’s Car of the Year award, following the Kia e-Niro (2019), Kia EV6 (2022) and Volkswagen ID Buzz (2023).
“It’s a car that you can buy with your head and your heart, and one that proves you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a great electric vehicle at a time when the costs of motoring are more challenging than ever,” said What Car? editor Steve Huntingford.
This comes after the 5 and its hot hatch sibling, the Alpine A290, were jointly named Car of the Year 2025 by a panel of 60 European journalists including Autocar editor Mark Tisshaw.
The rest of the What Car? award winners are listed below:
What Car? Car of the Year Awards 2025 in association with MotorEasy
Overall winner: Renault 5 52kWh Techno
Category winners
Small car – sponsored by MotorEasy: Renault Clio 1.0 TCe 90 Techno
Family car: Toyota Corolla 1.8 Hybrid Icon
Hot hatch: Mercedes-AMG A45 S Plus
Small SUV – sponsored by Solera Cap HPI: Lexus LBX 1.5 Premium Plus
Family SUV – sponsored by Quotezone: Kia Sportage 1.6 T-GDi 48V 3
Plug-in hybrid: MG HS 1.5T Plug-in Hybrid SE
Small electric car – sponsored by DrivenFi: Renault 5 52kWh Techno
Small electric SUV: Kia EV3 Standard Range Air
Family electric SUV – sponsored by Black Horse Finance: Skoda Elroq 85 Edition
Executive car: Tesla Model 3 RWD
Estate car: Volkswagen Passat 1.5 TSI eHybrid 204 Elegance
Seven-seater: Hyundai Santa Fe 1.6T Hybrid Premium
Luxury car: BMW X7 xDrive40i M Sport (Ultimate Pack)
Coupé/convertible: BMW 4 Series 420i M Sport
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Special awards
Reader Award: Kia EV4
Tow Car Award – in association with the Camping and Caravanning Club: Volkswagen Passat 1.5 eTSI 150 R-Line
Reliability Award – sponsored by MotorEasy: Mini
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Safety Award – sponsored by Thatcham Research: Volkswagen Passat
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