It is not just certified BMW enthusiasts such as BMW CCA members who get excited about BMW’s Ultimate Driving Machines. Once again, BMW has received numerous awards from multiple sources, recognizing several BMWs as “best cars.” Whether it be a reader poll, journalist reviewers, or other processes, BMWs more than hold their own in any competition and comparison.
Here’s the full press release:
Munich. A double title win in the “Best Cars” poll of German car magazine “Auto Motor und Sport” sees BMW celebrating a successful start to 2025. Readers voted the BMW 2 Series Coupé the class winner in the compact segment for the fourth time in succession, with a 13.2 percent vote share. As the previous year, the BMW X1 took first place in the “Compact SUV/Off-road Vehicle” category. It garnered 8.4 percent of the votes cast. Around 95,000 readers participated in the 49th edition of the prestigious “Best Cars” awards. From a total of 462 models, they chose one overall winner and one import winner in each of the 13 vehicle classes.
Three more current BMW models won awards at the 2025 “Car of the Year Awards” organized by British car magazine “What Car?”. As in the year before, the BMW 4 Series was victorious in the “Best Coupé/Convertible” category. The BMW M3 Touring took “Best Performance Car” honors with its combination of outstanding driving dynamics and great everyday usability. This was another model that repeated its success from the year prior. The “Best Luxury Car” title once again went to the BMW X7, as it did in 2024.
With these latest awards, BMW is continuing the string of successes it achieved in prestigious national and international competitions in 2024. BMW vehicles from a wide range of market segments came out on top in both reader surveys and expert jury decisions.
The new BMW 5 Series won the “German Car of the Year” 2025 overall.
At the end of 2024, a jury of 40 motoring journalists crowned the new BMW 5 Series “German Car of the Year.” In doing so, they declared the executive sedan’s latest generation the best new car released on the German car market over the previous twelve months. The new BMW 5 Series Sedan and Touring models impressed the jury with their hallmark driving dynamics, long-distance comfort, and a wide choice of powertrains. In addition to plug-in hybrids and highly efficient internal combustion engines, the portfolio includes the all-electric BMW i5 Sedan and BMW i5 Touring models.
However, the “German Car of the Year” award was just one of the numerous accolades that the new BMW 5 Series won in the course of 2024. It also came first in the 2024 “World Luxury Car” competition. A jury of around 100 international motoring journalists declared the new BMW 5 Series the winner out of a field of 13 luxury vehicles.
In the UK, “Fleet News” magazine honored the BMW 5 Series with its “Best Executive Car” title. Renowned British car magazine “Autocar” gave the new BMW 5 Series its “Autocar Award 2024” in the “Best Hybrid” category.
Triumphs for BMW: “Golden Steering Wheel” and “Auto Trophy.”
The voting for the coveted 2024 “Golden Steering Wheel” awards saw the new BMW 540d xDrive Touring (combined, WLTP (EnVKV): fuel consumption 6.5 liters/100 km; CO2 emissions 171 g/km, CO2 class F) victorious over its competitors in the “Executive Car” category. The BMW 3 Series also won a “Golden Steering Wheel”, as “Best Used Car”, in recognition of its outstanding durability. Awarded by German car magazine “Auto Bild” and the weekly “Bild am Sonntag”, this trophy is among the most renowned accolades on the European car market. The “Golden Steering Wheel” winners have been determined annually since 1976 by a jury of experts.
“Auto Bild” and the car valuation company “Schwacke” also crowned the BMW 540d xDrive Touring its “2024 Residuals Champion” (“Wertmeister”). They expect it to experience the lowest depreciation in its class over the next four years.
The success story of the new BMW 5 Series continued in 2024 at the 37th edition of the “Auto Trophy” awards organised by German car magazine “Auto Zeitung”. Readers of the print edition and users of “autozeitung.de” voted it the winner in the “Executive Class/Luxury Class” category. This was not the only accolade for BMW at the 2024 “Auto Trophy” event. The Munich-based premium car manufacturer received a total of eight awards. BMW won the “Auto Trophy” “Best Brand” poll with 22.4 percent of all votes cast. The new BMW 1 Series came out on top in the “City Cars/Small Cars/Compact Class” segment. With a 26.1 percent share of the vote, the BMW 3 Series landed a clear victory in the compact executive class. “Auto Zeitung” readers were equally impressed with the new BMW X3 and awarded it a commanding first place in the “SUVs from 30,000 to 60,000 euros” category. Finally, the BMW X5 again won the storied award in the “SUVs from 60,000 euros” price bracket. The BMW iX took first place in the “Electric SUVs from 50,000 euros” segment, while the BMW iX1 triumphed as the best “Electric SUV up to 50,000 euros”.
All-electric BMW models enjoy international success.
Numerous additional awards emphasize the global importance of all-electric BMW models on the international market. In February 2025, the “Automobile Journalists Association of Canada” presented the BMW i4 with the prestigious “Canadian Electric Car of the Year” award for the second time. For the Canadian jury of experts, the inspiring performance and excellent range of the BMW i4’s electric powertrain were as important to their decision as its impressive braking system and the quality of its interior.
In the United States, the BMW i4 made it onto “Car and Driver” magazine’s 2024 “Editors’ Choice” list in the “Electric Car” category. The BMW iX received the renowned publication’s coveted accolade in the “Luxury Electric SUV” segment, while the BMW i7 got the nod in the “Luxury Electric Cars” category. The BMW i4 eDrive40 (combined, WLTP (EnVKV): energy consumption 18.6 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions 0 g/km, CO2 class A) received the “Zero-Emission Vehicle Award” (ZEVAS) as the “Top Compact/Coupé” at the 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The British car magazine “Diesel&EcoCar” honored the BMW i5 as the “Best Electric Executive Car” in 2024, while the BMW iX won in the “Best Electric Luxury SUV” category. The BMW i7 was awarded the “Best Electric Luxury Car” title.
In Germany, BMW collected additional accolades in the second edition of the “Auto Trophy Elektro” event organized by car magazine “Auto Zeitung”. The BMW i5 Sedan received the most votes in the electric sedan segment, while the BMW iX1 took first place in the “Electric SUVs up to 50,000 euros” class. Moreover, the 2024 “Auto Trophy Elektro” award for the “Most Sustainable Brand” again went to BMW, as it did the previous year.
In Denmark, the all-electric BMW i5 won the “Car of the Year 2024” award. Finnish car magazine “Tekniikan Maailma” named the BMW i5 eDrive40 (combined, WLTP (EnVKV): energy consumption 18.0–17.9 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions 0 g/km, CO2 class A) its “Winter Car of the Year” in the “Best BEV Car” segment. In the 2024 UK “Car of the Year Awards”, the BMW i5 came out on top in the “Best Executive Car” category.
Accolades for the new BMW 3 Series.
The BMW 3 Series won the 2024 “autonis Award” for best new design of the year in the “Compact Executive” bracket. It made first place in the reader’s poll of the German car magazine “Auto Motor und Sport”, ahead of the BMW 4 Series Coupé/Gran Coupé. The BMW 3 Series also received further honors on the international stage. In the UK, it was voted “Best Plug-in Hybrid Large Car” by “Diesel&EcoCar” magazine. The same publication also named the BMW 3 Series Touring its “Best Plug-in Hybrid Estate Car.” Another trophy came from the United States. The US car magazine “Car and Driver” included the BMW 3 Series in its 2024 “Editors’ Choice” list in the “Entry-Luxury Car” category. In 2024, a total of 13 BMW models made it onto the renowned editorial team’s list of recommended vehicles. Meanwhile, the BMW X1 brought home a clear victory in the German “Auto Bild” car magazine’s SUV category for company cars (“Firmenwagen Award 2024”).
BMW collected no fewer than four accolades at the “Sport Auto Award 2024” event. The annual readers’ poll, organized by car magazine “Sport Auto” for the past 32 years, saw the BMW Z4 M40i (combined, WLTP (EnVKV): fuel consumption 8.7 liters/100 km; CO2 emissions 197 g/km, CO2 class G) win the “Convertibles and Roadsters up to 100,000 euros” category. The most votes in the “Coupés up to 75,000 euros” segment went to the BMW M240i Coupé xDrive (combined, WLTP (EnVKV): fuel consumption 8.8–8.7 liters/100 km; CO2 emissions 200–199 g/km; CO2 class G). Readers voting in the “Sedans and Estate Cars up to 100,000 euros” class favored the BMW M3 Competition (combined, WLTP (EnVKV): fuel consumption 9.8 liters/100 km; CO2 emissions 224–222 g/km; CO2 class G) with a resounding 38.3 percent share. An equally overwhelming victory went to the BMW M4 Competition (combined, WLTP (EnVKV): fuel consumption 9.8 liters/100 km; CO2 emissions 223–221 g/km, CO2 class G) in the “Coupés up to 150,000 euros” category.
With the “Paul Pietsch Award,” BMW won one of the most prestigious accolades of the 2024 automotive year. In their vote for the most important automotive innovation of the year, the German car magazine “Auto Motor und Sport” expert jury chose the BMW Highway Assistant. It enables drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel for longer periods of time, increasing comfort on long-distance journeys.
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