The people have spoken, and for the second year in a row they have chosen Toyota RAV4 as the AA DRIVEN Car Guide Peoples Choice winner.
This is one of two awards that our judges have no say in, with the finalists being made up of the top 10 vehicles sold in New Zealand from January to October 2023 – we just form a semi-random ordered list and open the voting for the month of November for you to have your say.
But it is more than just a chance for you to have your say; our partnership with the AA also offers up a grand prize of $5000 of fuel, the winner’s choice of either petrol, diesel or EV charge credit, so whatever your choice of vehicle is, we’ve got it covered.
The RAV4 is actually a three-time winner, also taking the Peoples Choice in 2019, and its popularity is clear, with orders for some models stretching out to more than 12 months, with Toyota NZ even closing 2023 orders for some models!
As with most Toyotas, the Hybrid models resonate well with buyers, particularly those after a medium/large SUV with excellent economy, across a wide choice of variants.
While the Ford Ranger may be the best-selling vehicle in New Zealand, it wasn’t even close when it came to the Peoples Choice, with the RAV4 attracting almost as many votes as the two runners up – the Ranger and the BYD Atto 3 – combined!
And congratulations to the winner of our $5000 fuel prize, Nadia Gibbs from Auckland.
Nadia was very pleased to hear she had been chosen, and is planning to share the prize with her family and friends, as well as families in need— a perfect winner! She got the call from Sam Wallace live on Coast FM this morning, see our Zooming COTY webcast for the video,
TOYOTA RAV4
ENGINE: 2.5-litre petrol four with hybrid system
POWER: 163kW (combined)/221Nm
GEARBOX: Continuously variable, AWD
CONSUMPTION: 5.3l/100km
PRICE: $48,590-$60,890