The New Zealand Motoring Writers Guild announced the Kia EV3 as its Car of the Year for 2025 last month. It's not something we went big on promoting because like so many publications, we have our own COTY. We focus on that one, thank you very much.
But the Guild award is a worthy and newsworthy one; also a very different one from ours, because it canvases the opinion and judging talents of motoring writers from all over the country, from many different editorial outlets. DRIVEN Car Guide writers are also in the Guild and serve as judges: myself and Damien O'Carroll. So it's partly our gig too.
While the Guild choses a top 10 (selected by an executive group) and then one winner, we choose class winners, a top three and then the overall award. The EV3 made it all the way to our finalist trio, so we certainly agree that it's a superb small EV.
But our eventual winner was the BYD Shark 6. And that where it's gets interesting, because the Shark 6 could not have won the Guild COTY under any circumstances: utes are not considered for the award. A ute is not a car*, according to the Guild.
I'm not saying Shark 6 should/would have won the Guild COTY. That's up to the membership. But I think it should have been eligible for the shortlist at least; it and others of its ilk, with trays.
Excluding utes seems a bit out-of-touch to me. Of the top-10-selling new vehicles year-to-date, 4 are utes. The vast majority are sold in double-cab form with automatic transmission. A few are pure work vehicles, the majority aren't; or at least they serve double-duty as family/lifestyle transport.
In short, utes have been car-substitues basically since the symbolic and literal sales rise of the Ford Ranger over a decade ago. It was arguably the first one to prove that a light-commercial could have true passenger-vehicle ability and appeal, and other brands have since followed that path... enthusiastically.
More to the point, Guild members and motoring-journalists-in-general review every new ute that comes along, just as they review new cars and SUVs. Because utes are considered and purchased by an incredibly broad range of people.
Back when the Guild was silly enough to let me be in charge way back in 2011-12, I did argue that utes be considered. The rush of power was incredible. Hasn't stuck.
The Shark 6 isn't the first ute to win the DRIVEN Car Guide COTY. We also gave the big prize to the Ford Ranger in 2022.
For the record, the Guild's top 10 for 2025 comprised the winning EV3, Audi A5, Cadillac Lyriq, Geely Starray EM-i, Mercedes-Benz G580 (a 4x4 on a ladder-chassis, like a ute), MG QS, Mini Aceman, Nissan Ariya, Subaru Forester and Volkswagen ID.Buzz (a van/MPV on a car platform, but primarily a van nonetheless). I don't see the logic in excluding utes from that group.
Some Guild members publish post-COTY stories comparing the group's choice to their own preferences. All in the spirit of reader interest and good debate.
So here's mine: the BYD Shark 6 does more to advance the concept of a good "car" than quite a few of the models on that list. At the very least, we could have popped the Nissan Ariya out to make space... it's a nice EV, but you can't even buy one any more.
We asked for comment from NZMWG on the pros and cons of utes as "cars" and it responded thus: "The Motoring Writers Guild's NZ Car of the Year eligibility rules are currently under review. We look forward to sharing any subsequent updates in due course."
- Car: noun, a road vehicle with an engine, four wheels, and seats for a small number of people. (Cambridge Dictionary)