The Honda Freed minivan has won the 45th Japan Car of the Year (JCOTY), triumphing after what the organisation calls "pre-ceremony hype... on an expected battle" between it and the "aesthetically pleasing" Mazda CX-80 7-seat SUV.
For 2025, JCOTY gathered at Bosch’s new Japan headquarters in Center Kita, Yokohama City, for the vote-counting and announcement. The 59 jurors are mainly Japanese automotive journalists.
Not sold in New Zealand, the Freed is now its third generation: it's a tall mini-people mover that's in-between the Jazz and Civic in length and is available with 5 or 6 seats.
The Freed came out on top in JCOTY with 220 votes, to the CX-80’s 196. After receiving the trophy, Freed’s chief engineer Satoru Azumi said: “We went back to basics and created a new standard for the family minivan that offers class-leading comfort, usability and packaging with the option of Honda’s unique hybrid system and a very reasonable pricetag.”
In third place with 172 votes, BMW picked up its second straight Import Car of the Year trophy with the Mini Cooper, while the edgy Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck "surprised many", says JCOTY, to win the Design Award with 11 votes, just one vote ahead of the BYD Seal sedan.
In addition, the Honda CR-V e:FCEV captured the Technology Award for its hydrogen-powered fuel cell development and the Japan COTY steering committee’s Special Award went to Mazda’s e-Skyactiv R-EV rotary.
JCOTY is one of two major awards in the country that receives international attention. The other is the younger (formed in 1992) Automotive Researchers’ and Journalists’ Conference (RJC) COTY. JCOTY is open to both Japanese and foreign-made cars.
The final scores for JCOTY 2024-25
Honda Freed (220)
Mazda CX-80 (196)
Mini Cooper (172)
Suzuki Fronx (110)
Lexus LBX (70)
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (52)
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (44)
BYD Seal (32)
Volvo EX30 (30)
Mitsubishi Triton (18)