Wheels Car of the Year 2023
COTY: Past winners
The annual Wheels Car of the Year is one of the world’s longest-running automotive awards, with a history that stretches back to 1963.
That makes our award the grand old age of 60 and in that time a broad spectrum of cars have earned the title, ranging from obvious choices to properly left-of-field. Holden Camira, anyone?
The common thread among all of them, however, is that they were good enough to be judged the best of their time by a panel of Australia’s most seasoned motoring journalists. Here’s the list.
All COTY stories
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COTYAustralia's best small cars rock up for Wheels Car of the Year 2023
They used to win our gong all the time but how does the current crop of small cars fare at COTY?
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COTYThe best electric cars at Wheels Car of the Year 2023
Our favourite electric cars line up at Car of the Year. Here’s how they stack up
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COTYThe best sports cars at Wheels Car of the Year 2023
Affordable driver-focused thrills has been a winning recipe at COTY before. How does this year’s batch of affordable sports cars fare?
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COTY2023 Ford Ranger: How Australia’s favourite ute fared at Car of the Year
It’s the first ever dual-cab to line up at COTY. So how did it rate?
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COTY2023’s best SUVs at Wheels Car of the Year
They’re part of the biggest-selling segment in Australia, and at COTY we have six of the year’s true standout SUVs
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COTY2023 Tesla Model Y review: Wheels Car of the Year finalist
Popular electric car gives Elon a real shot at winning his first COTY. Here’s why the Model Y just fell short
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COTY2023 Nissan X-Trail review: Wheels Car of the Year finalist
🥉 The new generation of Nissan’s iconic mid-size SUV nabbed a COTY podium. Here’s how.
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COTY2023 Cupra Formentor: How it almost won our Car of the Year
🥈 This Spanish newcomer snagged second place in our top award. Here’s why.
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COTY2023 Ford Everest: Wheels Car of the Year winner
Brilliant large SUV that’s designed for Australians by Australians snags Ford its first COTY since 2004. Here’s why.
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COTYWheels Car of the Year 2023: 'The moose test' – swerve & avoid
We ran each contender through a challenging swerve & avoid test. The results were surprising…
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COTYWheels Car of the Year 2023 by the numbers: Acceleration and braking
What are the quickest and slowest cars in the 2023 field? And which contender took a staggering 51.7m to stop from 100kmh? The numbers don’t lie…
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COTYWheels Car of the Year 2023: Finalists revealed!
From 17 contenders down to four: these are the cars that impressed us the most at COTY 2023. But who will win…
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COTYWheels COTY: What’s new for 2023
We’ve tweaked what’s eligible and overhauled the criteria as COTY roars back at full noise for 2023
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COTYWheels COTY 2023: Who missed out
Wondering why a particular car isn’t in contention for COTY 2023? Wonder no more…
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COTYIntroducing Wheels Car of the Year 2023: The Contenders
Our top gong is back for ’23. Here’s who made the starting grid
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COTY2022 Wheels Car of the Year contender: Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series
Tackles a wide brown land with minimal messing of the formula
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COTY2022 Wheels Car of the Year contender: Subaru Outback
Better at pleasing owners than wooing judges
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COTY2022 Wheels Car of the Year contender: Skoda Octavia wagon
Bristles with a breadth of talent, if not quite true greatness
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COTY2022 Wheels Car of the Year contender: Subaru BRZ
A top sport that couldn’t quite resurrect its glory of 2012
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COTY2022 Wheels Car of the Year contender: Polestar 2
Intriguing Swede impresses, but is outshone by Korean rivals
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COTY2022 Car of the Year contender: Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo
Proof positive that Porsche DNA can be electrified
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COTY2022 Wheels Car of the Year contender: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
An endangered species, beautifully executed
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COTY2022 Wheels Car of the Year contender: Mazda MX-30
Short range and high price take their combined toll on quirky EV
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COTY2022 Wheels Car of the Year contender: Kia Sportage
A giant leap for Sportage, but only a small step for mid-size SUVs