Now in its seventh iteration, the CarsAwards – or #CarsAwards, as it is widely known on social media – annually recognises the best purchasing propositions in 13 respective segments of the domestic new-vehicle market.

“The CarsAwards underlines Cars.co.za’s commitment to helping our users understand the best way to spend their hard-earned rands when purchasing new vehicles,” says Cars.co.za Managing Director, Amasi Mwela. “As new-car prices escalate, it further underlines the need to make educated and informed buying decisions.

“One of the most important differences between the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards and other automotive awards programmes is that it continues to evolve each year to reflect South Africa’s ever-changing motoring landscape,” explains Hannes Oosthuizen, who has been the head of the CarsAwards project since its inception in 2015.

“We scrutinise sales data and market trends annually to define categories that are actually relevant to the South African consumer. That is why there are now so many crossover- and SUV-dominated segments, because South African car buyers have shown a predilection for those types of vehicles.”

The 39 finalists for the 2023/2024 programme were selected by the extended Cars.co.za editorial team; each member scored the 65 pre-selected semi-finalists individually, based on the "Filters of Eligibility" and the "Pillars of Success" of the 13 respective categories. Once the scores were tallied, three finalists remained in each of the segments.

“Pricing is a critical factor for most car buyers in this tough economic climate, so we’ve focused our categories lower down the pricing ladder,” explains Hannes. “Still, there remains a healthy demand for premium SUVs, which is why that category was retained.”

Consider, for example, that the market for sedans has shrunk dramatically; there are not enough strong-selling contenders to justify a sedan category in the 2023/2024 programme. South Africa’s fledgling electric vehicle market is growing, but very slowly… Nonetheless, for the first time, the CarsAwards has a category focused on the country’s most affordable EVs.

• Entry-Level Hatch (Priced below R250 000):

Renault Kiger 1.0 Zen, Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GL and Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX.

• Budget Hatch (R250 000 to R350 000):

Renault Clio 1.0 Turbo Zen, Suzuki Baleno 1.5 GLX and Toyota Starlet 1.5 XR.

• Compact Hatch (R350 000 to R500 000):

Honda Fit 1.5 Elegance, Opel Corsa 1.2T Elegance and Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI 85kW R-Line.

• Entry-Level Crossover (R300 000 to R400 000):

Chery Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5 Elite Auto, Haval Jolion 1.5T Premium and Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX manual.

• Compact Family Car (R400 000 to R500 000):

Haval Jolion S Super Luxury, Renault Duster 1.5dCi Intens and Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 XR.

• Family Car (R600 000 to R800 000):

Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max 2.0TGDi 390 Executive, Haval H6 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury and Kia Sportage 1.6CRDi EX.

• Premium Crossover (R700 000 to R1 million):

Audi Q3 Sportback 40TFSI quattro S Line, BMW X1 sDrive18d M Sport and

Volvo XC40 B4 Ultimate Dark.

• Executive SUV (R1 million to R1.3 million):

BMW X3 xDrive20d M Sport, Lexus NX 350h F Sport and Mercedes-Benz GLC220d 4Matic Avantgarde.

• Premium SUV (R1.3m to R1.8 million):

BMW iX xDrive40, BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport and Land Rover Defender 110 D250 SE County.

• Adventure SUV (R800 000 to R1.2 million):

Ford Everest 3.0 V6 Wildtrak, Isuzu MU-X 3.0TD Onyx 4x4 and Toyota Fortuner 2.8GD-6 4x4 VX.

• Performance Car (Below R1 million):

Honda Civic Type R, Toyota GR Corolla Circuit and Toyota GR Yaris Rally.

• Leisure Double Cab (Above R800 000):

Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 EcoBoost Raptor 4WD, Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 Wildtrak 4WD and Volkswagen Amarok 3.0TDI V6 Aventura 4Motion.

• EV (Below R1.3 million)

BMW iX1 xDrive30 M Sport, Ora 03 Super Lux and Volvo XC40 Twin Motor Ultimate.

Each of the 39 finalists (three per category) will now be subjected to back-to-back testing at the Gerotek proving ground in Gauteng by the combined judging panel (the Cars.co.za editorial team members and respected guest judges from various backgrounds and fields of expertise) on 2 and 3 November 2023.

The 20 judges’ scores for each of the 39 finalists will, however, only count for 50% of the final standings. The other 50% will be based on rankings that the respective vehicle brands represented by the finalists achieved in the Cars.co.za Ownership Satisfaction Survey. The data incorporates feedback from thousands of vehicle owners.