Kia announced Thursday that the EV3 has been named the 2025 World Car of the Year (WCOTY) at the 2025 World Car Awards held Wednesday.
Following last year’s win by the EV9, Kia has now earned the World Car of the Year title for two consecutive years, reaffirming the excellence of its electrified models across the spectrum—from large electric SUVs to compact electric SUVs.
This achievement brings Kia’s total to six World Car Awards titles. Starting with the Telluride (World Car of the Year) and Soul EV (World Urban Car) in 2020, the brand also won with the EV6 GT (World Performance Car) in 2023, and the EV9 (World Car of the Year and World Electric Vehicle) in 2024, now joined by the EV3’s recognition.
Kia President Song Ho Sung expressed his pride in the EV3’s recognition at the prestigious World Car Awards. He stated that this award showcases Kia’s global leadership in delivering sustainable mobility solutions through innovative technology and outstanding design, and demonstrates that the EV3 offers best-in-class value and a transformative user experience to customers worldwide.
Established in 2004, the World Car Awards is considered one of the three most prestigious global automotive awards, alongside North American Car of the Year (NACTOY) and European Car of the Year (COTY). Winners are announced annually at the New York International Auto Show.
Unlike other awards that focus on specific regions, the World Car Awards is global in scope. Only vehicles that have sold over 10,000 units annually across at least two continents are eligible, underscoring the award’s authority and symbolic significance.
The EV3 was selected as the best vehicle of the year from a total of 52 eligible models, beating out competitors such as the Hyundai Casper Electric and BMW X3.
The EV3 has also earned multiple honors globally, including 2025 UK Car of the Year, 2025 Finland Car of the Year, 2025 Denmark Car of the Year, 2025 World Women’s Car of the Year in the Compact SUV category, 2024 Top Gear Awards in the UK for Crossover of the Year and 2024 Golden Steering Wheel Awards in Germany for Best Car Under 40,000 EUR (about 45,400 USD).
In South Korea, the EV3 won three out of eight categories at the 2025 Korea Car of the Year Awards organized by the Korea Automobile Journalists Association (KAJA), including Car of the Year, Electric Vehicle of the Year, and Innovation of the Year.
