The new Renault 5 named Car of the Year 2025

Already the best-selling car since its launch, the Renault 5 is now the Queen of Europe thanks to a well-deserved Car of the Year title.

An “Car of the Year” sticker on the rear window used to be a guarantee of record sales. Today, it’s a little less impactful, but the award remains a must-see. This year, the 60 jurors from 23 European countries had their work cut out for them: they had to narrow down a record-breaking list of 42 models (compared to 25 last year) to just 7 finalists. In alphabetical order: Alfa Romeo Junior, Citroën C3/ë-C3, CUPRA Terramar, Dacia Duster, Hyundai Inster, Kia EV3, and Renault 5/Alpine A290, the last two considered as a single model.

Ultimately, the Renault 5 and its cousin Alpine A290 took the crown for Car of the Year 2025! The announcement was made at the opening of the Brussels International Auto Show, which makes its grand return after a break in 2023.

The small French car triumphed in a very close competition this year, marked by a majority of electrified models, many of which are 100% electric. The Renault 5 succeeds its big sister, the Renault Scénic, winner in 2024. A historic double victory: in 62 years of the contest, only the Fiat Punto and Fiat Bravo achieved this feat in 1995 and 1996.

The jury, chaired by Danish Soren Rasmussen and led by British juror Vicky Parrott, delivered its verdict: the Renault 5 scored 353 points, ahead of the Kia EV3 (291 points) and the Citroën C3-ëC3 (215 points). The Dacia Duster surprised everyone by finishing fourth (172 points), closely followed by the Hyundai Inster (168 points), CUPRA Terramar (165 points), and finally Alfa Romeo Junior (136 points).

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