Dacia Duster among contenders for Europe’s Car of the Year 2025

The most renowned non-sporting competition in the European automotive industry, Car of the Year, has announced the list of eligible cars for the 2025 edition. Among the contenders is the Dacia Duster, a SUV produced in Romania.

The winner of the competition will be announced next year. However, the Duster still has to pass two more selection stages later in the year. The vehicles selected for the final will be revealed on November 25, 2024, according to Profit.ro.

Alongside the Duster 3, the list includes both electric and combustion-engine models. In recent years, the jury, composed of 59 journalists from 22 countries, has favored fully electric cars.

The voting system focuses on several evaluation criteria, each receiving points. Cars are not grouped by classes or categories but are judged in a single ranking regardless of their size, price, or propulsion type.

Among the cars with a chance of winning this edition are not only European models like the Alfa Romeo Junior, Cupra Tavascan, Dacia Duster, Opel Grandland, Renault Symbioz, VW Tiguan, Fiat Grande Panda, Renault 5, and Volvo EX90, but also several cars produced by Chinese brands: MG, Xpeng, Polestar, and BYD.

The 2024 winner of the contest, the fully-electric Renault Scenic, was announced during the Geneva auto show, but the event was permanently canceled, so the 2025 winner will be announced at another location.

(Photo source: media.dacia.com)