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A gaggle of famend motoring specialists revealed their best car of 2025 – and it was a huge shock. As car magazines have began asserting their favourites of the 12 months, Express.co.uk determined to take a look back at one of the preferred autos in latest months.

After testing tons of of completely different automobiles throughout almost 12 months of motoring, specialists from publication WhatCar? revealed that a small French electric vehicle was their car of the 12 months. The Renault 5 has gone onto obtain crucial acclaim, even scooping up the European Car of the Year award.

The 5 has been praised not just for its semi-retro appears to be like and driving dynamics, however for it’s infotainment system and the truth that it appears like a car the place each effort has been made to make each bit of it pretty much as good as it may be.

In a assertion summarising why that they had chosen the 5 as their car of the 12 months, WhatCar? stated different standard picks might have gained it – had they not been up in opposition to the formidable Renault.

They defined: “The new Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia EV3 and MG HS have all raised the bar in their respective classes in the past 12 months, as have the Skoda Elroq and Volkswagen Passat. In a different year, any one of them would have made a deserving overall winner, but in 2025 they’ve had the misfortune of coming up against the new Renault 5 (R5).

“[Renault] has clearly thrown everything at the car, with this resulting in something that offers a competitive real-world range and strikes a superb balance between comfort and driving fun.

“This is a car that you can buy with your head and your heart, then – one that shows you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a great electric car. In short, the R5 moves the game on more than any other model launched in the past 12 months, so it has to be our Car of the Year.”

Renault 5 specs – price/comparability to rivals

In pure numbers phrases, the Renault 5 is a 3.92 metre long electric car with 120hp and 225 Nm of torque driving the entrance wheels. The entrance wheels help the car from 0-62mph in 9 seconds and onto a high pace of 93pmph.

Alongside a 40Kwh battery pack, the close to 1.5 tonne Renault 5 has a potential vary of up to 250 miles. On the inside it has a fashionable infotainment show and control systems while on the rear it has a boot capability of 326 litres.

According to WhatCar’s review of the 5, it has a beginning price of £21,495, barely larger than rivals comparable to BYD Dolphin Surf (£18,650) and Citroën ë-C3 (£19,995), however evaluations counsel it outflanks them in phrases of tools and driving expertise.

Whilst WhatCar? determined that the Renault 5 is their car of the 12 months, publications comparable to CarWow have come to a completely different verdict.

Other Car of the Years

Whilst WhatCar? has determined that the Renault 5 is their car of the 12 months, publications comparable to Carwow have come to a completely different verdict.

When it got here to their car of the 12 months for 2026, after additionally testing a sequence of different autos all through this 12 months, Carwow opted for the Chinese Chery Tiggo 8.

They stated: “Our car of the year comes from a new entrant to the UK market, but that just makes it all the more impressive.

“Chery’s first car here proves to be smartly styled, posh inside and roomy enough for the whole family – and with a price tag that makes the European, Japanese or Korean opposition look positively overpriced. Altogether it’s a package any established manufacturer would be pleased to offer – Chery’s nailed it straight away.”

However, the Chery’s victory doesn’t imply the Renault 5 got here away empty handed with the French favorite successful the Carwow’s Urban Living Award.