JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – The 2021 South African Car of the Year trophy, the country’s most sought-after motoring accolade, has been announced and the full list is at the bottom of this feature.
The overall winner is Peugeot 2008 Toyota’s Hilux Double Cab was second, and BMW’s 4 Series third.
Given the Covid lockdown, the winners were announced during a virtual awards ceremony streamed live on September 27 2021.
The competition has evolved over the years (categories were introduced recently) but has remained true to the basics – automotive excellence though the 2021 contest had challenges. “For the first time we did not host our scheduled two-day juror evaluation event,” the organisers explained.
“We had the foresight to create ongoing online scoring from all accredited SA motoring writers to build a database of vehicles tested – their strengths, weaknesses – and to compare them to category contenders.
“Jurors were encouraged to score during vehicle launches or during road tests.”
The public, the Corner was told, also became involved in scoring.
Here are the category winners in no particular order:
•Budget: Toyota Starlet
•Compact: Hyundai Venue
•Compact Family: Peugeot 2008 SUV
•Family: Audi A4
•Premium: BMW 4 Series
•Adventure: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
•Double Cab: Toyota Hilux Double Cab
•Performance: Porsche 911 Turbo S
•New Energy: Porsche Taycan
•Motor Enthusiast’s Choice: Mercedes-Benz E-Class
•Jurors Excellence Award: Peugeot 2008 SUV
The Toyota Hilux Double Cab was second, BMW 4 Series third.
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