AutoTrader South Africa has recently announced their Car of the Year 2020 winners. It has been an event held every year since 1986 which could leave you wondering, “how many firsts does this award still have?” Well, this year there were two.
Due to the lockdown laws, this event like many others was streamed on YouTube. Hosted by an AI voice, it was a unique experience and a very well made presentation. But let’s not keep you waiting on the winners for too long.
The winner of the South Africa Car of the Year 2020 is…
Jaguar I-Pace. It has made Jaguar’s first-ever win for this award and that’s not the only first. This is also the first-ever all-electric car to win this award too. It’s a stunning looking car and for a heavy SUV, it handles incredibly well when driving at speed. I think the only thing that lets it down a bit is the long charging time, but the range is very good to make up for that.
This is not the only award that the I-Pace took, making its arrival on the digital stage even greater. It took the Premium Car of the Year award too. 
We can’t not mention who came second and third. In second place is the Mercedes-Benz GLE400d 4Matic and in third was the Toyota GR Supra 3.0T which we will see both in other awards.
Urban
The Urban Car of the Year award went to the Hyundai Atos 1.1L Motion. Awarded for its practicality in city driving, this little car fits that bill just right. 
Family
Toyota Corolla Hatch 1.2T XR CVT took the Family Car of the Year for its comfort and safety when transporting many people. 
Leisure
Similar to the family category, the Leisure Car of the Year is aimed at SUVs and MPVs that are popular for both on and off-road travel. It’s highly contested but the Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 TSI Comfortline 85kW DSG took the title. 
Lifestyle
Only considering all-wheel-drive vehicles that are SUVs or Bakkies, the winner of this category was the Ford Ranger Raptor. It was a clear win for this bakkie. 
Premium SUV
Since an SUV took the Premium Car award, it left me wondering if the same Jaguar I-Pace would win this. I was surprisingly wrong and the second-place winner took this title, the Mercedes-Benz GLE400d 4Matic. 
Performance
It was the third-place winner who took this award, the Toyota GR Supra 3.0T. A stunning car but with a bit of an identity crisis. Needless to say, the legend that returned was no surprise to take the win. To find out more about this car, read our article about the Supra’s return. 
I think these awards were outstanding and I’m very excited about a full EV taking the top award and winning in its category. It may be very expensive but it’s a positive light on electric cars coming to South Africa.