Nine finalists have been announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show by the North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards organization. They’re broken out into three finalists in three categories; car, truck, and utility vehicle. Out of the nine finalists, a GM product is one of them. The 2025 Chevy Equinox EV is up for 2025 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year.
“The competition for these awards will be fierce this year,” said NACTOY President Jeff Gilbert, who is also the automotive reporter for WWJ Radio in Detroit. “We have a well-balanced crop of EVs, hybrids, and gasoline-powered vehicles. It will be hard to narrow each category down to just one winner – they’re all great choices.”
The Chevy Equinox EV competes with the Hyundai Santa Fe midsize crossover and the Volkswagen ID.Buzz electric van. The vehicles were voted on by 50 automotive journalists across the U.S. and Canada. A few notable names on the list of jurors include MotorWeek host John Davis, iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer, and YouTuber/Cars & Bids founder Doug DeMuro.
A couple of notable new GM models that didn’t make the cut include the GMC Sierra EV and Cadillac Celestiq. The finalists for Truck of the Year include the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma, which are both all-new this year, and the refreshed Ram 1500. The Car of the Year finalists are very normal cars: the new hybrid-only Toyota Camry, the new Kia K4 that replaces the Forte, and the Honda Civic Hybrid, which is part of the Civic’s 2025 refresh.
GM models consistently appear on the finalists lists for these awards. However, it hasn’t had a winner since the 2020 Chevy Corvette, the debut year for the mid-engined C8, won the 2020 North American Car of the Year. The C7 won the same honor in its debut year of 2014. The Chevy Bolt EV was the 2017 Car of the Year, so it will be interesting to see if the next-gen 2026 Chevy Bolt wins the same award.
We may be biased here at GM Authority, but we think the Chevy Equinox EV, with its excellent balance of value and practicality, is very deserving of this award. The winners will be announced on January 10th, 2025 at the Detroit Auto Show.
Comments
A worthy candidate.
I want to love it. I think they nailed the vehicle, but the price doesn’t match.
I expect the Chevy Equnox EV to win. And more EVs will participate and win in the future. This is the 21st century , the Century of the EV.
I’m sure the manufacturers were pushing for the EVs to standout being superior so the public will see their value. But EVs are not the future. Drill baby drill.
I can’t get past the silly accent colors they’ve added to their interiors.