The Mahindra Thar Roxx and Bajaj Freedom 125 take the top honours at the Autocar Awards 2025.
The Thar Roxx emerged victorious due to its fantastic ride and handling balance, strong petrol and diesel engines, upmarket interior and the feeling of invincibility. The CNG-powered Bajaj Freedom 125 impressed our jurors for its innovation, value, usability and cost-effectiveness.
- Mahindra Thar Roxx is Autocar Car of the Year 2025
- Bajaj Freedom 125 wins Autocar Bike of the Year 2025
- Mahindra takes home the Manufacturer of the Year award
2025 Autocar Awards category winners: cars
The Mahindra Thar Roxx also won the 4x4 of the Year title. And while SUVs continue to rule the sales charts, coupe-SUVs were a flamboyant new body style to enter the mass segment this year. The Citroen Basalt pleased the eyes of our jurors the most and took home the Design of the Year. award. The Tata Curvv was the overall category winner in the segment.
A comprehensive update earlier this year saw the Hyundai Creta ditch its polarising looks for a far more appealing design and get a huge step up in features, thereby bagging the title of Variant/Update of the Year.
There was plenty of action this year in the compact SUV segment, too, with launches of the new Toyota Taisor, Tata Punch EV and the Kia Sonet facelift, to name a few. But it was the Mahindra XUV 3XO that was crowned the Compact SUV of the Year. The rebranding not only gave the XUV300 a new identity but also a new powertrain and a more upmarket interior. Meanwhile, the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, fresh from a 5-star Global NCAP safety rating, was the Compact Car of the Year.
This year also saw a fresh new wave of EVs in our market, but it was the MG Windsor that impressed the most. The Windsor is extremely comfortable, practical and well-equipped, but its innovative BAAS subscription makes it affordable to own, too. Moving up the price ladder, the BYD Seal was adjudged as the Premium EV of the year.
In the luxury segment, the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class – both in long-wheelbase form now – fought a hard battle. But the E-Class emerged victorious with its all-important back seat, winning the title of Luxury Sedan of the Year. Mercedes-Benz also took home the Luxury EV of the Year award with the EQS SUV. The Performance Car of the Year award went to the Aston Martin Vantage.
2025 Autocar Awards category winners: bikes
In the two-wheeler category, the TVS Jupiter 110 was adjudged the Scooter of the Year, winning over nominees like the Bajaj Chetak 3201 and the Ather 450 Apex. It’s completely reworked chassis and updated technology put it ahead of its rivals, and it is currently the second bestselling scooter in the country.
The Ather Rizta was crowned the Electric Two-Wheeler of the Year for its updated design and innovative approach towards a family-friendly electric scooter. Meanwhile, the TVS Apache RR 310 took home the title of Variant/Update of the Year, thanks to a bump in performance with its reworked internals, design updates and new features.
On to the more premium end of the market, the BMW R 1300 GS was crowned the Import Bike of the Year, topping other big bikes like the Triumph Tiger 900GT, the Honda XL750 Transalp and the Ducati Monster SP.
The Performance Bike of the Year Award went to the stunning made-in-India Aprilia RS 457, beating competitors like the Yamaha R3 and the MT-03. The RS 457 thoroughly impressed our jurors with its dynamics, performance and design.
Viewer’s Choice and Industry awards
The Viewer’s Choice Award for Car of the Year went to the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, which isn't a surprise given how Maruti turned the conversation around safety. Meanwhile, the Aprilia RS 457 won the Viewer’s Choice Bike of the Year Award, thanks to its immense desirability, big-bike feels and very accessible performance.
Masakazu Yoshimura, MD and CEO of Toyota Kirloskar Motor was crowned the 2025 Person of the Year. Just like last year, the coveted Manufacturer of the Year award went to Mahindra & Mahindra. Here’s the list of all the winners:
Hormazd Sorabjee
Anurag Chaturvedi
