Posted 2 July 2025
Kia’s strong momentum continues as the brand celebrates two major wins at the 2025 Auto Express New Car Awards.
The Kia EV3 has been named ‘Small Company Car of the Year’, while the Kia Picanto takes top honours as ‘City Car of the Year’, further solidifying the brand’s reputation for continued innovation, practicality, and broad customer appeal.
The Auto Express New Car Awards are among the most prestigious accolades in the automotive world, highlighting the very best vehicles across 30 diverse categories. Judged by a panel of seasoned experts, the awards recognise the models they most confidently recommend – based on price, efficiency, safety, connectivity, reliability, and the all-important driving experience.
Applauding both winners, Auto Express Editor Paul Barker commented on the Picanto’s award: “The recent revamp of Kia’s smallest model reminded us why we love small cars so much. The Picanto is fun, but also feels grown up on the open road, so isn’t a car that has to stay in urban confines.”
On the standout EV3, he added: “The EV3 has continued Kia’s impressive record with its electric cars, and looks great, is practical and has the range that means higher-mileage drivers aren’t going to baulk at going electric.”
These wins underscore Kia’s unwavering commitment to providing customers with practical and accessible vehicles across a range of market sectors. As other manufacturers scale back their presence in the compact car segment, Kia continues to offer models like the Picanto to meet the needs of drivers seeking smaller, more efficient options.
The EV3 continues to follow the winning streak achieved by its larger sibling, the EV9, which was named ‘Large Company Car of the Year’ at the 2024 Auto Express New Car Awards. Kia will soon embark on a nationwide tour of ‘Kia Electric Experience’ events across the Kia UK dealer network, showcasing the latest of Kia’s electric offerings to customers.
With a rapidly growing EV line-up and continued recognition from industry leaders, Kia continues to strengthen its position as a key player in the automotive landscape.