Car shoppers had plenty of choices in 2025 as auto grocery shelves were teeming with goodies. If the food market has ice cream, beverage, fruit, and meat aisles, then auto stores offer trucks, SUVs, small cars and EVs.

There’s something for everyone at every price point (well, unless you wanted sub-$20K subcompacts).

We here at The Detroit News are biased toward value, style, innovation and performance. And we choose our Vehicle of the Year accordingly. As The News auto critic, I tested 59 new cars this year, running the spectrum from the compact $23,645 Nissan Sentra gas-sipper to the posh $81,550 Lucid Gravity electron-guzzler.

True to industry trends, 60% of the vehicles were utes, including an English startup (Ineo Grenadier), all-new electric vehicles (Hyundai Ioniq 9, Volvo XC30, Polestar 4) and fresh riffs on old nameplates like the VW Tiguan and Honda Passport. Only three of my testers had sticks, as manuals have become a niche performance feature.

Speaking of niches, EV sales stalled even before federal incentives dried up — their appeal aimed at upscale buyers with multi-car garages. Nevertheless, it was a good year for EV buyers as The News’ 2018 VOY, the Tesla Model 3 (and sister Tesla Model Y), received their first major upgrades, and Cadillac introduced its entry-level Optiq EV. Don’t look now, America, but the leading premium EV brands are Made in the USA.

It was a quiet year for trucks (the return of the growly V8-powered Ram 1500 aside), but dang if the Ford Maverick (VOY 2021 and 2022) wasn’t on my short list again with its new, rowdy Lobo variant. Maverick is the gift that keeps on giving.

Here are our three favorites for 2025 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year, saving the tastiest for last.

Second runner-up: Mazda CX-30 Turbo

In a year when the average price of a new car crested $50K, the CX-30 was a welcome example of how a $27,470, entry-level subcompact SUV can still be stylish, high-tech, affordable.

It’s this year’s best all-around player.

With its sporty looks and crisp handling, CX-30 (introduced in 2020) was already a mainstream SUV rivaling the BMW X2 luxe-benchmark in performance for half the price while offering similar standard features: AWD, blind-spot-assist, adaptive cruise control and rear cross traffic alert. With its 2025 refresh, CX-30 made crucial updates to its infotainment system. Like the stick shift, the remote rotary-controlled screen is headed out the door as smartphones take over cars, so Mazda adapted by upgrading to a 10.25-inch touchscreen and improved voice commands when using Android Auto/Apple CarPlay.

With this crucial detail fixed — “Hey, Google, navigate to Hell, Michigan!” — customers can focus on the joy of driving. CX-30 is that rare SUV that makes driving fun, embodying the brand’s Miata-inspired ZOOM ZOOM spirit.

Choose the $35K Turbo Carbon model with an impressive 310 pound-feet of torque, and the Mazda is a match for Michigan snowstorms — and that Bimmer next to you at a stoplight.

Runner-up: Chevy Corvette ZR1

The best vehicle I drove this year was the McLaren 750S, a carbon-chassis, twin-turbo-V8-powered exotic.

But for half of the McLaren’s $320K sticker, you can have the Corvette ZR1.

The ZR1 is the ultimate expression of Corvette’s affordable supercar mantra. Its numbers alone are VOY-worthy: 1,063 horsepower, 0-60 mpg in (hold on!) 2.2 seconds, top speed of 233 mph, the fastest American car ever made. On the back straight at Formula One’s circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas, I hit 176 mph — 30 mph quicker than the standard 495-horse C8. Good gravy.

Is it as good as the McLaren? No, because McMoney buys you an IndyCar-like carbon-fiber chassis. The ‘Vette relies on a more pedestrian aluminum frame, but ZR1 is much more than a track-shredder. Its state-of-the-art digital technology and cargo significantly outpace the 750S (or Porsche Turbo or Lamborghini Aventador) in usability. Like the Mazda CX-30, ZR1 also has fixed interior foibles for a more enjoyable ergonomic experience.

One more number? ZR1 is the fastest American sportscar to ever lap the Nürburgring — its time trailing only exotics like the $2.7 million Mercedes AMG One and the $500K Porsche GT2 RS MR.

First place: Dodge Charger Sixpack

Happy days are here again. It’s been a tough few years at the Dream Cruise, deprived of new Chargers and Challengers. The demise of the V8-powered muscle cars after 2022 was the poster child of fun-sucking federal rules forcing the industry to one-size-fits-all electrification.

For 2026, the Charger Sixpack symbolizes the rebirth of drivetrain choice.

Thank a flexible architecture that can host electric motors in the Charger Daytona EV, ICE engines like the Sixpack’s inline-6 cylinder, and surely a future V-8. The Charger is not only gorgeous (channeling the 1968 Charger OG) but utilitarian. Its hatchback design adds big cargo capability out back to complement big horsepower up front. AWD translates 553 ponies to the ground in the high-output Scat Pack, while the standard R/T gets 420. Where the previous-gen RWD Charger was an unsteady foal on snow, the new all-wheel driver is an all-season champ.

Fun, utility, interior room. Say hello to the world’s biggest hot hatch.

Waiting for my affordability spiel? Scat Pack debuts at a hefty $52K, but it goes spec-for-spec against a BMW M530i that costs 10 grand more. I’d take the Dodge in a heartbeat.

Beneath the retro-style skin is a modern interior anchored by twin digital screens loaded with tech surrounded by menacing details: pistol-grip shifter, tall seats, fire-red ambient lighting.

Expect more affordable two- and four-door models to come. And a V-8 return to complete the muscle car’s resurrection after being buried just three years ago. Who knows, maybe a Charger Eightpack could be next year’s VOY toy?

Second runner-up: 2025 Mazda CX-30 Turbo

Vehicle type: All-wheel-drive, five-passenger subcompact SUV

Price: Base $27,470, including $1,420 destination charge ($34,935 Carbon Turbo as tested)

Powerplant: 2.5-liter, inline-4 cylinder; 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-4

Power: 191 horsepower, 186 pound-feet torque (2.5L); 227 horsepower, 310 pound-feet torque (turbo)

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.2 seconds (turbo, Car and Driver); towing, 1,500 pounds

Weight: 3,444 pounds (as tested)

Range: EPA est. mpg 22 mpg city/30 highway/25 combined (Carbon Turbo as tested)

Report card

Highs: Hot-hatch SUV; updated touchscreen on top trims

Lows: Small back seat for class

Runner-up: 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Vehicle type: Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-passenger supercar

Price: $174,995 base, including $1,395 destination ($189,680 LT1 coupe and $200,180 convertible models with ZTK Package as tested)

Power plant: 5.5-liter, twin-turbo V-8

Power: 1,064 horsepower, 828 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.2 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 233 mph

Curb weight: 3,831 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA 12 mpg city/18 highway/14 combined

Report card

Highs: Ballistic acceleration; state-of-the-art interior

Lows: Will drink the Permian Basin oil field dry for a track day

Winner: 2026 Dodge Charger

Vehicle type: All-wheel-drive, five-passenger coupe and sedan

Price: Base $51,990, including $1,995 destination charge. Sedan an extra $2,000 ($67,360 Scat Plus coupe with Customer Preferred Package as tested)

Powerplant: 3.0-liter, twin-turbo inline-6 cylinder

Power: 420 horsepower, 468 pound-feet torque (R/T); 550 horsepower, 531 pound-feet torque (Scat Pack)

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.9 seconds (Scat Pack, mfr.); top speed, 177 mph (Scat Pack)

Weight: 4,815 pounds

Range: EPA est. mpg 16 city/26 highway/20 combined (Scat Pack); 91 octane fuel required

Report card

Highs: Sleek hot hatch; AWD/head-up display/hatchback goodies

Lows: Waiting on the V-8, four-door models

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