Wheels Car of the Year





COTY: Past winners
The annual Wheels Car of the Year is one of the world’s longest-running automotive awards, with a history that stretches back to 1963.
That makes our award the grand old age of 60 and in that time a broad spectrum of cars have earned the title, ranging from obvious choices to properly left-of-field. Holden Camira, anyone?
The common thread among all of them, however, is that they were good enough to be judged the best of their time by a panel of Australia’s most seasoned motoring journalists. Here’s the list.
All COTY stories

2008 Car of the Year: Carmageddon
Michael Stahl looks over the auto mania and mysticism that was Car of the Year 2008.

Ping!
You wrote to us about a problem with our 2008 Car of the Year, and we have responded …

2008 Car of the Year Finalist: BMW 1 Series Coupe and Convertible
COTY success evades BMW again despite engaging dynamics and refined drivetrains.

COTY 2008 – Audi A4
Law of diminishing returns sees Ingolstadt’s COTY challenge end at final four.

2008 Car of the Year Finalist: Smart ForTwo
Much improved, but needs a broader skill set to make sense in Oz.

World Car of the Year 2009
There were no surprises at this year’s WCOTY announcement in Detroit for awards judge Samantha Stevens …

2008 Car of the Year Finalist: Jaguar XF
A welcome return to form but let down by sub-standard petrol V6 powerplant.

Volkswagen Golf: 2010 Car of the Year Winner
Six generations and 33 years later, the Volkswagen Golf has again claimed Australia’s WHEELS Car Of The Year

2008 Car of the Year Finalist: Peugeot 308
Premium European pricing, but lacking the requisite je ne sais quoi.

In pictures: Wheels Car of the Year Covers
Wheels Car of the Year – the world’s longest running continuous car of the year award – is entering its 48th year. We look at past magazine covers that show the compelling history.

Wheels COTY 2013: The finalists
Presenting your 2013 Wheels Car Of The Year contenders

Wheels COTY 2013: The countdown is on
Six days remain before the 2013 Wheels Car Of The Year is unveiled. Which of the 49 eligible new cars compete for the most prestigious motoring title in Australia?

Mazda CX-9 short stay – April 2009
Space, the final frontier.

PCOTY 2008: BMW 135i Coupe
This will set tongues wagging: BMW’s 135i