MotorWeek 2023 Drivers’ Choice Awards Winners; Kia EV6 Takes “Best of the Year”
Today, the MotorWeek team officially awarded the winners of their 2023 Drivers’ Choice Awards, giving honors to vehicles spread across 13 categories, including “Best of the Year.”
This annual tradition of MotorWeek’s top picks was announced at this year’s Chicago Auto Show, joined by a special online presentation. A special episode will also debut this weekend. Be sure to check your local PBS listings for exact details, and you can also catch the premier on the series’ cable and satellite partner, MAVTV Motorsports Network.
More information on the 2023 Drivers’ Choice Awards can be found on our dedicated DCA page.
Our “Best of the Year” award goes to the Kia EV6 all-electric utility. The EV6, which also took home one of this year’s NACTOY awards, was chosen for bringing the benefits of electrification to the masses at a relatively affordable price point. It offers up a solid utility for those in need, and thrill seekers can bump up to the newly introduced GT model for some extra spice.
“The EV6 pushes all the right buttons,” said John Davis, MotorWeek host and creator. “Up-to-date design details such as its five-door coupe-like profile, flush door handles, and unique LED lighting make it a style leader. The dedicated EV platform means an airy interior with exceptional room both front and rear, executed with an ultra-clean layout that perfectly blends sportiness and comfort.”
To us, the EV6 represents the current direction of the automotive industry towards an electrified future, all while offering the average consumer an above-average option within reasonable financial reach. And even with those sensibilities in mind, it ticks off arguably the most important box: It’s fun to drive.
“Every EV6 model begs to be driven with enthusiasm thanks to instant throttle response and nailed-down handling,” said Davis. “The Kia EV6 is simply an outstanding, breakthrough vehicle design, which is why it’s MotorWeek’s 2023 pick for the Drivers’ Choice Award Best of the Year designation.”
The rest of this years’ winners are listed below. An asterisk denotes a repeat winner from last year, while double asterisks signify a repeat winner from 2021 and 2022.
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Category |
Winner(s) |
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Best Family Car |
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Best Luxury Car |
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Best Sport Sedan |
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Best Sport Coupe |
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Best Performance Car |
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Best Small Utility |
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Best Midsize Utility |
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Best Large Utility |
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Best Luxury Utility |
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Best Small Truck |
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Best Fullsize Truck |
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Best EV |
For a more in-depth look at our decisions, check out the full page and YouTube presentation. And from all of us here, thank you for being a part of MotorWeek!
What are the Drivers’ Choice Awards?
The Drivers’ Choice Awards (DCA) is MotorWeek’s yearly roundup of what we believe to be the best new vehicles the average consumer would buy or desire across a variety of segments.
To best encapsulate the enthusiasm Americans continue to have for cars, each go-around we assess the award categories and fine tune them to feature the most popular, successful and growing segments. For example, we spread utilities– a very popular segment– across a number of categories, representative of different sub-segments and trends. On a similar note, we opted to combine “Best Compact Pickup” and “Best Midsize Pickup” this year to better reflect the current market.
Voting was conducted by the MotorWeek team in mid-December, taking into account the everyday qualifications the general consumer has when considering a vehicle: price, practicality, performance, fuel efficiency, and, of course, how fun it is to drive. These are the Drivers’ Choice Awards, afterall. We also consider how well a vehicle lives up to its advertised segment (ie: how well does a particular small utility live up to the expectations of a small utility?). While staff experiences are used to better rank each vehicle, personal biases and brand affinities are left out of the discussion.
The DCA has been an annual MotorWeek tradition since 1983.