Auto Industry Highlights: 2025 Wards 10 Best Interior Designs and User Experience Awardees
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In this year's competition, a crop of vehicles has emerged victorious, with several repeat brands from the 2024 competition making a strong showing. Among the winners, we find Porsche, Lamborghini, Nissan, Ford, Lincoln, and BMW.
The Porsche Taycan, the 2025 Car and Driver EV of the Year, has impressively combined performance and technology across different variants. It received top marks for Technology, Mission Fulfillment, and Fun to Drive, with the optional Active Ride Suspension earning particular praise.
Lamborghini's hybrid range has dominated the 2025 Red Dot Awards for Product Design, winning the Best of the Best for the Revuelto and awards for the Urus SE and Temerario. The brand's innovative design and commitment to delivering hybrid vehicles without compromising legendary performance and its unique design DNA have been key to their success.
Nissan's strong performances were evident with multiple models recognised for quality and value. The Rogue won the Cars.com Compact SUV Challenge for the third consecutive year, while the Kicks and Murano took top segment honors in the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study. The all-new Kicks also earned Best-in-Class Residual Value.
Ford and Lincoln secured top spots in the 2025 J.D. Power U.S. APEAL Study with the Ford F-Series Super Duty, Ford Mustang, and Lincoln Nautilus named most appealing in their segments. The consistent quality improvements and emphasis on customer satisfaction from Ford contributed to these wins.
BMW earned segment-topping honours with models like the BMW X4, X6, and X7 in both the J.D. Power Initial Quality and APEAL Studies. The premium assembly quality, consistent investment in manufacturing, and emphasis on customer experience and electric vehicle readiness have been credited to BMW's success.
This year's winning crop of vehicles features a higher representation of mass-market brands compared to luxury brands. All vehicles in the 2025 winning crop are battery-electric vehicles or have models that are priced below $35,000. The majority of vehicles in the 2025 winning crop are battery-electric, with more battery-electric vehicles present compared to the previous year. No specific non-battery-electric vehicles were mentioned in the 2025 winning crop of vehicles.
Senior Editor David Kiley and Lead Editor Christie Schweinberg were involved in the discussion of the 2025 winning vehicles, highlighting the excellence in product design, advanced technology integration, consistent quality improvement, performance, and customer satisfaction that these repeat award-winning automakers have demonstrated. These factors have reinforced their reputations and appeal in competitive segments.
- The electric vehicle industry has witnessed a significant shift towards mass-market brands this year, with repeated winners such as Porsche, Ford, Nissan, and BMW showcasing excellence in product design, advanced technology integration, and customer satisfaction.
- The finance sector has taken note of the increasing dominance of electric vehicles in transportation, as repeated winners like Lamborghini and Ford have demonstrated their commitment to delivering hybrid vehicles without compromising performance and unique design DNA.
- The lifestyle segment has seen a surge in interest for electric vehicles, with the Porsche Taycan, Nissan's Kicks, and BMW's X4 among the top performers in technology, mission fulfillment, fun to drive, and residual value.
- The automotive technology sector is experiencing a rapid evolution, with brands like Lamborghini, Nissan, Ford, and BMW leading the charge in advancing electric vehicle readiness, ensuring their ongoing success in the future of transportation.
