Mahindra Thar Roxx, Bajaj Freedom 125 bag Autocar Awards 2025

The Mahindra Thar Roxx has been crowned the Car of the Year at the Autocar Awards 2025, while the Bajaj Freedom 125 takes home the title of the Bike of the Year.

The Thar Roxx has emerged victorious from a bevy of new launches for its fantastic ride and handling balance, strong set of petrol and diesel engines, upmarket interior and absolute invincibility. In the two-wheeler category, the CNG-powered Bajaj Freedom 125 impressed our jurors for its innovation, value, usability and cost-effectiveness for its targeted audience.

2025 Autocar Awards category winners: cars

The Mahindra Thar Roxx not only won the top overall honour, but it also topped its own segment with the 4x4 of the Year title. And while SUVs continue to rule the sales charts, coupe-SUVs were a flamboyant new body style to enter the mass segments this year. The one that pleased the eyes of our jurors the most was the Citroen Basalt which took home the award for Design of the Year. The overall category winner in the coupe-SUV segment, however, was the Tata Curvv.

A comprehensive update earlier this year saw the Hyundai Creta ditch its polarizing looks for a far more appealing design, and it saw a huge step up in interior appointment and features as well, thereby winning title of the Variant/Update of the Year. 

There was plenty of action this year in the compact SUV segment, too, with the likes of the new Toyota Taisor, Tata Punch EV and the Kia Sonet facelift, but it was the Mahindra XUV 3XO that was crowned the Compact SUV of the Year. The rebranding not only gave the erstwhile XUV300 a new identity, but also strong new powertrains and a more upmarket interior. Meanwhile, the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, fresh form a 5-star GNCAP safety rating was crowed the Compact Car of the Year.

2025 also saw a fresh new wave of EVs come into our market, but the one that left our jurors the most impressed was the MG Windsor. With its innovative BAAS subscription, the Windsor is not only affordable to own, but is also extremely comfortable, practical and a well-equipped EV. Moving up the price ladder, the BYD Seal was adjudged as the Premium EV of the year.

Into the luxury segment, the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class had a hard-fought battle, both in their long wheelbase guises now, but it’s the E-Class that emerged victorious with its all-important back seat, winning the title of Luxury Sedan of the Year. Mercedes-Benz also took home the award for the Luxury EV of the Year with the EQS SUV, thanks to its luxury quotient, space and the value it offers. Lastly, the Aston Martin Vantage was adjudged the winner of the Performance Car of the Year Award.

2025 Autocar Awards category winners: bikes 

In the two-wheeler category, the TVS Jupiter 110 was adjudged as the Scooter of the Year, winning over nominees like the Bajaj Chetak 3201 and the Ather 450 Apex. It’s completely reworked chassis and updated technology put it ahead of its rivals, and it is currently the second best-selling scooter in the country.  

The Ather Rizta was crowned the Electric Two-Wheeler of the Year for its updated design and innovative approach towards a family friendly electric scooter. Meanwhile, the TVS Apache RR 310 took home the title of Variant/Update of the Year, thanks to its overall bump in performance with its reworked internals, design updates and new features.

On to the more premium end of the market, the BMW R 1300 GS was crowned the Import Bike of the Year, topping other big bikes like the Triumph Tiger 900GT, the Honda XL750 Transalp and the Ducati Monster SP.

Finally, the Performance Bike of the Year Award went to the stunning made-in-India Aprilia RS 457, beating rivals like the Yamaha R3 and the MT-03. The RS 457 thoroughly impressed our jurors with its dynamics, performance and design, in particular.   

Viewer’s Choice and Industry awards

The Viewer’s Choice Award for Car of the Year went to the Maruti Suzuki Dzire which is no surprise given how Maruti turned around the conversation about safety of its models. Meanwhile, the Aprilia RS 457 won the Viewer’s Choice Bike of the Year Award, thanks to its immense desirability, big bike-feels and very accessible performance.

On to the industry, the 2025 Person of the Year was Masakazu Yoshimura, MD and CEO, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, while the coveted Manufacturer of the Year award went to Mahindra & Mahindra, just as it did last year.