Drive Car of the Year: Toyota 86 GT
Jonathan Hawley This year's winner triumphed by delivering cheap thrills from an unlikely quarter. Who would have thought ultra-conservative Toyota would turn out such a great sports car?
Drive Car of the Year: Previous winners
From small cars and SUVs to luxury cars and utes, check out every car of the year winner over the years.
Car of the Year: Family Car
Car of the Year: City Car
Car of the Year: SUV Under $40,000
Car of the Year: Performance Car Over $60,000
Drive performance testing: How it's done
The judging criteria
Best City Car
Car of the Year: City Car
Reigning champ the Volkswagen Polo retains its crown as king of the city cars.
Best Small Car
Drive Car of the Year: Small Car
Ford's Focus retained its title as the best car in the booming small car segment, thanks to great handling and impressive refinement.
Best Family Car
Car of the Year: Family Car
Locally made Toyota Camry hybrid makes a compelling case for families.
Best SUV under $40K
Car of the Year: SUV Under $40,000
Mazda's diesel-powered CX-5 triumphed with a combination of fuel economy and dynamic ability.
Best SUV over $40K
Car of the Year: SUV Over $40,000
Kia's Sorento saw off both mainstream and luxury rivals to grab the prize as best family-sized SUV.
Best Performance Car under $60K
Car of the Year: Performance Car Under $60,000
Cut-price thrills take centre stage as Toyota's affordable 86 sports car takes the prize.
Best Performance Car over $60K: The contenders
Car of the Year: Performance Car Over $60,000
Porsche's 911 may be expensive, but it's also head and shoulders above most performance cars.
Best Luxury Car under $80K
Car of the Year: Luxury Car Under $80,000
In a battle of the big three Germans, the rock-solid Mercedes-Benz's C-Class successfully defended its crown.
Best Luxury Car over $80K
Car of the Year: Luxury Car Over $80,000
Audi's A6 pipped the Lexus GS350 with a better cabin and engine.
Best 4WD
Car of the Year: 4WD
The Jeep Grand Cherokee had won this award before the voting started.
Best Convertibles
Car of the Year: Convertible
Volkswagen's Golf without a roof triumphed over the spectacular but expensive Boxster.
Best Ute
Car of the Year: Utes
The Mazda BT-50 may not be the better drive, but it makes up for it in other areas.
Best People Mover
Car of the Year: People Mover
Honda Odyssey remains unchallenged as the people's champion.
Best Safety innovation Award
Drive Car of the Year: Safety Innovation Award
Clever technology makes the Volkswagen Up cheap and careful.
Best Green Car Award
Drive Green Innovation Award
Holden's Volt leads the charge of the electric vehicle brigade.
