Best new cars to own by class: Driver Power 2025 results
From urban runabouts to large SUVs and everything in between, these are the top vehicles to own by class in 2025
It's likely that most drivers weighing up a new-car purchase will start by comparing similar models to narrow down their choices, and that makes the Driver Power class winners important for both manufacturers and potential buyers alike.
Indeed, although there are many ways to slice and dice the Driver Power data, it’s this approach that provides arguably the most significant results for anyone in the new-car marketplace, and this year the Driver Power top 50 fall into a total of nine separate classes.
They range from small cars and supermini-based SUVs at one end of the scale, to full-sized SUVs and large luxury cars, with a sporty coupé option included, too.
As you might expect, it is the SUV classes that are dominant in numerical terms, taking more than half of the top-50 Driver Power slots in 2025. And while Mercedes wins the Driver Power 50-model rundown, it only manages two class wins with its GLE and C-Class models, whereas Vauxhall cleans up in three classes with the Astra, Crossland and Grandland.
It’s no surprise to see BMW owning the coupé class, given the popularity of its 4 Series, and likewise the Tesla Model S in the luxury car class – if nothing else, all those government company car incentives have made it impossible to ignore it.
At the other end of the scale, Citroen’s victory in the supermini class with its C3 reflects that car’s popularity, while the Vauxhall Crossland beating the Dacia Duster in the small SUV category does the same.
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Best small car: Citroen C3 Mk3
There are plenty of well known names in the supermini/small-car class, but the segment-winning Citroen C3 and runner-up Honda Jazz are some way ahead of their rivals.
Just two places separate the pair, with Citroen owners more pleased with exterior style and safety features, and Jazz drivers ranking satisfaction with factors such as powertrain, practicality and running costs more highly. Third place in the class goes to the MINI, closely followed by the Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo and Toyota Yaris.
Best family car: Vauxhall Astra Mk8
These compact hatchbacks are, in many ways, the backbone of British motoring life, but who would have expected to see the Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf at the top and bottom of our top 50 respectively? The Vauxhall performs well across the board to rank third overall in the survey this year, while the Golf misses the bottom rung of the ladder by just one place.
Back at the top of this class table, the Mercedes A-Class and BMW 1 Series take second and third on the podium.
Best small SUV: Vauxhall Crossland Mk1
Another hard-fought struggle in a highly contested segment, and a third triumph for the Vauxhall brand with its Crossland SUV – just pipping the Dacia Duster to a class win.
Ironically, the Crossland’s worst category score – 50th for value – is where the Duster does best, topping the top-50 table in first. Meanwhile the Duster’s worst score – 47th for powertrains – is one of the Crossland’s best, where it ranks fourth. The pair both perform strongly on economy and practicality, but the Crossland edges the win.
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Best mid-size SUV: Vauxhall Grandland Mk1
This is a crucial battleground, because the mid-size SUV segment is hotly contested, making Vauxhall’s win significant against some very competent rivals such as the Ford Kuga in second and the Citroen C5 Aircross in third.
The Grandland wins by a significant margin, although all three class leaders make the top 10 of the survey overall. None can match the sweep of excellent scores across the board racked up by the Vauxhall, though, including first place in the survey for the practicality and boot space attribute.
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Best premium SUV: Tesla Model Y Mk1
Tesla's Model 3-based crossover SUV leads the premium SUV class by some margin, with its electric powertrain proving significantly more satisfying than its rivals’ ICE efforts, although BMW’s X3 powertrain runs it closest. The Tesla Model Y cements its win with strong practicality and running cost ratings, but all of these cars rank poorly for value.
Behind Tesla, the Volvo XC40 still manages to stay just ahead of its German rivals – although it's a close-run thing between the XC40, BMW X3 and Audi Q5.
Best large premium SUV: Mercedes GLE Mk4
The 2025 Driver Power winner must naturally also top its class, which is a good reason to reprise the achievements of this luxurious Mercedes GLE 4x4 as it sweeps to overall victory.
Its six category wins make it an untouchable champion this year, to the extent that it seems churlish to point out where it hasn’t done so well – just two areas in fact, namely servicing costs (about which owners can only muster middle-of-the-road enthusiasm) and fuel economy. A ranking of third for value must make Jaguar Land Rover weep.
Best coupe: BMW 4 Series Mk2
Once a staple of the executive-car pool, the sporty two-door coupé is one of the many bodystyles that has lost out to the inexorable rise of SUVs, not to mention the more practical yet still sporty-looking fastback models.
But BMW is one of the few manufacturers keeping faith with the concept. Owners of the 4 Series are clearly delighted about that, awarding their chosen model a top-three spot for driving pleasure, and equally strong results for cabin controls and overall quality.
Best executive car: Mercedes C-Class Mk5
There’s still plenty of action in the executive-car class, although previous big players such as Jaguar, Volvo and Lexus have abandoned the segment to varying degrees.
The German brands carry on regardless, with the Mercedes C-Class pulling out a lead over the next contender - the Audi A5 – of almost three percentage points. That’s a big margin by Driver Power standards, although the BMW 3 Series in fourth place and the Tesla Model 3 in fifth are separated by only a hair’s breadth.
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Best luxury car: Tesla Model S Mk1
The Model S is one of three Teslas in the survey, and actually the least satisfying, but again the luxury saloon sector has been filleted by the rise of the SUV, so there’s not much direct competition.
Still, 28th in the Driver Power survey isn’t a bad result, even if it’s not stunning, but some of the category scores suggest Tesla will have its work cut out to defend the Model S against increasing competition from similarly upmarket European EVs, or indeed more prestigious ones.
Take the Driver Power survey today! Tell us about your car and get the chance to win a £1,000 John Lewis voucher. (T's & C's apply). Click here to take the 10-minute survey...
