ICOTY 2025 Premium Car Contenders Announced: BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Maybach EQS, BYD Seal and More

8 premium cars have been selected for the 20th edition of the annual Indian Car Of The Year (ICOTY) awards, slated to be held in January 2025.

The 2025 edition of the annual Indian Car Of The Year (ICOTY) awards is going to be held in January next year when a panel of motoring journalists will select the most prestigious Indian Car of the Year – also called the 'Oscar' of Indian car awards – along with two other winners in their respective categories. With 20 judges from esteemed publications taking part, including Dhruv Behl, Chairman, ICOTY, and Ishan Raghava, Secretary, ICOTY, the finalists have been selected to fight it out for the coveted title at the final countdown, scheduled to take place in less than a month.

For the 20th edition of the ICOTY awards, 17 cars and SUVs are gunning for the top spot, of which 8 premium cars are in the fray. Here's a rundown of the shortlisted candidates for the Premium Car Award 2025:

BMW 5 Series

The BMW 5 Series sedan is available in a long-wheelbase format in India. It features the longest wheelbase in the segment – 3,105mm, 130mm longer than the previous-generation 5 Series' wheelbase. The existing 5 series, launched 5 months ago, is in its eighth generation and aimed at the premium chauffeur-driven experience. The new BMW 5 Series gets its looks from the all-electric i5 and has a 2.0-litre twin-turbocharged petrol engine (with 48V mild hybrid tech) under its hood. The engine, coupled with a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission, makes 255bhp and 400Nm of peak torque. The model is available in a sole 530Li variant at Rs 72.90 lakh (ex-showroom).

Also Read: ICOTY 2025 Green Car Contenders Revealed: BYD Seal, BMW i5, Tata Curvv EV and More

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Mercedes Benz E Class Front Three Quarter jpg

While the BMW 5 Series is in its eighth generation, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class is in its sixth generation – bigger, techier, and more powerful than before. It is the other long-wheelbase model (3,094mm) in the segment, and is offered in three variants, with a choice of two turbo-petrol and one diesel engine. All three engines get a 48V mild-hybrid system that makes an additional 23bhp and 205Nm. The range-topping E 450 gets the company's 4Matic AWD system only. The E-Class long-wheelbase model is the first and only made-in-India Mercedes-Benz to feature a front-centre airbag. Prices start at Rs 78.50 lakh (ex-showroom).

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV/EQS Maybach

Mercedes Benz EQS Front View jpg

Mercedes-Benz launched the standard EQS SUV at Rs 1.41 crore (ex-showroom) in September 2024. It has a minimalist design and draws power from a 122 kWh battery pack with dual electric motors. The motors develop a combined 536bhp and 858Nm. The SUV comes in a single 580 4MATIC variant.

Brought out before the standard version, the Maybach EQS 680 is the company's flagship electric SUV. Like the standard SUV, the Maybach version comes in a sole, fully loaded variant. It gets the same battery and two motors but develops 649bhp and 950Nm, enabling the vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just 4.4 seconds – 0.2 seconds faster than the EQS 580. At Rs 2.25 crore (ex-showroom), the EQS 680 is the second most expensive electric SUV in the country after the Lotus Eletre.

Kia Carnival

Kia Carnival1

Kia reintroduced the Carnival MPV in India in October 2024 as an updated fourth-generation model. The MPV is available in a single Limousine Plus variant, which uses a 2.2-litre, four-cylinder, CRDi turbocharged diesel engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The diesel engine in the new Carnival utilises aluminium and generates 193bhp and 441Nm. In its new avatar, the MPV brings an updated SUV-like design, an overhauled cabin, and lots of equipment, carrying a price tag of Rs 63.90 lakh (ex-showroom). It can be had only as a 7-seater.

BYD Seal

BYD Seal Design Front

The BYD Seal is an electric sedan with a sporty design. It comes in three variants (Dynamic, Premium, Performance) and is priced from Rs 41 lakh to Rs 53 lakh (ex-showroom). In its top-spec performance-oriented guise, the sedan makes 523bhp and 670Nm with dual electric motors. BYD has equipped the Seal with a panoramic glass roof, a rotating 15.6-inch touchscreen, and 9 airbags. The model can deliver up to 650km range (claimed).

BMW M5

BMW M5 Launched

The BMW M5, which is in its seventh generation and uses a 717bhp plug-in hybrid V8, is the most powerful iteration of the high-performance luxury sedan yet. Priced at Rs 1.99 crore (ex-showroom), the sedan is Rs 4 lakh more expensive than the Mercedes-AMG C 63, which costs Rs 1.95 crore, ex-showroom. The sportier M5 comes with a 4.4-litre turbocharged V8 petrol engine with plug-in hybrid tech, delivering a combined 717bhp and 1,000Nm. The claimed electric-only range is 69km, while the 0–100km/h acceleration time comes up in 3.5 seconds.

BMW i5

BMW I5

The BMW i5 electric sedan is a fully imported model priced at Rs 1.20 crore (ex-showroom). The i5 in an M60 xDrive guise has an 81.2kWh battery pack paired with dual electric motors, producing 593bhp and 795Nm overall. This sedan can sprint from nought to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds and has a WLTP-claimed range of 516km.

Mini Cooper S

The fifth-generation Mini Cooper S is a three-door iteration of the iconic hatch. It has a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine under its hood; the electric powertrain will be added later. With the turbo-petrol engine, the new hatchback makes 201bhp and 300Nm, an increase of 26bhp and 20Nm over the outgoing version. The engine comes mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, sending power to the front wheels. Mini claims a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.6 seconds. Prices start at Rs 44.90 lakh (ex-showroom)

Also Read: autoX Awards 2024: BMW i5 M60 Performance, Quality and Value for Money Ranked

The other finalists by category in the Indian Car Of The Year (Overall) and Green Car Award categories are presented below: