A jury of 100+ international automotive journalists from 29 countries (mostly from the western hemisphere) selected the finalists by secret ballot based on their evaluation of each eligible vehicle as part of their professional work.

Out of an initial list of 38 contenders, the following were selected as the Top 10 finalists this year:

• BYD Seal / Atto 4
• Ford Bronco
• Hyundai Kona / Kona Electric
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Kia EV9
• Mazda CX-90
• Subaru Crosstrek
• Toyota Prius
• Volkswagen ID.7
• Volvo EX30

For the World Electric Vehicle category, the 32 eligible vehicles were weeded down to the Top Five finalists which are:

• BMW i5
• Kia EV9
• Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV
• Volkswagen ID.7
• Volvo EX30

Oddly enough, the BYD Seal/Atto 4 which is eligible for the main World Car of the Year award is out of contention for the World Electric Vehicle title.

Meanwhile, in the 2024 World Luxury Car of the Year, the five finalists from 13 contenders are:

• BMW 5 Series / i5
• Lexus LM
• Mercedes-Benz CLE
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV

For the 2024 World Performance Car, which had 17 cars competing, have been trimmed down to the Top Five:

• BMW M2
• BMW XM
• Ferrari Purosangue
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
• Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid

For the 2024 World Urban Car class, there were seven candidates. The top five finalists are:

• Abarth 500e
• BYD Dolphin
• Lexus LBX
• Suzuki Fronx
• Volvo EX30

All vehicles competing in the five categories above are eligible for the 2023 World Car Design of the Year award.

A design panel consisting of six highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, and then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors’ final vote. The design experts are in alphabetical order:

• Gert Hildebrand (Germany – Owner, Hildebrand-Design)
• Patrick le Quément (France - Designer and President of the Strategy Committee - The Sustainable Design School)
• Tom Matano (USA – Academy of Art University, Former Head of Design – Mazda)
• Victor Nacif (USA - Chief Creative Officer, Brojure.com and Design instructor, NewSchool of Architecture and Design)
• Shiro Nakamura (Japan - CEO, Shiro Nakamura Design Associates Inc.)
• Frank Stephenson (UK - Founder, Frank Stephenson Design).

The five finalists chosen by the design panel for the jurors’ winners’ vote are:

• Ford Bronco
• Ferrari Purosangue
• Toyota Prius
• Volvo EX30
• Zeekr X