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Here is every new or updated model eligible for the Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best off-road SUV under $80,000 category.
Drive Car of the Year 2025
Now in its 20th year, the annual Drive Car of the Year awards program continues to be the Australian new car buyer’s most-trusted advisor.
At Drive, we test drive more than 200 new cars every year, evaluating each against its innate promise to sort the best from the rest. We divide the 400-plus new passenger cars, SUVs, 4WDs and utes into 19 price-banded categories focused on the end-user. Then we analyse the strengths and weaknesses of every car to find the cream of the automotive crop.
Drive Car of the Year 2025 is a go!
Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best off-road SUV under $80,000
For those who want a family jack of all trades, then a four-wheel drive SUV is the best ticket.
And I'm not talking about false posturing and veneers of aesthetics, where a bit of body cladding and a tough-sounding name is enough.
To succeed in this part of the world, you need to play both sides of the street adeptly. On one hand, you need to provide the practicality, comfort, safety and technology that the modern Australian family demands.
But on the other side, you need to back that up the capability and utility that's required in this part of the world: big towing capacities, decent payloads, off-road capability, and general suitability for camping, bush driving and long-distance touring.
Last year, it was the Ford Everest that stood head-and-shoulders above the competition. Following on from the success of the Ranger four-wheel drive ute, this co-developed Everest seven-seat SUV provides an effective interior for family usage, loads of safety and convenience technology, and impressive driving characteristics.
You've got a choice of four or six diesel cylinders under the bonnet, and a four-wheel drive system that provides improved grip on-road and good off-road ability.
But this part of the world is moving quickly, as carmakers compete for the attention and dollars of the buying public. Jeep's iconic Wrangler has been updated this year, and Isuzu's MU-X has been updated with the option of an efficiency-focussed 1.9-litre turbo diesel engine.
New models in this competitive segment are as interesting as they are different.
On one hand, the GWM Tank 500 provides high levels of value with the sharp asking price, and the unique offering of a hybrid petrol powertrain. For those who want all of the bells and whistles without spending the big bucks, this Tank 500 is no doubt appealing.
On the other hand, the next generation of Toyota's perennial LandCruiser Prado has finally arrived, and combines familiar powertrain components with a new body. Plus, it now shares platforms with the big brother LandCruiser for the first time.
Which cars are eligible for this category?
Drive’s rules require that, for a car to be eligible, it must:
| Contenders | Not here in time |
| – Cars that are all-new or significantly updated since they last contested Drive Car of the Year. – New categories are open to all cars that fit category requirements. – Last year’s winner is an automatic inclusion. | – These cars meet category requirements, but are not due to arrive in time for Drive Car of the Year 2025 judging. |
| Ford Everest (defending) GWM Tank 500 Isuzu MU-X Jeep Wrangler Toyota LandCruiser Prado | None |
The winner of the Drive Car of the Year 2025 – Best Off-Road SUV under $80,000 will be announced in February 2025.
Before then, we will announce the finalists, all of which deliver the best combination of family friendliness, off-road ruggedness and overall utility.
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Sam Purcell has been writing about cars, four-wheel driving and camping since 2013, and obsessed with anything that goes brum-brum longer than he can remember. Sam joined the team at CarAdvice/Drive as the off-road Editor in 2018, after cutting his teeth at Unsealed 4X4 and Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures.
