AJAC Announced its Finalists for the 2023 Canadian Green Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year Titles

• The finalists for the 2023 Canadian Green Car of the Year Award are: the BMW i4, the Hyundai IONIQ 6, and the Toyota Prius.

• The finalists for the 2023 Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year are: the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Hyundai IONIQ 5, and the Kia EV6.

• Winners will be announced on June 14, during the opening ceremony of AJAC’s EcoRun.

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) has now revealed the finalists for its last awards for the 2023 Canadian Car of the Year program.

The two categories that remain to be awarded are the 2023 Canadian Green Car of the Year and the 2023 Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year.

These two awards aim to highlight the best entries among eco-friendly vehicles while acknowledging that they now come in various shapes and sizes.

Indeed, while “eco-friendly cars” used to refer exclusively to compact vehicles and hybrids, the arrival of a varied lot of electric vehicles has made it possible to expand the category to include anything from full-size pickups to powerful sports cars.

As with its other awards, the AJAC’s selection of finalists for each category is based on tests conducted over many months by its members, who drive each vehicle in real-world conditions.

The results of these tests have allowed the association to narrow down the list of vehicles in the running for the 2023 Canadian Green Car of the Year award to just three entries:

• BMW i4

• Hyundai IONIQ 6

• Toyota Prius

It is worth noting that the 2023 BMW i4 has already received the title of Best Premium EV in Canada for 2023 alongside the prestigious 2023 Canadian Car of the Year award.

Since SUVs and pickups are the most popular vehicle types on Canadian roads, they are treated to their own award. Finalists for the 2023 Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year Award are:

• Ford F-150 Lightning

• Hyundai IONIQ 5

• Kia EV6

The 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5 is already the recipient of the Best EV in Canada for 2023 award as well as the title of 2023 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year.

Interestingly, half of the six finalists for both categories (Hyundai IONIQ 6, Hyundai IONIQ 5, and Kia EV6) are built on the same e-GMP platform and share broadly the same mechanical elements.

Also interesting is the fact that the newly introduced 2023 Toyota Prius is the only vehicle on both lists to not by fully electric, instead featuring a traditional hybrid powertrain.

A new round of voting will take place among AJAC members and the official winners for both categories will be announced on June 14 during the opening ceremony for AJAC’s EcoRun in Burnaby, British Columbia.