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The three final contenders for 2024 World Car of the Year are all electric, or have electric versions. For the first time in the award’s history BYD has made the final cut with the Seal/Atto 4. Joining it on the shortlist are the Kia EV9 and Volvo EX30. 

In the World Electric Vehicle category the Volvo EX30 and Kia EV9 make a second appearance in the final three, with the BMW i5 making up the trio.

The nominated contenders were whittled down following extensive testing from a team of more than 100 jurors from 33 countries, which includes Electrifying.com’s Editor in Chief Ginny Buckley. 

For the Design Award, a panel consisting of six highly respected world design experts review the candidates to come up with a short-list of recommendations for the jurors’ final vote. Judges include former Renault design boss Patrick le Quément, the ex-Chief Creative Officer of Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun Shiro Nakamura and Frank Stephenson who has designed for brands including Mini, Ferrari and Maserati.

The Person of the Year for 2024 has already been announced, with aerodynamicist Adrian Newey scooping the prize. Newey, the Chief Technical Officer of Red Bull is the designer and driving force behind the RB19, the most dominant race car in the history of Formula One.

The winners will be announced at the New York International Auto Show on March 27th, when they’ll receive trophies designed by former Jaguar Design Chief Ian Callum 

There are six World Car Awards categories in total and details of the awards can be found here:

World Car of the Year - BYD Seal/Atto 4, Kia EV9, Volvo EX30​

World Electric Vehicle - BMW i5, Kia EV9, Volvo EX30

World Luxury Car - BMW 5 Series / i5, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV​

World Performance Car -  BMW M2, BMW XM, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N​

World Urban Car - BYD Dolphin, Lexus LBX, Volvo EX30

World Car Design - Ford Bronco, Ferrari Purosangue, Toyota Prius​

Previous electric winners of the World Car of the Year include:

2023:Hyundai Ioniq 6​

2022:Hyundai Ioniq 5​

2021:Volkswagen ID.4​

2019:Jaguar I-Pace​

The Volvo EX30 is in contention for both World Car of the Year and World Electric Vehicle