China Car of the Year is an award presented to the winning car launched in China during the course of the year. The first year of the awards was 2014. It is judged by an independent panel made up of automotive journalists and experts. Along with the most prestigious "Car of the Year" award.
The award has gone through several changes since 2014.
In 2015, in addition to "Car of the Year", "Performance Car of the Year", "Green Car of the Year" and "Design Car of the Year", the "SUV of the Year" was added.
In 2024, the "Green Car of the Year" was replaced by "Budget Car of the Year".
In 2025, the "Car of the Year" and "SUV of the Year" were integrated into the new "Car of the Year". The "Luxury Car of the Year" was added.
The 2026 awards was announced in January 2026.
The 2025 awards was announced in December 2024. The "Car of the Year" and "SUV of the Year" were integrated into the new "Car of the Year". The "Luxury Car of the Year" was added.
The 2024 awards was announced in December 2023. "The Green Car of the Year" was replaced by "Budget Car of the Year".
The 2021 awards were announced at Guangzhou Auto Show on 20 November 2020.
The 2020 awards were announced on 21 November 2019 at the Guangzhou Auto Show.
The 2014 Awards was the first year of the China Car of the Year. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class took the award, with the Range Rover and Ford Mondeo coming second and third.