The Mazda CX-30 is our pick for 2020 Car of the Year

To say that 2020 was a rough year for the local industry is kind of putting it lightly. Remember: Deadly airborne viruses bringing entire economies to a halt tend to throw a wrench into the works when it comes to selling things—cars included.

The industry didn’t lay down and die, though. In fact, quite the opposite happened. Manufacturers made adjustments, cars continued to be moved, and a total of 244,274 brand-new keys were handed to customers in 2020. Among last year’s batch of new introductions, we’ve chosen the Mazda CX-30 to be our Car of the Year.

PHOTO BY Ruth Veluz

As usual, we’ve come to our pick by way of voting. Top Gear Philippines writers and editors took part in choosing a winner with the goal of finding the most impactful model in the 2020 release window.

Now, a little background information. Each voter had to pick their top five cars of 2020, with the first-place vote carrying a weight of 10 points. Second place gets a car seven points, third nets five points, and fourth and fifth receive three and one point, respectively. Check out the results below:

Dinzo Tabamo

1^st Place – Toyota Corolla Cross

2^nd Place – Mazda CX-30

3^rd Place – Kia Seltos

4^th Place – Ford F-150

5^th Place – Honda City

Jason Tulio

1^st Place – Honda City

2^nd Place – Ford Territory

3^rd Place – Suzuki S-Presso

4^th Place – Geely Azkarra

5^th Place – Kia Stonic

Drei Laurel

1^st Place – Mazda CX-30

2^nd Place – Honda City

3^rd Place – Nissan 370z

4^th Place – Land Rover Defender

5^th Place – Suzuki S-Presso

Leandre Grecia

1^st Place – Kia Stonic

2^nd Place – Ford F-150

3^rd Place – Suzuki S-Presso

4^th Place – Toyota Corolla Cross

5^th Place – Nissan 370z

Sharleen Banzon

1^st Place – Kia Stonic

2^nd Place – Land Rover Defender

3^rd Place – Honda City

4^th Place – Lexus IS

5^th Place – Suzuki S-Presso

Niky Tamayo

1^st Place – Toyota Corolla Cross

2^nd Place – Geely Azkarra

3^rd Place – Mazda CX-30

4^th Place – Suzuki S-Presso

5^th Place – Land Rover Defender

Andrew Guerrero

1^st Place – Kia Stonic

2^nd Place – Ford Territory

3^rd Place – Mercedes-Benz GLB

4^th Place – Geely Okavango

5^th Place – Land Rover Defender

Robby Consunji

1^st Place – Mazda CX-30

2^nd Place – Land Rover Defender

3^rd Place – Kia Seltos

4^th Place – Hyundai Venue

5^th Place – BMW 1-Series

Carlo Chungunco

1^st Place – Mazda CX-30

2^nd Place – Mazda CX-8

3^rd Place – Land Rover Defender

4^th Place – Toyota Corolla Cross

5^th Place – Jaguar I-Pace

Ian Magbanua

1^st Place – Toyota Corolla Cross

2^nd Place – Mazda CX-30

3^rd Place – Honda City

4^th Place – Maxus G50

5^th Place – Geely Okavango

Raymond Figuerres

1^st Place – Lexus IS

2^nd Place – Mazda CX-8

3^rd Place – Geely Okavango

4^th Place – Land Rover Defender

5^th Place – Nissan 370z

Final COTY scores

1^st Place – Mazda CX-30 (49 points)

2^nd Place – Toyota Corolla Cross (36 points)

3^rd Place – Kia Stonic (31 points)

4^th Place – Honda City (28 points)

5^th Place – Land Rover Defender (27 points)

It’s the CX-30, and it isn’t very close—a well-deserved win. Mazda’s sharp new offering looks great, feels incredible to drive, and offers a level of refinement that simply stands out in an ever-growing sea of crossovers. Congratulations, Mazda Philippines.

So, do you agree with our pick? Let us know what model you feel should have won Car of the Year in the comments.

PHOTO BY Ruth Veluz