The best and worst new cars of 2023

There were some outstanding new cars that arrived on our roads in the past 12 months but others missed the mark. Here’s our full list.

Record new car sales in 2023 were underpinned by swathes of new models. While some of this year’s arrivals impressed our team of motoring experts, others left a little to be desired. Here are the hits and misses of a year on the road.

HITS

The Honda CR-V Hybrid was crowned the 2023 News Corp Car of the Year. Photo: Thomas Wielecki

Honda

A controversial switch to fewer dealerships and fixed prices has hurt Honda’s sales. But its cars are riding high, returning the brand to its traditional niche as a cut-price Japanese BMW alternative. This year it released some beautifully-sorted machines including the Honda Civic Type R performance car, the Civic Hybrid hatch and the compact ZR-V SUV.

It topped off the year by releasing the cracking CR-V Hybrid, which won our Car of the Year award.

MG4

The MG4 might be one of the biggest surprise packets of this year. Photo: Thomas Wielecki

Australia’s first sub-$40,000 electric vehicle is proof cheap electric cars need not be nasty. As with Tesla, the MG4 is built around its battery and rear-mounted electric motor, combining a modern cabin with a surprisingly fun driving experience. The cheapest model feels a bit sparse and has limited range, but you can sort that out by spending more on the long-range version with the lot.

Tesla Model Y

An electric car is on the cusp of being the best selling non-ute in the country. Photo: Mark Bean.

Australia’s best-selling electric car is in with a chance of becoming being the nation’s favourite passenger vehicle, finishing behind commercial vehicles such as the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger in the sales race. Tesla has left established rivals in its dust, not only by designing a car that appeals to thousands of people, but by being able to build and deliver scores of cars while rivals struggle for supply.

Ferrari 296 GTB

Ferrari has outdone itself again with its 296 GTB.

The latest Ferrari sets an extremely high standard, not just for supercars but hybrid cars in general. The petrol-electric Ferrari 296 combines exquisite tech with painstakingly honed refinement, neck-snapping looks and a soundtrack worth bottling. This staggeringly fast supercar isn’t just a stand out for 2023, it could be the best performance car of the past decade.

Hyundai and Kia

Hyundai has some exciting cars in the pipeline, including the Ioniq 5 N.

Korea’s dynamic duo is responsible for some of the most interesting and exciting cars around. From the spacious EV9 seven-seat EV to the high-performance Ioniq 5 N electric car, the brands are pushing new boundaries for mainstream cars. Hyundai’s Kona Hybrid was a worthy finalist in our Car of the Year awards and Kia has tantalised tradies with plans for a one-tonne ute to take on the dominant Toyota HiLux. These two head into the New Year in the fast lane.

MISSES

LDV e-T60

The LDV eT60 electric ute is expensive and can’t tow.

Australia’s first electric ute was a shocker. 

With a price tag to leave you twitching ($92,990 plus on-road costs), the LDV e-T60 only drives the rear wheels, tows just one tonne and has roughly one third the driving range of much cheaper diesels. The ute feels like a cynical greenwashing option for corporate fleets, but a successor due next year promises to be much better.

GWM Tank 300

GWM’s driving aids can drive you mad.

Overbearing, intrusive driver assistance technology that did more harm than good was a recurring theme in some cars this year. The Great Wall Motors Tank 300 four-wheel-drive, which is positioned as a cheap Wrangler, was one of the worst, with infuriating lane-keeping assistance that tugs at the steering wheel, and a driver attention monitoring system that mistakes a quick glance into the side mirrors for a microsleep worthy of urgent alarm. Fellow Chinese brands Chery and BYD also lost marks for safety features that make every drive a chore, while Hyundais and Kias that beep if you creep a kilometre over the speed limit also left us cold.

Mazda

New luxury SUVs from Mazda missed the mark.

Impressive sales underpinned by established favourites such as the CX-5 and CX-3 only tell part of the story for a brand with an interesting future.

Mazda withdrew its only electric car from sale following poor demand and invested significant money in posh six-figure SUVs intended to rival the likes of BMW. The puzzling decision to develop six-cylinder diesel and petrol engines for the new models was compounded by a surprising lack of engineering polish. The new CX-60 and CX-90 SUVs are lovely inside, but a rough ride and unrefined engine and transmission combination in some test examples suggests the brand may have bitten off more than it can chew.

Peugeot and Citroen

Peugeot and Citroen are struggling to appeal to new customers.

While rival bands have two-year-long waiting lists, Peugeot has two-year-old cars in stock it struggles to sell.

Few car makers feel as lost as this French duo with their bafflingly expensive cars. You won’t get much change from $50,000 for a little Peugeot with a 1.2-litre engine (budget $92,000 for a hybrid!), while Citroen is deservedly outsold by Lamborghini.

Our team’s road test trouble with Peugeot and Citroen products this year included a hatchback that failed to start, a dashboard computer meltdown and a bafflingly bad gearbox.

Plug-in hybrids

In the real world plug-in hybrids don’t pass the pub test.

Attempting to bridge the gap between “self charging” hybrids and dedicated electric cars, plug-in hybrids offer modest emissions-free range before reverting to petrol power.

The tech, which was borne out of a need to meet ever stricter European emissions laws, has not proved popular. Outsold eight-to-one by electric cars, the complicated and expensive vehicles will slip further from relevancy as the Federal Government phases out incentives for plug-in hybrid machines.

Originally published as The best and worst new cars of 2023