Here are the 14 finalists in SA's 2020 Car of the Year competition

The SA Guild of Motoring Journalists has named 14 finalists for the 2020 Car of the Year award, which is sponsored by Autotrader.

The annual competition chooses an overall winner, as well as top performers in seven categories: family, leisure, lifestyle, premium car, premium SUV, sport/performance and urban.

The finalists are, in alphabetical order: BMW 3 Series, BMW X5, Citroën C3 Aircross, Ford Ranger Raptor, Hyundai Atos, Jaguar I-Pace, Mazda3, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Peugeot 5008, Suzuki Swift Sport, Toyota Corolla Hatch, Toyota GR Supra, Toyota Rav4 and Volkswagen T-Cross.

Notable contenders include the Jaguar I-Pace, the reigning World Car of the Year, which is the only electric vehicle in the competition. Citroën’s entry is timeous, given the brand’s recent return to SA.

The leisure category has the most finalists: the Peugeot 5008, Toyota Rav4, Citroën C3 Aircross and Volkswagen T-Cross. The premium SUV category has three finalists: the BMW X5, Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes-Benz GLE.

The urban category has the Hyundai Atos and Suzuki Swift going head to head, while the family class lines up the Mazda3 against the Toyota Corolla Hatch. There is only one finalist in the other three categories: the BMW 3 Series in premium car, Toyota GR Supra in sports/performance and Ford Ranger Raptor in lifestyle.

The next step is the track and road testing of the finalists in March next year by 27 motoring journalists, with the winners to be announced in April.