Determining the best of the best for the 2017 New Zealand Car of the Year will be especially challenging for judges this December.

The New Zealand Automobile Association and New Zealand Motoring Writers’ Guild (NZMWG) will announce the Car of the Year at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland on December 12.

Members of the guild and AA judges who have driven the top 10 cars will independently rank each of them on a number of elements including value, design and quality – the best of which will become the 2017 New Zealand Car of the Year.

Once again, the public has an opportunity to have its say to determine the winner of the New Zealand Car of the Year People’s Choice award.

In alphabetical order, the top 10 finalists for the 2017 New Zealand Car of the Year are:

• BMW 5 series
• Holden Astra
• Honda Civic hatch
• Hyundai Ioniq
• Land Rover Discovery
• Mazda CX-5
• Skoda Kodiaq
• Subaru XV
• Suzuki Ignis
• Suzuki Swift

AA Motoring Services General Manager Stella Stocks says the judges – members of the guild and an AA representative – have their work cut out for them.

“This year the top 10 line up represents a great cross section of new cars available to the market today from lower cost small cars loaded with technology to very practical and more expensive luxury vehicles,” Ms Stocks says.

“From this list it is clear that car manufacturers are anticipating the market’s needs and producing vehicles to match.”

Guild President Robert Barry agrees the top 10 Car of the Year line up offers something for virtually every market segment.

“Each of the top 10 selections is a worthy contender for the ultimate Car of the Year award. It’s going to be a difficult choice for the judges this year,” Mr Barry says.

The New Zealand Car of the Year is in two parts. The Car of the Year finalists were chosen by a panel earlier this month. To be eligible, the car must have been released in the New Zealand market between 1 October 2016 and 30 September 2017.

The Best in Class awards are selected from any new car on sale now in each category. This means a make and model released in previous years could beat out a newer car in its class.

The Best in Class categories are:

• Micro/light car
• Small/compact car
• Medium/large car
• Luxury car
• Small SUV
• Medium SUV
• Large SUV
• Luxury SUV
• Utility
• Sports
• Electric vehicle/plug-in hybrid

The safest car for 2017 will also be announced at the December 12 event based on Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) crash test results.

The New Zealand Car of the Year People’s Choice award will also be announced on December 12. From November 1, the public will have a chance to vote for one of the top 10 finalists on the AA’s website and earn a chance to win a 9-day Pacific islands cruise for two.