An interview with Jodi Lai.

Consistently, the AutoTrader Awards have not only signified automotive excellence among individual vehicles and brands but also provided consumers (and by extension retailers) with a clear option when it comes to the best cars and trucks available to Canadians.

A jury panel of 20 automotive experts from across the country votes on the vehicles in each segment they would recommend to their family and friends. The winners are considered to be cars, trucks and SUVs that raise the bar in their respective segments.

The vehicle segment award winners are announced each January and in February, AutoTrader reveals its Grand Prix winners which encompass five different categories. These are:

• Best Overall Car
• Best Overall SUV
• Best Overall Truck
• Best Overall Green Car
• Canada’s Most Trusted Car Brand

The Canada’s Most Trusted Car Brand award has the distinction of being the only category where an expert jury does not vote on the winner. Instead, AutoTrader surveys Canadian Car shoppers via a third-party polling system, from which votes are tallied and a winner is selected.

Given that there are so many vehicle choices today in Canada, the AutoTrader Awards help consumers make clearer decisions in finding the vehicle that fits their needs and that will provide them with a satisfying ownership experience. Not only does this benefit the vehicle shopper but also the dealers that guide them through the retail process.

To get a further understanding of how the awards work and what they represent for the industry, Autosphere interviewed Jodi Lai, AutoTrader’s Editor-in-Chief. Here is what she had to say.

Autosphere: From your perspective, what do you feel the AutoTrader awards represent for both consumers and retailers?

Jodi Lai: For consumers, the main goal of the AutoTrader Awards is to help Canadian car shoppers feel empowered the next time to go to buy a vehicle. There are so many options out there that it can sometimes feel truly overwhelming. Additionally, they are also a platform to help car shoppers gain insight into what is an award-winning vehicle, versus just a good one. Additionally, it’s good to get some insights into what vehicle experts themselves recommend, providing greater peace of mind for consumers in knowing they are making the right decision.

AS: Based on AutoTrader’s own research and data, how do the awards impact the vehicle shopping process for consumers?

JL: Our data shows that the AutoTrader Awards are the most influential and most trusted automotive awards in Canada, in terms of how much more likely a Canadian car shopper would be willing to buy a certain vehicle if they knew that it had been the recipient of an AutoTrader Award. It’s also important to stress that these awards are generated from third-party data. We want to ensure the information comes from a neutral source so that information is both fair and transparent.

If we look at it from a retail perspective, the awards are also a great way for dealers to establish trust with their customers by having a third party [AutoTrader] recommending a specific vehicle with that award through neutral third-party data. When a vehicle is recognized as setting the standard in its segment this way, consumers tend to feel more confident in their purchase decisions since they know the vehicle they ultimately purchase is one we stand behind.

AS: Can you tell us a little about how the selection process works for the Most Trusted Car Brand award, and why it’s done via a third-party polling method with Canadian consumers?

JL: Canada’s Most Trusted Car Brand award is the only one of the AutoTrader Awards that industry experts don’t vote on. Instead, it’s solely determined by the Canadian public via a third-party poll of Canadian car shoppers. Again, we use the third-party method to ensure we’re hearing directly from the general public and to ensure that these awards are as fair and transparent as possible.

In 2024, Toyota was once again named Canada’s Most Trusted Car Brand, which marks the third time in a row that Toyota has received this award. This is particularly noteworthy this year, since 2024 represents Toyota Canada’s 60th anniversary and the brand has worked consistently hard in earning a reputation for quality, value-packed and reliable vehicles. Additionally, Toyota has a wide lineup of vehicles that appeal to many different demographics, from sports cars to minivans, trucks, SUVs, sedans, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and also full battery-electric vehicles. Canadians have consistently demonstrated they want choice when it comes to their next vehicle, and Toyota continues to deliver on that.

AS: Tell us a little about this year’s five Grand Prix winners and what makes them stand out as the best in their respective categories.

JL: When selecting the Grand Prix winners, we’re really looking for vehicles that go above and beyond what’s expected, providing Canadian drivers with a very well-rounded package that ticks a lot of boxes. One factor that ties each of this year’s winners together is the fact that all of them are available with an alternative powertrain.

The best overall car this year was the Toyota Prius and Prius Prime which combine fuel efficiency and low emissions in a very stylish package, further expanding their appeal. Best overall SUV went to the Genesis GV70 and Electrified GV70—compact crossovers that combine high quality, excellent driving dynamics, a very nice interior and all at a price point that’s significantly less than the competition. Best overall truck went to the Ford Maverick, which we feel is a smart-size truck with lots of clever features, plus it’s also available as a hybrid. Best overall green car went to the Toyota Prius Prime, which takes the concept of the regular Prius a step further by being able to go more than 70 kilometres on battery power alone and finally, Toyota was named as the most trusted vehicle brand, which we’ve previously discussed.

AS: Looking at the overall 2024 AutoTrader Awards, can you tell us a little about the selection process for selecting the winners in each category?

JL: Our expert jury is made up of over 20 professional automotive journalists from across the country. When we ask them to vote, we’re asking them to vote for vehicles they feel confident in recommending to their own family and friends. And they do this considering every vehicle that’s available to Canadian buyers, which is more than 350 different models. Another aspect of the selection criteria is that we want it to be relevant, so the focus is on mainstream brands, not ultra-luxury and exotic vehicles.

The category winners are the vehicles that receive the greatest number of votes from our jury. All the category winners are then eligible for a Grand Prix award, which essentially combines all the body style categories into one segment. And then, whichever one garners the most votes in that category goes on to win the Grand Prix award. So, in a nutshell, the Grand Prix winners really represent the best of the best, selected through a comprehensive process.

AS: What do you feel are the benefits for both consumers and retailers from synergies between the AutoTrader Awards, Most Trusted Car Brand Award, and the Grand Prix category winners?

JL: All of these awards are essentially related because they are grouped within the umbrella of the Auto Trader Awards. With that said, if I were an OEM or retailer, I would be putting award badges on all the cars as part of my marketing and advertising, particularly in a retail setting. The logos are complimentary for OEMs and dealers, and adding them empowers consumers to have confidence when seeking out their next vehicle, creating a winning scenario for them, the dealer and the OEM. A key mandate for us at AutoTrader is to have consumers feel confident when buying their next car and the AutoTrader Awards are a great tool with which to do that.