ProDriver QSi 2025 special issue

P R O F E S S I O N A L

VOLUME 16 ISSUE 05 £4.95

CHAMPIONS All the winners at the Professional Driver Awards

contents

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34 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Mark Bursa 07813 320044 markbursa@prodrivermags.com

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

Paul Webb 07807 133527 paulwebb@prodrivermags.com

CONTRIBUTORS

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4 QSi Gallery: See who attended the Professional Driver Awards, and get a flavour of a wonderful evening in our picture special QSi Winners: Which companies were voted the best in the private hire, taxi and chauffeur business?

QSi Awards: Our Professional Drivers of the Year, 2025 Car of the Year: A look back at our Judging Day at Epsom last August Car of the Year: The six cars our readers voted the best for taxi, private hire and chauffeur work Car of the Year: Our 2025 winner Winners at a glance: All our 2025 champions!

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PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

opinion

A new start as QSi moves to January

T

Mark Bursa

“

We made a very deliberate change to put the awards at the start of the year, rather than the end.

That means our winners will be champions for the year ahead, rather than the year that has passed

”

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

he more observant among you may have noticed that the QSi Awards are a few weeks later than they’ve been in the past.

What’s more, these are the 2025 awards – and when we were last in Brighton just over a year ago, we were celebrating the 2023 awards. So what happened to 2024?

Well, we made a very deliberate change to put the awards at the start of the year, rather than the end. That means our winners will be the champions for the year ahead, rather than the year that has passed.

The same applies to our Cars of the Year – they’re this year’s models, not last year’s.

It’s as if 2024 never happened – and I suspect some of you might be glad to see the back of it!

The 2025 Awards also mark the start of the second decade of the QSi Awards.

We launched them back in 2013 with a simple brief – to recognise the best of the best in the private hire, taxi and chauffeur industry, and to give the hard-working people in the industry a rare chance to let their hair down. I think we got it right, and we’re glad to see the entries growing each year, with large numbers of new, first-time entrants on the short lists this year. Indeed, with the quality of the entries on the rise, it’s becoming harder to make the shortlist, let alone take home a trophy.

With 11 new Gold winners to read about in this special edition of Professional Driver, we’ve now handed out 113 Golds since 2013. There are a few companies with multiple wins too, so every QSi Gold winner joins a very exclusive club.

Indeed, the total number of QSi awards in all colours is now 363. When we visit winners it’s always great to see the trophies standing proudly in offices and boardrooms.

Another major change over the past 10 years has been the increase in women drivers entering our awards. It’s something we’ve encouraged – indeed, we’ve had two female Professional Drivers of the Year.

This year we’ve worked closely with the superb Think Pink charity, which is trying to attract more female drivers to the industry, both here in the UK and in other parts of the world. Three Think Pink drivers made our shortlist this year, a really fine achievement. Think Pink was our official

charity on the night, and I’d like to thank everybody who chipped in on the night to support their efforts.

As we move into 2025, there is some evidence that the new Labour government is starting to get its act together regarding the EV market. It’s a complicated situation, and it seems clear that the deadlines currently in place may be difficult to achieve for mass-market adoption of EVs. But we know from the voting at our Car of the Year event last August that the private hire sector is prepared to embrace electrification more rapidly than the mainstream market. This is partly driven by regulations – clean air zones are an increasing burden on those with older car. And if you have home or workplace charging facilities, it makes financial sense.

The trouble is, many working drivers don’t have the luxury of a house with a drive. Without that facility, charging becomes expensive, unreliable and unsafe.

Nobody wants a long walk home late at night because the nearest available overnight charge point is half a mile away.

The government is not going to change its mind on the EV transition. It’s happening, and we have to embrace the change. But it must do more to bring infrastructure up to the standard of the cars. It must not just be left to local authorities. As with so much in our world, we need joined-up, national thinking.

Professional Driver has always believed that private hire licensing should be on a national footing, not subject to the whims of local councils. If buses and trucks can have national standards for vehicles and drivers, why not private hire?

And surely it’s not beyond the wit of lawmakers to differentiate between a chauffeur company and a private hire operator?

We know the new Government has enough on its plate sorting out an economy left in tatters by the previous lot. But it would be nice if our business could have its moment in the spotlight – preferably with some proper guidance and expertise.

Until someone listens to the industry, all we can do is keep on keeping on. Doing what we do to the best of our abilities.

And that’s what the QSi Awards are for. To celebrate the best among us, and shine the spotlight on their efforts.

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business news

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER W

ithin this special issue, you’ll be able to find out who were the big winners at the 2025 Professional Driver QSi and Car of the Year awards.The Professional Driver QSi Awards is the private hire, taxi and chauffeur industry’s favourite party. Once again we chose the Metropole Hotel in Brighton - a spot of bracing seaside air is a great way to kick off the new year!

We revealed our Cars of the Year for 2025. We’re very proud of our Car of the Year Awards – they are the most thorough reader-judged car awards anywhere in the automotive industry.

And once again, our guests were treated to a night to remember as we rewarded the best operators and drivers with Gold, Silver and Bronze QSi Awards.

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We had great battles, with past champions battling it out against some tremendous first-time entries.

Judging the winners is certainly getting harder and harder each year, and we’d like to thank our expert judges Steve Lynch, Rachel Dale, Jon Hill, Mike Galvin, Gary Jacobs and David Goldring for going the extra mile in helping us make the right choices for Gold, Silver and Bronze.

We had a new host for his year’s ceremony – Sky Sports Formula One presenter Rachel Brookes, who kept the rowdy crowd in check!.

And the band and the aftershow party carried on into the small hours. We’d like to thank all the sponsors that continue to support the QSi event – you make it possible. The next few pages are designed to give a flavour of the evening. Who can you spot?

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

The 2025 Professional Driver Awards

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PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

The 2025 Professional Driver Awards

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business news

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PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

The 2025 Professional Driver Awards

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PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

business news

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GOLD Belgraves of London SILVER Chabé BRONZE Hilton Ames

GOLD

Sponsored by

Business Diversification Award Our first QSi Gold award of the night went to a familiar company that has moved into a new and challenging area of the market.

Belgraves of London is renowned for its exceptional service standards, but the company last year set up a new division to cover diplomatic and protection chauffeuring.

It has spent more than £1 million on armoured vehicles, and drivers have been given rigorous training to handle

SILVER 12

this most challenging work.

The Business Diversification Award, introduced in 2021, is designed to reward initiatives to develop innovative new lines of business.

Silver went to another top-line chauffeur company that only launched in the UK in 2020. But Chabé keeps on growing, and last year expanded its UK footprint into the luxury hotel and private aviation sectors through acquisitions - as well as major inter-

national expansion in Europe and the Middle East.

Our Bronze winner of the night is a company that has looked for ways to expand into very different markets – but ones that align with its main business of chauffeuring. Exeter-based Hilton Ames added new features including hotel bookings, experience days and bespoke tours - and even bottles of Gin and Rum carrying the company’s branding.

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Environment Award

GOLD Vert London SILVER Addison Lee BRONZE Sherbet Sponsored by

GOLD

The QSi Environment Award recognises companies that have shown a genuine commitment to adopting environmentally-friendly policies that have made a positive impact.

Our Gold winner is a relative newcomer, having only launched in 2022.

But Vert London already has a 95% electric fleet, and a growing platform that drivers can sign up to, this operator is becoming the go-to company for London customers demanding an eco-chauffeuring service. It’s name

even means “green”!

Silver goes to a very large operator that is leading the way in environmentally-friendly services, and has won Gold in this category on more than one occasion.

Addison Lee has undertaken a major fleet renewal programme with EVs and hybrids coming on stream, and has added partnerships with EV charging networks to help its drivers, putting sustainability at the heart of its business.

Our Bronze award goes to another London operator that is taking an allround approach to being as clean as possible.

Black cab operator Sherbet has been at the forefront of ditching the "dirty diesel taxi" image of the London black cabs, switching all its vehicles from diesels to new LEVC hybrid models.

It has also reduced its carbon footprint through waste management, resource conservation, and eco-conscious office operations.

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Community Award

GOLD 247 Transport Solutions SILVER GLH SILVER Hilton Ames BRONZE 001 Taxis Sponsored by

GOLD

Our Gold QSi Community Award winner truly captured the essence of the QSi Community Award. When the organisers of the annual Hastings Pride event got into financial difficulty, local cab firm 247 Transport Solutions bailed it out, and put its marketing muscle behind the event.

As a result, Hastings Pride went ahead as planned, and was a major success, bringing revenue to the town and extra work for the company.

As is sometimes the case, our judges find it hard to get the shortlist down to a final three, so two Silver QSi trophies were awarded. The first went to GLH, which again showed exceptional dedication to its local area, working closely with schools

SILVER 16

and hospitals. The award maintained the London operator’ proud record of taking home a QSi trophy every year since 2013.

The second Silver winner made a second trip to the stage. Exeter’s Hilton Ames Chauffeurs turned a lowkey local karting event into a local racing league involving 30 companies – most of them Hilton Ames clients – and raising more than £100,000 for local charity Hospiscare in the process.

Our Bronze QSi Award went to 001 Taxis of Oxford, which works closely with its local community, helping out at local events and supporting sports clubs, while also giving free taxi rides for the elderly at Christmas.

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GOLD Vert London SILVER Limotak BRONZE Tick Taxi Sponsored by

GOLD

New-Start Operator Award The New-Start Operator QSi Award aims to reward operators that have either started operations or undergone a major directional or ownership change since January 2020.

Our Gold winner was Vert London, picking up a second Gold award in a night to remember for a company that is still less than three years old.

Vert London has already made a

major contribution to cleaner chauffeur services in London, and was the outstanding candidate among the new businesses on the shortlist.

Silver went to Limotak, a new name on the scene, having launched in 2023. In fact Limotak was an established London chauffeur company that focused on tours, but which has switched from just being a chauffeur

to becoming a premium booking platform, resulting in rapid growth both in the UK and overseas.

Our Bronze award goes to a young company operating in a busy city market. In the face of strong local competition, Bristol’s Tick Taxi has grown through a focus on driver well-being and targeted services such as airport runs and school services.

BRONZE

SILVER 18

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

Marketing Award GOLD Clocktower Cars SILVER UK Car Bookings BRONZE Sherbet

Sponsored by

GOLD Which companies promote their operations in the most creative and original way? The Marketing QSi Award aims to find out.

Gold went to a Surrey-based company that realised it was just “ticking over” and decided in 2021 to implement a thorough and comprehensive marketing strategy.

Clocktower Cars renewed everything - including new logos,

targeted advertising, new branches to serve airports and improved use of social media. The result has been 10% year-on-year growth and the addition of 40 new corporate accounts.

The Silver QSi Award went to UK Car Bookings, a company that noticed it was getting an increase in bookings from Chinese visitors. It drilled down into why this was happening, and launched a marketing plan in China

on Chinese social media platforms in order to maximise its opportunity and grow its business.

Our Bronze award was a second award for Sherbet. This London taxi operator put together a marketing campaign to highlight the inclusive nature of its service.

The message was clear. Wherever you are, whatever your needs – we’ll look after you.

BRONZE

SILVER PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

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Private Hire Operator (1-80 vehicles) GOLD Castle Cars SILVER Tick Taxi BRONZE Butlers Airport Taxis

Sponsored by

GOLD The Private Hire Operator of the Year (1-80 vehicles) QSi Award is one of the most popular QSi Categories – small, local private hire and taxi fleets are the lifeblood of our business.

Our Gold winner is in many ways the benchmark for how to run a local taxi service. Its dedication to its local community means it consistently records fivestar reviews – and anything less than five is personally followed up by the owner.

Castle Cars of Tonbridge won this award in 2021, and they’ve won it again – a week after the company’s 30th birthday.

Our Silver QSi winner is a relative newcomer, and

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another two-time winner on the night. Bristol’s Tick Taxi has realised that the key to its success is its drivers.

As well as offering more flexible working hours to its staff, the company also arranged interest-free loans for its drivers so they could upgrade their cars.

Our Bronze Award goes to a small but growing company, which has quietly expanded from a one-man operator to a fleet of 25, specialising in airport transfers and offering a high-quality, personal service to the people of Aylesbury. Butlers Airport Taxis couldn’t make it to the awards, but we’re sending the trophy on to them.

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Private Hire Operator (81+ vehicles) GOLD Radio Taxis SILVER Your Local Car BRONZE Parker Car Service

Sponsored by

GOLD

The Private Hire Company of the Year (81+ vehicles) category always attracts a seriously high-quality entry, and this year’s was the biggest and most diverse to date.

But despite a very strong entry, there was a clear Gold winner. The judges liked the way Radio Taxis Southampton not only presented itself to its customers, but more importantly they admired the way it treats its drivers, offering better commission

SILVER 22

rates and securing stronger loyalty in a very challenging local market, where ride-hailing firms have been competing very aggressively.

Our Silver winner is a company whose innovative approach won it two QSi Awards in 2023 – including Gold in the Private Hire Operator (1-80 vehicles category). But Camberley’s Your Local Car has grown so fast it now has to compete against the larger fleets, and it did so successfully,

building on its approach of working with other local operators to provide a bigger and better local service.

Our Bronze award went to a major London operator, Parker Car Service, which has experienced strong growth through serving major London events in addition to its regular work. And it’s been able to do that by incentivising and supporting its growing band of drivers – nearly 300 recruited last year alone.

BRONZE PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

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We provide funding and sourcing packages for the chauffeur and private hire network We have access to multiple panels of funders who also specialise in B2B vehicles finance We make the process easy - as we do all the paperwork and sign ups We provide ongoing support to secure credit lines for fleets and operators/owner drivers We have access to competitive rates of interest Efficient payouts to support delivery and target needs Ethos are proud sponsors of the QSI Awards 2025

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Private Hire Group

GOLD DG Group SILVER Addison Lee BRONZE Take Me Group

Sponsored by

GOLD

We live in changing times, and it’s become clear that the industry consolidation is leading to a new type of private hire operator.

The Private Hire Group of the Year QSi Award is designed to recognise UK operators, running very large fleets of 1,000 vehicles or more in multiple locations or multiple brands.

Our outstanding Gold winner is DG Group. From its base in the East

SILVER 24

Midlands, this company has expanded as far afield as Worthing, Leeds and Cambridge. That has resulted in a 50% increase in turnover ad a 30% in driver numbers, and all without losing touch with its core family values.

Our Silver award goes to Addison Lee, a company that has been through some significant changes in the past year. But with new backers now on board, the company has renewed its

focus on sustainability and, especially, how it deal with drivers.

Bronze goes to Take Me Group, one of the driving forces in consolidation – rarely a month goes by without it adding to its portfolio of operators around the country. It’s still a work in progress – but its combination of a very local approach to service and a national approach to branding is taking it on a journey unlike any other.

BRONZE PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

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GOLD Hilton Ames SILVER Chauffeur VIP BRONZE MET Chauffeurs Sponsored by

GOLD

Chauffeur Operator (1-10 vehicles) The Chauffeur Company of the Year (1-10 vehicles) QSi Award always attracts a strong entry of companies with a focus on personal service, and the successful entrants are those with a vital “x factor”.

The ’I’ in QSi stands for Innovation, and our Gold winner certainly offers innovation in bundles. In fact they’d already received two awards on the night for different aspects of their

business. Hilton Ames Chauffeurs completed the set of Gold, Silver and Bronze thanks to an impressive array of community initiatives, new services and great marketing - all backed by good old-fashioned customer service.

In the past year, the company has doubled its fleet too.

Our Silver Award went to Grantham’s Chauffeur VIP, a company that takes a meticulous and very personal

approach to customer service, which is reflected in some very satisfied customer testimonials.

The Bronze goes to a traditional company that has kept growing by maintaining a personal and professional approach, and continuing to grow its business in the vital Scottish tourism sector. Once again, MET Chauffeurs has popped up to collect another QSi Trophy for its cabinet!

BRONZE

SILVER 26

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

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GOLD

GOLD Belgraves of London SILVER Blacklane BRONZE Parkers Chauffeurs Sponsored by

Chauffeur Operator (11+ vehicles) Belgraves of London picked up a second QSi Gold Award on the night, adding the Chauffeur Company of the Year (11+ vehicles) prize to its Business Diversification Gold.

It is now the company with the most Gold QSi Awards in the history of the event, with nine wins.

In the past few years, Belgraves has become one of London’s premier chauffeur companies, and in the past

year has increased the focus on driver training – as well as launching a security chauffeuring service with a fleet of armoured cars, an investment of more than £1 million.

Silver went to Blacklane, whose dedication to innovation is changing the way business users travel. These include innovations including cityto-city services as well as providing a chauffeur-driven Christmas shopping

service, all backed by very impressive, targeted marketing.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne-based Parkers Chauffeurs took the Bronze Award in the category.

Parkers Chauffeurs has become the go-to chauffeur firm in the North-East, serving clients from corporates to celebrities. But it’s also spread its wings, and has even opened a subsidiary in the USA.

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SILVER 28

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Profession GOLD Gary Dodd, Specialist Chauffeur Services SILVER Jennifer White, DG Cars/Think Pink BRONZE Amaani Raimi, Addison Lee

S

pecialist Chauffeur Services’ Gary Dodd has been named 2025’s Professional Driver of the Year.

Gary Dodd won the Gold award in the flagship category not only for his exceptional driving skills and commitment to safety, but also for the transformative impact he has made on the Wilmslow-based company.

As well as a wealth of driving qualifications, he is also responsible for training and mentoring all new chauffeurs joining his employer’s growing fleet.

In his nomination, Gary’s employer wrote: “He has elevated our training programme, instilled a culture of safety and excellence, and played a key role in our company's expansion. His dedication to the profession, combined with his exceptional skills and experience, make him a truly deserving winner.”

The Silver award went to DG Cars driver Jennifer White. Jennifer was helped to find a job as a private hire driver by charity Think Pink, which aims to recruit more female drivers into the taxi trade.

At that time, she was struggling to make ends meet, having to support her brother through low-paid jobs.

But becoming a Think Pink driver has transformed her life – as her employer says: “Her natural kindness and dedication have made her beloved by her passengers.”

Jennifer was one of three Think Pink drivers who made the 12-person shortlist for the Driver of the Year Award.

Devotion to charity work and a determination to be one of the best drivers were central to Amaani Raimi’s Bronze award in the category.

Amaani recovered from a serious illness to become one of Addison Lee’s top drivers. Her dedication to charity work has helped fund a youth football programme in Ghana. And on top of that, she’s now ‘doing the knowledge’ to become a London taxi driver with Addison Lee subsidiary ComCab – which will make her the first London cabbie with a QSi Award.

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Sponsored by

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

QSi Awards 2025

nal Driver of the Year

The 2025 Professional Drivers of the Year: From left: Gary Dodd, Amaani Raimi and Jennifer White

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

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news analysis: karhoo

HERE COM THE JUDGE

Sponsored by

T

he Professional Driver Car of the Year awards are 15 this year – and the last August’s judging day was the best yet. We had a full house, with all the cars out on test, all day long.

More than 100 business owners and drivers joined us at Epsom Racecourse on a sunny day last August to evaluate more than 50 of the latest cars suitable for chauffeuring or taxi work.

In the following pages you’ll discover which cars they chose as our winners in each of the six categories - Chauffeur Car, Executive Car, Private Hire Vehicle, Luxury SUV, Estate Car and MPV. And of course, you’ll discover which one wascrowned our Professional Driver Car of the Year for 2025.

Here's a look back at our judging day, where you can get a flavour of the day as our judges stuck to the task of evaluating the best cars. We're already working on this year's judging day - it'll be back at Epsom on August 19. We look forward to seeing you there!

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PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

ME ES!

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

C a r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 2 5

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C a r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 2 5

Luxury SUV of the Year

Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV

C

hauffeur cars are increasingly becoming SUV-shaped, partly because customers like them, and partly because SUVs make electrified cars as there’s plenty of room under the floor to stash the battery.

Our shortlist includes both full electric and plug-in hybrid models, but the outstanding winner was an EV – the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. Nothing else on the list could

match its truly exceptional interior comfort and refinement – indeed, some judges said better rear seat access means the EQS SUV was a more suitable chauffeur car than the EQS saloon.

Perhaps more surprising was the strong performance of the Volvo SC60 and XC90 models. These came second and third in the voting, despite the XC90 having been on sale for nearly a decade.

Runner-up: Volvo XC60

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Sponsored by

ROLL OF HONOUR 2023

Volvo XC90 Recharge 2016

Audi Q7 3.0TDI SE

2022

BMW iX 40

2021

Audi e-tron

2015

Volvo XC90 D5

2019

BMW X7

2014

Range Rover LWB

2018

Audi Q8 50 quattro

2013

Range Rover Vogue

2017

Volvo XC60 D5

2012

Porsche Cayenne D

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

C a r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 2 5

Estate Car of the Year

BMW i5 Touring

A

shortage of station wagons meant this category was not awarded last time.

But a crop of exciting new and revised estate models have hit the showrooms since 2023, and the estate car is well and truly back.

In a close contest, the new BMW i5 Touring came out on top. Not really that surprising considering the 5-series Touring has won this category

five times in the past. But once again, our judges went with an electric car, based on refinement and driving enjoyment.

Another past winner came second. Skoda has revised and upgraded the Superb, and it is still the market-leading mass-market estate in terms of rear sace and luggage room.

The Mercedes E-Class is still a strong contender in the station wagon sector, edging out the VW Passat for third.

Runner-up: Skoda Superb

ROLL OF HONOUR 2023 2022 2021 2019 2019

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

Sponsored by

Not awarded BMW 530e Touring Volvo V90 T6 BMW 520d Touring (Executive) Skoda Octavia Estate (Private Hire)

2018

Mazda 6 Tourer

2017

Mercedes-Benz E220d

2016

Skoda Superb

2015

BMW 520d Touring SE

2014

BMW 520d Touring SE

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C a r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 2 5

MPV of the Year

Volkswagen ID.Buzz

T

he seven-seater market has changed over the years, with vanbased people-movers now becoming the standard.

With the perennial favourite in this class – the Mercedes V-Class – unavailable as a new model was being launched, the field was open – perhaps for a slightly left-field winner.

And that’s what happened.

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz was voted MPV of the year thanks

Sponsored by

ROLL OF HONOUR 2023 2022 2021 2019 2018 2017 2016

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Mercedes-Benz EQV Volkswagen Multivan Mercedes-Benz EQV Mercedes-Benz V-Class Mercedes-Benz V-Class Mercedes-Benz V-Class Seat Alhambra

to a combination of distinctive, retro-styled looks, plenty of rear-seat space and a proven all-electric powertrain. Judges commented that they could easily imagine the ID. Buzz as a taxi, In second place was another new and unusual vehicle.

The Lexus LM350h offers a highly luxurious back seat option with two fully reclining seats. But the lack of a plug-in option cost it some points.

Runner-up: Lexus LM350h 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009

Ford Galaxy Ford Tourneo Custom Mercedes-Benz Viano Ford Galaxy Volkswagen Sharan Ford Galaxy Ford Galaxy

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

C a r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 2 5

Private Hire Car of the Year

BYD Seal

I

n the mainstream market, the standard petrol or diesel saloon is becoming an endangered species. So much so that all our finalists in the Private Hire Car of the Year category are electric cars.

This was a close contest, with the top four only covered by a handful of points. But the winner was a newcomer to the market – indeed, a new brand in the market that is making a lot of friends in the private

Runner-up: BYD Atto 3

hire world. The BYD Seal scored heavily on build quality and looks, with many judges comparing it favourably to the most obvious rival, the Tesla Model 3.

BYD is being taken seriously in teh market, as shown by the strong performance of its second shortlisted model, the BYD Atto 3, our runner-up.

Toyota still has a following in the sector, and its BZ4X EVcame third in the voting.

ROLL OF HONOUR 2023 2022 2022 2021 2019 2018 2017

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

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Hyundai Ioniq 5 Skoda Enyaq iV (electric) Skoda Superb iV (hybrid) Kia e-Niro Vauxhall Insignia Toyota Prius Ford Mondeo

2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009

Skoda Superb Ford Mondeo Skoda Octavia Skoda Superb Volkswagen Passat Skoda Superb Skoda Superb Skoda Superb

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C a r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 2 5

Executive Car of the Year

Mercedes-Benz E300e

T

he Mercedes-Benz E300e squeezed out arch-rival BMW in what was a very close vote for the Professional Driver Executive Car of the Year category.

Executive Cars are the lifeblood of the chauffeur sector – and the market is a very competitive one. We’ve seen some really practical electric options in this sector too, though hybrids are still strong-

Runner-up: BMW i5

ly supported in the judging process. a hybrid has again triumphed in this category.

The voting was very close, with the BMW 5-series scoring well in both hybrid and electric guises. And last year’s winner, the Lexus ES300h, is still a strong contender.

But the Mercedes-Benz E300e plug-in hybrid won the day, proving that the E-Class is still the go-to car for executive chauffeuring.

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ROLL OF HONOUR 2023 Lexus ES300h 2022 Genesis G80 Electrified 2021 Tesla Model 3 2019 Audi A6 TDI 2018 BMW 630d Gran Turismo 2017 Mercedes-Benz E220d 2016 Mercedes-Benz E220d

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2015 Audi A6 2.0 TDI Ultra 2014 Audi A6 2.0 TDI Ultra 2013 Mercedes-Benz E300h 2012 Volvo S80 2011 BMW 530d GT 2010 BMW 530d GT 2009 Mercedes-Benz E250

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

C a r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 2 5

Chauffeur Car of the Year

BMW i7 xDrive 60

O

ur Chauffeur Car of the Year is, for the second year running, a version of the latest top-of-the-range BMW 7-series line-up.

But whereas in 2023, the hybrid 760e triumphed, this year the all-electric i7 was top dog, evidence of how acceptable the battery-powered flagship Beemer is becoming as a chauffeur car.

The luxury limo market has

become a two-way shoot-out between BMW and MercedesBenz, with Jaguar absent from the sector and the Audi A8 now getting a little long in the tooth.

As a result, the only other shortlisted contender was the latest plug-in hybrid S-Class, the S580eL. This was a close contest, especially so with the two BMWs, with the i7 winning by less than 1 point.

Runner-up: BMW 750e

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ROLL OF HONOUR 2023 BMW 760e 2022 Mercedes-Benz S580eL 2021 BMW 745Le 2019 Audi A8L 50 quattro 2018 Audi A8L 50 quattro 2017 BMW 740Le 2016 BMW 730Ld

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

2015 Range Rover LWB SDV6 2014 Mercedes-Benz S300L 2013 Audi A8L 3.0TDI 2012 Mercedes-Benz S350L 2011 BMW 730Ld 2010 Jaguar XJL 3.0D 2009 BMW 730Ld

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BY

C a r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 2 5

T

he BYD S It was cho as the car The six number of new mo cult to choose the case.

But electric cars the six finalists be their time to go ele And clearly, our se The BYD Seal i But it could bring tors and drivers.

It’s stylish, pract years of experienc

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ROLL OF HONOUR 2023 2022 2021 2019 2018 2017 2016

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BMW 7-series Genesis G80 electrified Mercedes-Benz EQV Mercedes-Benz V220d Jaguar I-Pace EV400 Mercedes-Benz E220d BMW 730Ld

2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009

Tesla S85 Mercedes-Benz S300 Mercedes-Benz E300 Volvo S80 D3 SE BMW 730Ld Jaguar XJL 3.0D BMW 730Ld

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

YD SEAL

C a r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 2 5

Seal is Professional Driver’s 2025 Car of the Year. osen from the six Car of the Year category winners r that best captures the spirit of the times. x category winners were a solid selection, with a odels winning their classes, so it proved to be diffioverall winner, with several cars making a strong

s have dominated the awards this year, with fie of eing EVs. And while private buyers may be taking ectric, for fleets, it makes a lot of sense to switch. ector is helping to drive the change. is a new model, only launched at the end of 2023. electric driving within reach of many more opera-

tical and affordable, and the manufacturer has ce in the EV market, making it a worthy champion.

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

BYD's Malcolm Fryer (left) and Marc Samuel celebrate the win

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Winners at a glance

Professional Driver 2025 QSi Awards Winners Private Hire Group GOLD SILVER BRONZE

Environment Award

DG Group Addison Lee Take Me Group

GOLD SILVER BRONZE

Private Hire Operator, 81+ vehicles GOLD SILVER BRONZE

New-start Operator

Radio Taxis Your Local Car Parker Car Service

GOLD SILVER BRONZE

Private Hire Operator, 1-80 vehicles GOLD SILVER BRONZE

GOLD SILVER BRONZE

Hilton Ames Chauffeur VIP MET Chauffeur

Chauffeur Operator, 11+ vehicles GOLD SILVER BRONZE

Belgraves of London Blacklane Parkers Chauffeurs

Vert London Limotak Tick Taxi

Business Diversification Award

Castle Cars Tick Taxi Butlers Airport Taxis

Chauffeur Operator, 1-10 vehicles

Vert London Addison Lee Sherbet

Marketing Award GOLD SILVER BRONZE

Clocktower Cars UK Car Bookings Sherbet

Community Award GOLD SILVER SILVER BRONZE

GOLD SILVER BRONZE

Belgraves of London Chabe Hilton Ames

Professional Driver of the Year Gary Dodd, Specialist Chauffeur Services SILVER Jennifer White, DG Cars/Think Pink BRONZE Amaani Raimi, Addison Lee GOLD

247 Transport GLH Hilton Ames 001 Taxis

Professional Driver 2025 Car of the Year winners Car of the Year

BYD Seal

Chauffeur Car Winner Runner-up

Luxury SUV BMW i7 BMW 750e

Executive Car Winner Runner-up

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Winner Runner-up

Private Hire Car Mercedes EQS SUV Volvo XC60

Winner Runner-up

BYD Seal BYD Atto 3

Estate Car

MPV Mercedes E300e BMW 530e

Winner Runner-up

Volkswagen ID.Buzz Lexus LM350h

Winner Runner-up

BMW i5 Touring Skoda Superb

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Epsom Racecourse

Join our Car of the Year 2026 judging panel W

e’ll be judging next year’s Cars of the Year - yes, the 2026 winners - on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at our regular venue, Epsom Racecourse in Surrey. It’s a fun day where you will have the chance to drive up to 50 of the latest cars suitablefor private hire and chauffeur work.

We’d love it if you could join us for the day and help us choose our winners. Put the date in your diary and let us know by emailing editor@prodrivermags.com and we’ll be in touch. See you there!

In association with

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

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VOLUME 16 ISSUE 05 £4.95

The Professional Driver Awards are sponsored by: