2025 ACKO Drive Awards: The Complete List of #TOTM Winners!

The 2025 Acko Drive Awards, a spectacular two-day event, recognised the best cars, bikes, companies, individuals and ideas in the Indian automotive industry over the past year. Over 50 winners and runners-up walked away with their incredible TOTM trophies, many of which were handed out by their peers from India's top manufacturers. The TOTMs continue to set new benchmarks in the industry as India’s most credible automotive awards. This year's event took place on January 31 and February 1 in Pune, celebrating its incredible industrial legacy and pioneer status in the automobile manufacturing history of India.

Mahindra & Mahindra was the biggest winner at the third annual Acko Drive Awards, with multiple TOTMs in major categories including 2025 Acko Drive Car Manufacturer of The Year, 2025 Acko Drive Car of the Year (and the first runner-up position as well), 2025 Subcompact SUV, 2025 Compact SUV, 2025 Off-Roader, 2025 Best Creative Film (Car), and the Jagdish Khattar Rising Star Award for Reeti Nageshri, Head of Business Operations, Mahindra Electric SUVs.

The prestigious 2025 Acko Drive Car of the Year was the Mahindra Thar Roxx, while the Mercedes-Benz E-Class won the 2025 Acko Drive Premium Car of the Year TOTM. The 2025 Acko Drive Bike of the Year was the Aprilia RS 457, and the 2025 Acko Drive Premium Bike of the Year was the Ducati Streetfighter V4. The 2025 Bike Manufacturer of the Year was Royal Enfield.

The 2025 Viewer’s Choice Bike was the Royal Enfield Goan Classic 350, and the Hyundai Creta won Acko Drive’s 2025 Viewer’s Choice Car TOTM. Maruti Suzuki India was also named the 2025 Safety Champion.

In other highlights, Santosh Iyer, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India was presented with the 2025 Person of the Year TOTM, while Maruti Suzuki MD & CEO Hisashi Takeuchi was recognised as the 2025 Business Leader of the Year. John Abraham was awarded the 2025 Brand Ambassador TOTM for his work with Aprilia.

Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto and Force Motors were awarded special Hall of Fame Manufacturing Pioneer (Pune) TOTMs. Veteran automotive journalist Adil Jal Darukhanawala, also a Pune resident, was honoured as the TOTMs’ first ever Hall of Fame Pioneer Journalist. Additionally, the Communications TOTMs were awarded for the best advertising and marketing campaigns and teams, in a dedicated ceremony.

Siddharth Vinayak Patankar, Editor-in-Chief of Acko Drive, Chief Creative Officer, Acko, and Chair, World Car Awards, said: “The credibility of the TOTMs has already been established in such a short time. The turnout from the industry, and the excitement generated by the wins, are testimony to that. We will keep growing the scope of the TOTMs so consumers have a fair, transparent, and respectable benchmark to look up to, which showcases the very best products, technologies, campaigns, and people from India's vibrant auto industry.”

He added: “It has been a big year for Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki, and it was fitting to see their products and management in the limelight. The same is true for Royal Enfield, and Mercedes-Benz.”

VIP guests in attendance, many of whom helped present awards to their industry peers, included Rajesh Jejurikar, ED & CEO - Auto and Farm Sectors, Mahindra; Santosh Iyer, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India; Hisashi Takeuchi, MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India; Ashish Singh Joshi, CEO, Classic Legends; Bipul Chandra, MD, Ducati India; Balbir Singh Dhillon; Head, Audi India; Petr Janeba, Brand Director, Skoda India; Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, VW India; Sandeep Raina, EVP, Maruti Suzuki India; Ravneet Phokela, CBO, Ather; and Yogesh Mathur, Director Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India.

The audience was also treated to a series of panel discussions around topics related to evolving aspects of the automotive sector. Industry leaders shared their insights and experiences, including Audi India Head Balbir Dhillon speaking about the Indian EV Battery Ecosystem, Maruti Suzuki India EVP Sandeep Raina weighing in on CNG For the Discerning and Premium Customer, Ultraviolette CTO Ravneet Phokela discussing Software Defined Vehicles, and BMW Group India Marketing Director, Vitesh Barar debating a stellar panel of peers about Marketing for a New Age Automotive Consumer.

Furthering Acko Drive's mission to bring Indian audiences our honest, transparent opinions, each TOTM winner is decided by three separate juries made up of industry stalwarts, for the car, bike, and communications categories. As always, each juror brings their own unique experiences, skills, and perspectives to the particular categories they are evaluating. Cars and bikes across all segments and price bands were tested hands-on at dedicated jury meets held at the Buddh International Circuit, with each juror evaluating them for technology, innovation, reliability, safety, and performance. At the communications awards, a distinguished panel goes through the year’s many advertising, marketing, public relations, messaging, and other campaigns.

Complete list of winners:

• 2025 Micro SUV: Tata Punch.ev
• 2025 Subcompact Car: Maruti Suzuki Swift
• 2025 Subcompact Sedan: Maruti Suzuki Dzire
• 2025 Subcompact SUV: Mahindra XUV 3XO
• 2025 Compact SUV: Mahindra Thar Roxx
• 2025 MPV: MG Windsor EV
• 2025 Off-Roader: Mahindra Thar Roxx
• 2025 Luxury Compact Car: MINI Cooper S
• 2025 Luxury Car: Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• 2025 Luxury Compact SUV: Maserati Grecale
• 2025 Luxury SUV: Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV
• 2025 Luxury MPV: Kia Carnival
• 2025 Performance Car: BMW i5 M60 xDrive
• 2025 EV Car (Tie): MG Windsor EV and Tata Punch.ev
• 2025 Luxury EV Car: BYD Seal
• 2025 Car Design (Tie): Citroën Basalt and MG Windsor EV
• 2025 Acko Drive Car Manufacturer of The Year: Mahindra & Mahindra
• 2025 Viewers’ Choice Car: Hyundai Creta
• 2025 Acko Drive Premium Car of the Year: Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• 2025 Acko Drive Car of the Year: Mahindra Thar Roxx (First runner-up: Mahindra XUV 3XO)
• 2025 Entry Bike: Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG
• 2025 Commuter Motorcycle: Hero Xtreme 125R
• 2025 Performance Motorcycle: Aprilia RS 457
• 2025 ADV Motorcycle: Yezdi Adventure
• 2025 Modern Classic Motorcycle: BSA Gold Star 650
• 2025 Premium Performance Motorcycle: Suzuki GSX-8R
• 2025 Premium Motorcycle: Ducati Streetfighter V4
• 2025 Premium ADV Motorcycle: BMW R 1300 GS
• 2025 Scooter: Ather Rizta
• 2025 EV Bike: Matter Aera
• 2025 Bike Design (Tie): TVS Jupiter 110 and Aprilia RS 457
• 2025 Bike Manufacturer of The Year: Royal Enfield
• 2025 Viewers’ Choice Bike: Royal Enfield Goan Classic 350
• 2025 Acko Drive Premium Bike of the Year: Ducati Streetfighter V4
• 2025 Acko Drive Bike of the Year: Aprilia RS 457 (First runner-up: Hero Xtreme 125R)
• Google Most Searched Bike: Royal Enfield Classic 350
• Google Most Searched Premium Bike Brand: Harley-Davidson
• Google Most Searched Car: Hyundai Creta
• Google Most Searched Premium Car: Kia Carnival
• 2025 Safety Champion: Maruti Suzuki India
• 2025 Acko Byte Car Tech of the Year: MINI round screen OLED interface
• 2025 Acko Byte Bike Tech of the Year: Bajaj Freedom – World’s First CNG bike
• 2025 Person of the Year: Santosh Iyer, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India
• 2025 Business Leader of the Year: Hisashi Takeuchi, MD & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India
• 2025 Jagdish Khattar Rising Star Award: Reeti Nageshri, Mahindra
• TOTM Hall of Fame Manufacturing Pioneer (Pune): Tata Motors
• TOTM Hall of Fame Manufacturing Pioneer (Pune): Force Motors
• TOTM Hall of Fame Manufacturing Pioneer (Pune): Bajaj Auto
• TOTM Hall of Fame
Pioneer Journalist (Pune): Adil Jal Darukhanawala
• 2025 Best Creative Film (Car): Thar Roxx – Intehaan Ho Gayi
• 2025 Best Creative Film (Bike): Royal Enfield Classic 350
• 2025 Best Phygital or Social Media Innovation (Car): Tata Motors – Perry Punch
• 2025 Best Phygital or Social Media Innovation (Bike): Harley-Davidson: World's Best Job
• 2025 Best Integrated Campaign (Car): MG Windsor Launch
• 2025 Best Integrated Campaign (Bike): Pulsar NS400Z – Chala Apni
• 2025 Best PR Team (Car): JSW MG Motor India
• 2025 Best PR Team (Bike): Ultraviolette
• 2025 Brand Ambassador: John Abraham – Aprilia RS 457
• 2025 Best Use of AI In Marketing/Sales: Bajaj Pulsar – Chala Apni