Volkswagen swept four institutional sector awards at Germany's 2025 Golden Steering Wheel (Goldene Lenkrad) awards. It is the first time in history that a maker has won four institutional sector awards simultaneously.
The Golden Steering Wheel, regarded as one of Europe's most prestigious automobile awards, has been presented since 1976 by German car magazine AUTO BILD and BILD am SONNTAG, selecting outstanding new models each year.
For the 2025 awards, a total of 72 models were evaluated across 17 assessment items including drive, chassis, design, quality, sustainability, value for money and safety, and the best model in 13 institutional sectors was selected.
This year Volkswagen became the first manufacturer in the 49-year history of the Golden Steering Wheel to be named the brand that swept four institutional sector awards simultaneously.
The Golf GTI Edition 50, selected as the best compact car, beat competing electric models Kia EV4 and the Škoda Elroq RS to take first place. Developed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the GTI next year, the Golf GTI Edition 50 is the most powerful production GTI in history with a peak output of 325 horsepower and maximum torque of 420 Nm.
The ID.7 GTX Tourer, winner in the near-luxury institutional sector, is Volkswagen's first pure electric wagon model, offering generous space, excellent driving convenience and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system with a peak output of 340 horsepower. The ID.7 GTX Tourer received high praise from the jury for offering outstanding value for money based on its advanced technology and performance.
The Tayron, chosen as the best family car, is a versatile SUV model that combines the convenience and multipurpose functionality provided by its spacious interior and cargo space with the latest technologies. It offers an all-wheel-drive system and a towing capacity of up to 2.5 tons, and was chosen as the top model in the family car institutional sector for its especially comfortable seating position, excellent ride quality and high level of stability.
The second-generation new T‑Roc, selected as the best car under 40,000 euros, is a compact SUV that has been dramatically upgraded in every respect compared with the previous model. It features a sporty and elegant design, increased space and comfort, abundant advanced driver assistance systems and innovative hybrid technology.
Thomas Schäfer, Volkswagen brand CEO, said he was very proud of the Volkswagen team for achieving the feat of winning four institutional sector awards and emphasized that the awards are an important signal proving that the "Volkswagen BOOST 2030" strategy is moving in the right direction.
He added that Volkswagen has set a clear goal to establish itself as a technology-leading volume manufacturer and said the company plans to introduce six new models next year featuring strong design, top quality and premium technology.
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