• Auto123 presents its 2023 awards in 22 categories.
• For the Best Green Vehicle Not Eligible for Gov’t Incentives in 2023, here are our finalists and winner!
• In the running are the Ford F-150 Lightning, Cadillac Lyriq and Polestar 2.
• All three finalists are recommended purchases by the Auto123 team.
Every year, you our readers are kind enough to await with interest Auto123's verdicts in declaring the winners across various vehicle categories. This year, the battles were once again ferocious, with many of the votes very close. There were arguments and maybe a couple of tears.
Nevertheless, at the end of the day, 22 vehicles were declared winners in their category. If you want to know what are recommended buys in the green vehicle segment, consisting of EVs not eligible for federal or provincial incentives (or else just the provincial incentive, depending on the province), here’s what happened this year in this category.
In the case of electric models, for 2023, we maintain the formula used in recent years of separating EVs into two groups: those that qualify for both federal and provincial government incentives (where applicable), and those that qualify for no incentives, (or just a provincial one, if applicable).
Here, we're talking about the models in that second category. The more expensive EVs, in other words.
As with our other category of electric models, there are more and more contestants each year. Our panelists went through the voting process and three models ended up as finalists: the Polestar 2, Cadillac Lyriq and Ford F-150 Lightning.
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The electric version of the F-150 allowed Ford to strike a big blow in the segment by launching the first mass-market all-electric pickup truck. By beating out General Motors’ Chevrolet and GMC and Stellantis’ Ram, the blue oval brand got a valuable head start in the almighty war coming in the EV pickup segment.
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The Polestar 2 is as original a model as you could wish for, and it delivers a very seductive driving experience. Volvo's new electric brand is trying to make a place for itself in the EV market and with a product like the Polestar 2, it's giving itself the tools it needs to succeed in the market.
The Cadillac Lyriq marks a milestone in the history of General Motors' luxury brand. This is the company's first model to feature the new Ultium platform, which is said to hold great promise. It will serve as the foundation for many new models set to be introduced by the auto giant’s many brands in the coming months and years. The Lyriq SUV offers a reassuring, smooth ride, as well as a build quality that's second-to-none, but above all it delivers very strong value in its category, which should help ensure its success.
And that’s probably also the single biggest factor that pushed it ahead of the other finalists in this vote. The recipient of our very last Auto123 Award for 2023 is the Cadillac Lyriq.