For 2025, the top 10 winners in Interior & UX designs showcase a prevalence of light cabin structures, striking color schemes, and widespread integration of Google technology as Standout Trends.
The 2025 Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX competition has revealed a focus on advanced, user-friendly digital interfaces with wireless connectivity and modern displays. This year's winners showcase a blend of smart design, comfort, and technology integration.
The 2025 Nissan Kicks, one of the winners, stands out with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It offers features such as USB-C ports and wireless charging pads, ensuring seamless smartphone integration.
The Dodge Charger Daytona, another winner, is noted for its interior UX excellence, but specific color scheme or operating system details were not provided.
The Toyota 4Runner's passenger space is unique among the winners, being almost entirely navy. Meanwhile, the Honda Odyssey and Honda Prologue, new nominees in the competition, have not disclosed their color schemes.
The GMC Sierra Denali EV and GMC Yukon Denali, also new nominees, and the Fiat 500e, a new nominee, have not revealed their operating systems either. However, nearly all the winning vehicles use Google's Android Automotive operating system for their infotainment functions.
Volvo's integration of Google's Android Automotive OS in the EX90, a nominee and one of the most sustainable interiors crafted yet by an automaker, is much improved with better menu organization compared to prior Volvos.
The interior of the EX90 is all light shades, while the Dodge Charger Daytona and Nissan Kicks both use red as a counterpoint for black. Many of the winning vehicles combine lighter tones with a bolder color, such as blue for the Enclave and Optiq, and black for the Expedition and Ioniq 9. The Kia K4, another nominee, has a mostly black interior, but ivory is heavily employed as a contrasting color.
Several nominees and winning models offer atypical apps, such as Tidal and Waze in the Optiq and movie streaming apps Amazon Prime Video, Max, and Peacock available in the Expedition.
The competition also includes the Mercedes CLE 450C, Mitsubishi Outlander, Infiniti QX80, Jeep Wagoneer S, Kia K4, Lexus GX, Lexus LX, Lincoln Navigator, Mazda CX-70, and Volkswagen Taos as new nominees. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Ioniq 9 are also new nominees in the competition.
The Nissan Murano is a nominee in the competition, and it previously used red as a counterpoint for black. The competition's emphasis is on smart design, comfort, and technology integration, rather than specific interior color trends.
In summary, the main trend is an emphasis on large, modern touchscreens with wireless smartphone integration and advanced safety and driver assistance features rather than any specific or standout color schemes. The competition's winners and nominees demonstrate a focus on technology and sustainability, with Google's Android Automotive OS being a common choice for infotainment systems.
- The 2025 Nissan Kicks, one of the winners, utilizes Google's Android Automotive OS for its infotainment functions, similar to many other winners and nominees in the competition.
- The Dodge Charger Daytona, despite its interior UX excellence, did not disclose the specific operating system it uses for its infotainment system.
- Several winning vehicles and nominees, such as the Toyota 4Runner, Honda Odyssey, and Honda Prologue, have not revealed their color schemes, while others, like the Nissan Kicks and Dodge Charger Daytona, use a combination of red and black.
