WATCH | Here's how the 2020 SA Car of the Year finalists were put to the test

Testing for the South African Car of the Year took place on Monday (March 9) at Zwartkops Raceway outside Pretoria.

The South African Car of the Year competition is over 30 years old and has always been known as the most prestigious car event in the local market. Now in its 34th year, the event is run by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists, and AutoTrader SA has been the title sponsor these last couple of years.

Wheels24's editor, Janine Van der Post, is one of the 25 jury members.

Van der Post says: "This year the Car of the Year evaluation days took place at Zwartkops Raceway with a new testing format. Each vehicle was taken around the track to observe its dynamic handling and performance in various testing sections, which included a slalom module and a brake test module. You then head off to the skid pan for another module. 

"Once this is all completed, you move on to the next one. "Jury members were, however, meant to score each car online after attending a launch, or testing the vehicle to help with final scoring, and it makes the process more streamlined." 

Which vehicle do you think should win the 2020 SA Car of the Year title? Email us.

The 14 finalists are:
BMW 3 Series
BMW X5
Mazda3
Toyota Supra
Toyota Corolla Hatch
Toyota RAV4
Volkswagen T-Cross
Suzuki Swift Sport
Citroen C3 Aircross
Jaguar I-Pace
Peugeot 5008
Mercedes-Benz GLE
Ford Ranger Raptor
Hyundai Atos

The 2020 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year will be announced early in April.

Here's a look at how things were done: