Hyundai STARIA wins MCOTY 2025 MPV ICE of the Year, STARIA 10-seater gets new cabin tweaks, CNY rebates go up to RM20k

KUALA LUMPUR: Hyundai Motor Malaysia has picked up a win at the Malaysia Car of the Year (MCOTY) 2025 awards, with the Hyundai STARIA Prestige 7-seater named MPV ICE of the Year.

It is a tidy feather in the cap for Hyundai’s futuristic-looking people mover, which has been trying to carve out a “premium family MPV” space in Malaysia without losing the day-to-day practicality buyers actually care about.

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Hyundai points to its SmartSense active safety suite as a key part of the STARIA Prestige 7-seater’s appeal. The feature list name-checks Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Lane Following Assist (LFA) and Smart Cruise Control (SCC), the sort of systems that are becoming expected in this price bracket if you are selling an MPV to families who spend plenty of time on highways.

Alongside the award news, Hyundai Motor Malaysia also says it has introduced new, lifestyle-focused enhancements for the Hyundai STARIA 10-seater, aimed at buyers who use the van-style MPV for family duties, business, or multi-purpose hauling.

The big change is up front, the middle seat in the front cabin has been removed, opening up more room for the driver and front passenger.

Taking its place is a new floor console, basically a practicality upgrade designed to keep the cabin less messy on daily runs. Hyundai says the console includes a removable cup holder, a retractable cup holder, a storage box and a drawer tray, adding more usable spaces for drinks, small gadgets and personal items.

Hyundai Motor Malaysia adds that the STARIA range pricing remains RM179,888 to RM267,888, now inclusive of the upgraded 10-seater.

To round things off, the company is running a Chinese New Year push under its Total Drive Rewards promo. Hyundai says cash rebates of up to RM20,000 are available across selected STARIA variants, with festive rebates also offered on other models including the New TUCSON and the all-new SANTA FE, again across selected variants.

Also Read: Hyundai Malaysia rolls out 2026 CNY offers, TUCSON from RM125,888, rebates across the range