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Discovery Insure congratulates 2026 CAR Magazine Top 12 Best Buys Awards winners
Johannesburg, 13 March 2026 – Discovery Insure congratulates all the category winners recognised at the 2026 CAR Magazine Top 12 Best Buys Awards, held in Sandton on 12 March. As co-sponsor of this annual celebration of automotive excellence, Discovery Insure joined industry leaders, media and manufacturers in honouring vehicle manufacturers that demonstrate outstanding innovation, safety, performance and value.
Discovery Insure CEO, Robert Attwell says, “Motor insurers, vehicle manufacturers and drivers may play different roles, but we are working towards the same outcome. Insurers want to reduce risk and claims, manufacturers are focused on continually improving safety and protection, and drivers want safe, comfortable journeys. Ultimately, we all share a vision for ever-safer vehicles and roads.”
Established in 1957, CAR is South Africa's oldest and leading automotive platform. For the past 26 years CAR’s annual awards have long recognised excellence across 12 popular market segments. The 2026 awards once again highlighted the strength of South Africa’s automotive market.
Ian McLaren, Editorial Director of CAR Magazine, explains, “These annual awards recognise our choices in 12 of South Africa’s most popular segments, with a focus on innovation, safety, and, importantly, value-for-money. We are delighted to have Discovery Insure as a co-sponsor this year. Their dedication to building a nation of safer drivers aligns strongly with our mission to inform, educate and celebrate the world of motoring.”
Celebrating Chery as "Company of the Year"
The ‘Performance’ category, announced by Attwell, saw the Porsche 911 Carrera T as the winner. In the highly competitive double-cab segment, the Ford Ranger took top honours. Other category standouts under ‘Top 12 Best Buys for 2026’ included the Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL+ in ‘Budget Car’, the VW Polo in ‘Small Car’, the BYD Sealion 6 in the ‘New Energy Vehicle’ category, the BMW X3 in ‘Premium Midsize SUV’.
The evening culminated in the announcement of Chery Automotive as 2026 ‘Company of the Year’. Attwell says, “Chery’s growth trajectory in South Africa has been remarkable, reshaping the competitive landscape in an exciting evolution.”
Attwell adds, “The vehicle featured in the awards represent the best of an already impressive fleet in the South African market, combining design, engineering and customer value to meet the needs of a wide range of South African drivers and keep them safe on the roads.”
Innovation key to Discovery Insure delivering on its commitment to creating a nation of safer drivers
The awards evening also provided Attwell with an important opportunity to deliver a keynote address on how advancing vehicle and driver safety technology is influencing safety outcomes. “Just as the automotive industry has embraced cutting‑edge technology and digitisation to enhance safety, so too has Discovery Insure applied the same principles to meaningfully improve driving behaviour,” Attwell explains.
Discovery Insure, the first South African insurer to offer telematics-based vehicle insurance in South Africa, today has access to almost 15 years of driver behaviour data. This is made up of over 20 billion kilometres of telematics data from over 200,000 drivers and over 1 billion driving events. “This wealth of data has also been instrumental in advancing data analytics and product innovation, allowing us to deliver greater value to our clients,” Attwell adds.
Discovery Insure’s research consistently shows that driver behaviour – including speeding, harsh braking, aggressive acceleration, and cellphone distraction – remains the strongest predictor of collisions. Through the Vitality Drive programme – which rewards safer driving and encourages consistent, positive driver behaviour change – members significantly reduce their accident risk by 15% within the first month of joining the programme, with up to 80% reduction in accident fatality risk recorded over time, for Discovery Insure’s best (Gold and Diamond Vitality Drive status) drivers.
Discovery Insure leverages AI, fixes potholes to create safer roads.
Attwell also shared detail on Discovery Insure’s Advanced Driving Instructor – introduced in January 2026 – an AI-powered coaching tool within the Discovery Insure app that provides personalised, real-time feedback to help drivers improve their behaviour on every trip. And, with Discovery Insure data showing that sleep quality is a critical factor in accident risk, Discovery Insure will soon be integrating sleep tracking into Vitality Drive, expanding its ability to reward safer driving behaviour and reduce risk on South African roads.
Discovery Insure’s commitment to safer roads extends beyond individual driver behaviour. For example, The Pothole Patrol, launched in 2021 in partnership with the City of Johannesburg and the Johannesburg Roads Agency, had completed more than 330,000 pothole repairs by early 2026, improving road conditions and reducing road-surface-related risk for all drivers.
Similarly, the high-impact national #DriveNowTextLater campaign, run in Q2 2025 together with bp, encouraged motorists to pledge to avoid cellphone use while driving, drawing attention to evidence that just 20 seconds on a phone increases crash risk by more than 60%.
Partnership key to creating safer roads for all
“The annual CAR Magazine Top 12 Best Buys Awards bring together the very people and organisations who collectively influence driver and road safety in our country,” concludes Attwell. “When manufacturers, insurers, mobility experts and consumers work together, we create the conditions for safer roads, better choices and a more rewarding driving culture for all.”
The full list of CAR’s 2026 Top 12 Best Buys winners and runners-up will be published in the April issue of the magazine on sale 20 March, as well as on carmag.co.za.
