People buy cars based on emotion, lifestyle, and personality. Sure, economics are an important consideration but most people will gravitate towards a new car or truck that fits the stage they're in at that particular time of their life. The RTM award themes are designed to represent the lifestyles and personalities of those who are buying them as opposed to being based on the chrome, camshafts, and rpms.  

Remove the fanfare of these imposed personality types and you ultimately end up with cars and trucks that are simply considered the Best in Class in each category by RTM awards judges.  And, while automakers may use either the assigned superlative or the traditional "Best in Class" tag when boasting of their wins to the public, the bottom line is that either way you look at it, these winners are the best of the best.

How are the winners chosen? All year long, RTM journalists road test up and coming new model vehicles to evaluate them for various newspapers and magazines articles. They share their insight and expertise about all the great new features these new products have to offer. RTM reviews are written by the most knowledgeable, reputable and respected automotive journalists in the country. Their comments and opinions are valued by industry leaders as reliable sources and can be relied upon by consumers when making purchasing decisions. 

These same journalists are also called upon each year to provide their expertise in RTM's annual automotive awards as judges. Ultimately, three nominees make it to the finals in each of the 10 categories which include luxury, sports car, entry level vehicle, minivan, pick up truck, classic car, SUV, station wagon, environmentally friendly, and topped off with RTM's Car of the Year.