The field is set for the 2009 Carsguide Car of the Year judging.

The final five are here today, completing the top 10 who will compete to succeed the Ford Falcon G6E as the winner of Australia's most prestigious annual car contest.

These cars are more everyday than last week's exotics, which were led by the Nissan GT-R and Toyota Prius, but each has a strong case, from the Ford Fiesta to the Volkswagen Golf.

They are the compacts, too, with most fitting into the small-car class which has become the most-popular and competitive group in Australian showrooms since the slump in large-car sales.

They are much more affordable than the first five, with the Fiesta in showrooms from $15,450 and even the Golf starting at $25,990.

Judging time is when the contenders are matched against their top-10 rivals, but also against their individual class competitors. And they are also evaluated against the same sort of strict judging standards set by showroom shoppers on everything from value and safety to comfort, performance, fuel economy and efficiency.

Nothing escapes the focus of the Carsguide COTY judges, a nine-member panel who are the only coast-to-coast crew to evaluated the best of the best for 2009. And they have more than 150 years of combined experience on the job.

The 2009 Carsguide Car of the Year champion will be announced next week,check out all the finalists and don't forget to vote for your favourite cars in 2009 Carsguide Car of the Year People's Choice Award.