The Renault 4 has been named AUTOBEST Best Buy Car of Europe 2026 in a groundbreaking pan-European Grand Finale.
In a live ceremony, the Renault 4 emerged victorious after winning the votes of both the AUTOBEST jurors and, for the first time, the European motoring public.
The new AUTOBEST Conquest format saw the awards opened up to Europe’s drivers, with jurors and the public each getting 50 percent of the votes.
The 32 AUTOBEST jurors – of which Motoring Research’s Richard Aucock is the UK representative – all voted late last year. However, their votes remained a secret until the public ballot closed half-way through the AUTOBEST Conquest show.
The Renault 4 emerged victorious with 39,676 points, edging ahead of the second-placed Citroen C3 Aircross on 38,259 points. The Fiat Grande Panda was third, with a total of 35,405 points.
Other finalists included the BYD Dolphin Surf, Ford Puma Gen-E and MG S5 EV.
During the three months of open public voting, the first AUTOBEST Conquest reached and engaged more than 15 million people. They were mostly in Europe, but there was participation from all around the world, including Asia, South America, the Middle East and Africa.
The AUTOBEST Conquest social media campaign also recorded over 5.3 million organic views.
Three more AUTOBEST 2026 winners
Three more awards were presented during the AUTOBEST Conquest 2026 live show.
The Fiat Grande Panda won the inaugural Best Car Design of Europe Award. A total of 7,996 points placed it ahead of the Renault 4 on 6,697 points and the Citroen C3 Aircross on 6,633 points.
Fiat head of design Francois Leboine accepted the award during the live show.
The MG S5 EV won the Best Affordable Car Technology Package of Europe 2026 award with 14,955 points – edging it ahead of the Renault 4 on 14,349 points. The Citroen C3 Aircross was again third, with 9,950 points.
The C3 Aircross did, however, win the Best Users’ Car of Europe 2026 award, “becoming the people’s strongest favourite and delivering one of the most impressive public endorsements of the evening”.
It scooped 21,676 points, ahead of the Fiat Grande Panda on 19,770 points and the Renault 4 on 18,630 points.
An AUTOBEST landmark
“The first edition of AUTOBEST Conquest proved far more than a new event format,” said AUTOBEST founder and chairman Dan Vardie.
“It demonstrated that Europe is ready for live automotive storytelling, direct democratic participation, transparent continental voting and a stronger emotional connection between brands and audiences.
“The first edition is already considered a landmark success… and AUTOBEST Conquest has only just begun.”
Watch the AUTOBEST Conquest Show 2026
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