The electric Renault 5 E-Tech has been named UK Car of the Year 2026, coming out on top against a competitive shortlist of rivals.
Already chosen as the winner of the Small Car Category before the final, the Renault 5 dominated the voting when it came to choosing the overall champion.
Some 20 of the 33-strong judging panel, composed of expert automotive journalists including Motoring Research’s own Tim Pitt, voted for the Renault 5 E-Tech as their UK Car of the Year 2026.
The award joins more than 40 trophies already collected by the reborn Renault 5 since it was launched in 2024. These included winning the 2025 European Car of the Year trophy.
‘A resounding victory’ for the Renault 5
Electric cars were strongly represented in the final standings, with the top four spots all taken by EVs in the 2026 awards. They included the Skoda Elroq, named as the leading medium crossover, with the Kia EV4 chosen as the best family car.
However, the Renault 5 E-Tech managed to win convincingly, despite the strong level of competition.
“With its retro styling, the new Renault 5 tugs at the heart strings of those drivers who experienced the original,” said John Challen, co-chairman of the UK Car of the Year Awards and editor of UK Driver magazine.
“By adding an immensely fun and entertaining drive, desirability and affordability to that nostalgic element, the French favourite pulled off a resounding victory to be crowned UK Car of the Year 2026.”
The in-demand electric hatchback
Such has been the demand for the Renault 5 E-Tech, more than 100,000 examples have already been produced at the Ampere ElectriCity plant, located in Douai, near Lille.
Adding another trophy to its list of accolades is likely to further boost Renault 5 sales in the UK.
Adam Wood, managing director of Renault UK, said: “With so many experienced automotive journalists voting for R5 as the UK Car of the Year, the award is something we’re very proud of.
“It has really hit the spot with retail and fleet customers – and with 2026 being the first full year of sales, plus it being one of the very few EVs to qualify for the full £3,750 Electric Car Grant, R5 is well on its way to being a very common sight on our roads.”
Continuing the shift to EVs
Renault’s victory marks the fifth year in succession that an electric vehicle has claimed the top prize in the UKCOTY Awards. In fact, nine of the 13 champions since the awards began in 2014 have featured battery power.
Last year, the Kia EV3 electric compact SUV was voted the top choice by UKCOTY judges.
For 2026, six of the eight UK Car of the Year Awards 2026 finalists were electric, all of which had already claimed honours by winning their respective categories:
- Small Car – Renault 5 E-Tech
- Family Car – Kia EV4
- Small Crossover – Citroen C3/e-C3 Aircross
- Medium Crossover – Skoda Elroq
- Large Crossover – Hyundai IONIQ 9
- Executive Car – Audi A6
- Estate Car – Audi A6 Avant
- Performance Car – Alpine A290
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