Ten vehicles from eight different car brands have been named as finalists for the prized 2026 World Car of the Year Award.
A total of 98 jurors from 33 countries – including Motoring Research’s own Richard Aucock – have whittled down the 58 contenders for the top prize down to 10 finalists. These cars will now go forward for a further round of judging, ahead of the Top Three in the World being announced on 3 March.
Notably, last year’s victor, the Kia EV3, has two newer sister models represented in the top 10: the new Kia EV4 and Kia EV5. The EV3 followed its bigger brother, the Kia EV9, in being voted World Car of the Year in 2024. Can the EV4 or EV5 make it a World Car Awards hat-trick for Kia?
Fellow Korean marque Hyundai also has two models in the top 10: the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Hyundai Palisade.
Hyundai scooped the overall World Car of the Year award in 2023 with the Ioniq 6, and previously in 2022 with the Ioniq 5.
Here are the 10 in cars with a shot at WCOTY glory this year:
2026 World Car of the Year finalists
- Audi Q5
- BMW iX3
- BYD Seal 6 DM-i
- Hyundai Ioniq 9
- Hyundai Palisade
- Kia EV4
- Kia EV5
- Mercedes-Benz CLA
- Nissan Leaf
- Toyota RAV4
“The World Car Awards are a benchmark for excellence and innovation in the automotive industry,” said Daniele Schillaci, CEO of Brembo, which is powering the World Car Finals.
“We are proud to support this prestigious initiative and congratulate all the finalists on their outstanding achievements.”
The 2026 World Car of the Year will be announced live at the New York International Auto Show on 1 April.
World Car category finalists
Other World Car category finalists have also been announced. Again, a subsequent vote will decide a Top Three in the World for each one.
2026 World Electric Vehicle finalists
- Audi A6 E-Tron
- BMW iX3
- Hyundai Ioniq 9
- Mercedes-Benz CLA
- Nissan Leaf
2026 World Luxury Car finalists
- Audi A6 E-Tron
- Audi A6
- Cadillac Vistiq
- Lucid Gravity
- Volvo ES90
2026 World Performance Car finalists
- BMW M2 CS
- Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
- Land Rover Defender Octa
- Hyundai Ioniq 6 N
- Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro
2026 World Urban Car finalists
- Alfa Romeo Junior
- Baojun Yep Plus / Chevrolet Spark EUV
- Firefly
- Hyundai Venue
- Wuling Binguo / Ari Poly
2026 World Car Design of the Year finalists
- Firefly
- Kia PV5
- Lynk & Co 08
- Mazda 6e
- Volvo ES90
ALSO READ
Drivers tuned off by Musk’s trillion-dollar pay deal
