The countdown to the 2026 World Car Awards is officially underway, and after an intensive judging process involving 98 automotive journalists from 33 countries, the shortlist now reflects the cars that genuinely stood out in real-world driving.
I’m one of those jurors, and following a recent group driving event in Pasadena, California, where we tested a wide cross section of eligible cars back to back, the field has now been narrowed from 58 initial contenders to just 10 finalists for World Car of the Year.
Of those 10, six are fully battery electric, underlining just how central EVs have become when cars are judged purely on merit.
The finalists weren’t chosen on paper or by marketing claims, but from the cars that most impressed us once we’d spent meaningful time behind the wheel – across performance, usability, design and how well they make sense in the real world.
The overall winners – along with champions in five additional categories – will be announced on Wednesday 1 April 2026, during a live ceremony at the New York International Auto Show.
World Car of the Year 2026 – top 10 finalists
The final 10 in the running for the headline award represent a broad spread of vehicle types, price points and markets:
Audi Q5/SQ5
BMW iX3
Hyundai Palisade
Kia EV4
Kia EV5
Toyota RAV4
The fact that six of the 10 finalists are electric reflects just how decisively EVs have moved from the margins to the mainstream, and the overall winners of the past five years have all been EVs.
World Electric Vehicle 2026 finalists
The World Electric Vehicle category has been narrowed to five finalists that represent the next stage of EV development rather than early adoption:
BMW iX3
Hyundai Ioniq 9
Mercedes-Benz CLA
Nissan Leaf
With long-established electric models now competing alongside all-new electric platforms from the likes of BMW – and ranges of up to 500 miles – the category highlights how far both the technology and buyer expectations have progressed.
Luxury, performance and urban categories
Electrification also features prominently across the other award categories. The World Luxury Car shortlist is made up Audi A6 e-tron/S6 e-tron, Cadillac Vistiq, Lucid Gravity and Volvo ES90, while the World Performance Car category sees electrified performance sit alongside traditional performance icons, with the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N and BMW M2 CS, Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, Defender Octa and Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro all nominated.
At the other end of the scale, the World Urban Car finalists reflect growing global demand for compact, affordable vehicles designed for city life – many of them electric, and many may not be familiar names as they’re aimed at markets well beyond Europe and North America reflecting that this is a global award. This shortlist is made up of Alfa Romeo Junior, Baojun Yep Plus/Chevrolet Spark EUV, Firefly, Hyundai Venue, Wuling Binguo and the Ari Poly.
Design still matters
All vehicles competing in the major categories are also eligible for World Car Design of the Year, with a specialist design panel – which includes design legend Shiro Nakamura, who designed one of my favourite models, the Nissan GT – shortlisting five finalists including the Kia PV5, Volvo ES90, Lynk & Co 08, Firefly and the Mazda 6e/EZ-6.
What happens next?
The top three finalists in each category will be announced virtually via World Car TV on Tuesday 3 March 2026, ahead of the final winners being revealed in New York a month later.
Is the Kia EV5 the next World Car of the Year? Ginny's driven them all, but she's not saying anything... yet 
