Congratulations one and all, it’s officially Brussels motor show week, the new first big motor show of the year since the Geneva one got cancelled. What was once a regional show aimed at bagging company car orders has become a hub of launch activity and a good chance to see where the car industry is at in 2026. 

We’re in traditional motor show territory here – the Consumer Electronics Show is happening in Las Vegas at the moment if you want to be all fancy – there are halls full of cars and people will wander round looking at them. More than the seven people in this picture from the last one, hopefully.

Is that it, just a boring motor show?

It will actually be a lot of people, though – the Brussels show will get over 300,000 visitors during its 10 days or so of opening, which compares strongly with the just over 400,000 new cars that are sold in the country each year. It’s a handy place to go if you’re in the market for a new car, especially seeing as the exhibition centre is walkable from most Belgians’ houses. 

The Belgian market is fascinating (*geek alert*) because many Belgians get company cars as job perks, and the government has mandated that all company cars in the country have to be electric now, so it’s skewing the market towards EVs. Seems like an interesting approach. 

So what’s going to debut in Brussels this year?

We've already had glimpses of many of the cars launching in Brussels – click on all the links to read more. 

The big car that we’re excited to see revealed is the Kia EV2, the Korean carmaker’s new ‘baby’ electric SUV. We’ve seen the car in concept form already, so it’ll be interesting how much of the concept style has translated through to production. 

The new Mercedes-Benz GLB will be an interesting car to see in the metal, plus there are facelifts for the Vauxhall Astra and Peugeot 408 being unveiled.

Brussels will also be our first chance to see the Leapmotor B03X and B05 hatchback models, the Xpeng P7+, new Toyota Hilux and the Firefly supermini. And there will also be GT models galore on the Kia stand – EV3, EV4 and EV5 will all be getting performance GT badges at the show. 

Any fun concept cars at the show?

We’re looking forward to seeing the new Citroen Elo concept on the show stand, though Ginny’s already had a poke through it the other week. The Dacia Hipster will be another must see, as well as the Hyundai Insteroid concept. 

And what else should we be getting all excited about?

Well, the king of Belgium (Philippe) normally pops round on press day to have a look at the stands (he probably gets a company car with the job) and there’s also the announcement of the European Car of the Year since that can’t be done in Geneva as was traditionally the case. 

Our own Vicky Parrott is on the ECotY jury and will be announcing this year's winner on Friday morning. She won't tell us what's won even if we swear not to tell anyone. 

Personally I'm most excited about seeing the Fiat Professional Tris, which is a little electric Piaggio Ape knockoff from Turin.

Keep coming back to Electrifying.com to see the latest news from Brussels – as well as all the other electric cars that are arriving in 2026. 

Brussels' most popular tourist attraction, the Atomium, stands just outside the exhibition doors