World Car Awards jurors announce 2026 finalists

The final countdown has begun ahead of the 2026 World Car Awards announcement at the New York motor show in April as the jurors have revealed their top three finalists across six categories in the prestigious awards.

The jury panel is made up of 98 automotive journalists from 33 countries across the world, and it includes Electrifying.com editor-in-chief Ginny Buckley. The automotive experts have been evaluating the most significant new cars through the year to select the 2026 finalists, with the voting for the 21st annual awards taking place via a secret ballot that's checked and verified by KPMG.

The decisions are based on testing at events around the world, as well as the annual World Car Awards test drive event in Pasadena, California where jurors gather to assess the contenders back to back. Ginny is enthusiastic about the 2026 batch of cars: “This year’s finalists reflect the rapid innovation and vision shaping the future of mobility, particularly in the electric vehicle and urban car segments where we are seeing incredible progress.”

Finalists for the overall World Car of the Year include the BMW iX3, Hyundai Palisade and Nissan Leaf. The World Electric Vehicle category will be another one to watch, with the three finalists including the BMW iX3, Mercedes-Benz CLA and Nissan Leaf. The Mercedes was announced as European Car of the Year at the Brussels motor show back in January.

The iX3 and Leaf appearing in both of those major categories underlines how central electric vehicles have become to the global car market. Volvo's ES90 also earns double recognition, shortlisted for both World Luxury Car and World Car Design of the Year.

The full list of 2026 finalists is as follows:

World Car of the Year

BMW iX3

Hyundai Palisade

Nissan Leaf

World Electric Vehicle

BMW iX3

Mercedes-Benz CLA

Nissan Leaf

World Luxury Car

Cadillac Vistiq

Lucid Gravity