2026 World Car Awards: The Finalists Revealed

Since testing began for the 2026 World Car of the Year (World Car Awards) in September, we have closely followed the more than 40 contenders hoping to claim the trophy. The countdown is now entering its final stretch: there is less than a month to go before the successor to the Kia EV3, the outright winner of the previous edition, is revealed.

The winners of the 2026 World Car Awards will be announced on 1 April at the New York International Auto Show in the United States.

Ahead of the main event, the three finalists in each of the six competing categories have now been revealed. They were selected by 98 journalists from 33 countries, including Portugal, represented by Guilherme Costa, co-founder and director of Razão Automóvel.

2026 World Car of the Year (World Car of the Year)

As the name of the award indicates, the most coveted title is 2026 World Car of the Year (World Car of the Year). The original field of 48 cars has now been narrowed to three finalists, with the winner set to follow the Kia EV3:

• BMW iX3;
• Hyundai Palisade;
• Nissan Leaf.

2026 World Electric Vehicle of the Year

As its title suggests, this award recognises the year’s best fully electric car. The 2025 title went to the Hyundai Inster. No model from the South Korean brand appears among this year’s finalists, although there are other equally, or even more, significant contenders:

• BMW iX3;
• Mercedes-Benz CLA;
• Nissan Leaf.

2026 World Luxury Car of the Year

Last year, the Volvo EX90 took this award “home”. Yet one appearance was not enough: the Swedish manufacturer is once again among the finalists for 2026 World Luxury Car of the Year, this time with the fully electric ES90 saloon.

• Cadillac Vistiq;
• Lucid Gravity;
• Volvo ES90.

2026 World Performance Car of the Year

While Porsche dominated last year’s list of finalists for this prize - with the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS ultimately taking the win - it is nowhere to be seen this year. The finalists seeking to succeed the Stuttgart sports car are:

• BMW M2 CS;
• Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray;
• Hyundai IONIQ 6 N.

2026 World Urban Car of the Year

As in the previous year, every contender for the 2026 World Urban Car of the Year award is electric. Of the models aiming to succeed the 2025-winning Hyundai Inster, two are not sold in the European market: the first and the third on the list.

• Baojun Yep Plus / Chevrolet Spark EUV;
• Firefly;
• Hyundai Venue.

2026 World Car Design of the Year

Unlike the other categories, the contenders for World Car Design of the Year are neither shortlisted nor voted for by the jury, but by a panel of seven designers with decades of industry experience. The 2025 winner was the Volkswagen ID.Buzz.

Just as in the 2025 edition, the three 2026 finalists each take a different approach:

• KIA PV5;
• Mazda 6e / EZ-6;
• Volvo ES90.

However, the World Car Awards recognise not only cars, but also leading figures in the automotive industry. For the 2026 World Car Person of the Year award, the jury selected Oliver Zipse, BMW’s chief executive, who succeeds Stella Li, BYD’s executive vice-president and the first woman to receive the accolade.