Autobest has announced six finalists for its annual Best Buy Car of Europe 2026 award. They are the BYD Dolphin Surf, Citroen C3 Aircross, Fiat Grande Panda, Ford Puma Gen-E, MG S5 EV and the Renault 4.
The 32-member jury, including Complete Car's Dave Humphreys, representing Ireland, will put the finalists through their paces at the Final Test event in Teesdorf, Austria, later this week.
A new public voting element for Autobest
This year, Autobest is switching up how it determines the overall winner by opening up a portion of the voting to the public. Starting in January, the public will be able to cast their vote online for their preferred finalist, and this will remain open until March 2026. Public voting will represent 50 per cent of the final score, with the overall winner being announced during a live grand finale called the Autobest Conquest Show.
During the Conquest Show, Autobest will also announce four major prizes:
Best Users' Car of Europe
Best Car Design of Europe
Best Affordable Car Technology Package of Europe
Best Buy Car of Europe
In the coming weeks, the Autobest jury will announce the winners of the following categories: Ecobest, Companybest, Manbest (for management), Designbest, Safetybest, Smartbest, Sportbest and Technobest.
What is Autobest?
Autobest is a jury made up of Europe's leading automotive journalists and has been in existence for 25 years. Each country in Europe is represented by a single jury member, so each country has the same voting power regardless of population size. It covers the enlarged European continent, but Russia remains suspended.
Autobest specifically targets affordable cars to keep the interests of most consumers in mind, and all finalists must fall under a price limit, excluding local taxes. Judging criteria extend beyond simply how a car looks or drives; other aspects besides pricing include the service network, spare parts availability, running costs, versatility, safety and technology.
You can read our detailed reviews of all six Autobest finalists here:
BYD Dolphin Surf
Citroen C3 Aircross
Fiat Grande Panda
Ford Puma Gen-E
MG S5 EV
Renault 4