The 2026 'World Car Finals Powered by Brembo' - otherwise known as the World Car Awards - kicked off this month with the release of the shortlist of contenders for 2026 World Car of the Year (WCOTY), the six individual vehicle categories and the Person of the Year prize. A global jury of 98 motoring journalists from 33 countries (including yours truly representing Ireland) conducted evaluation of the cars and voted in a detailed ballot resulting in the below.
Ten finalists eligible for overall WCOTY 2026
From an initial list of 58 cars, the World Car Awards jury has selected ten finalists:
Audi Q5 / SQ5
BMW iX3
BYD Seal 6 DM-i
Hyundai Ioniq 9
Hyundai Palisade
Kia EV4
Kia EV5
Mercedes-Benz CLA
Nissan Leaf
Toyota RAV4
2026 World Electric Vehicle
The top five finalists are:
Audi A6 e-tron / S6 e-tron
BMW iX3
Hyundai Ioniq 9
Mercedes-Benz CLA
Nissan Leaf
2026 World Luxury Car
The top five finalists are:
Audi A6 e-tron / S6 e-tron
Audi A6/S6
Cadillac Vistiq
Lucid Gravity
Volvo ES90
2026 World Performance Car
The top five finalists are:
BMW M2 CS
Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
Defender Octa
Hyundai Ioniq 6 N
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro
2026 World Urban Car
The top five finalists are:
Alfa Romeo Junior
Baojun Yep Plus / Chevrolet Spark EUV
Firefly
Hyundai Venue
Wuling Binguo / Ari Poly
2026 World Car Design of the Year
A separate panel of design experts was recruited to compile a shortlist from all the eligible cars for the jurors to subsequently vote on. The five finalists are:
Firefly
Kia PV5
Lynk & Co 08
Mazda 6e / EZ-6
Volvo ES90
The road to the World Car Awards
Next up, the 'Top Three in the World' finalists will be announced on March 3, while the winning cars in all categories will be revealed on April 1 at the New York auto show.