The finalists of the World Car of the Year have been announced for 2026.
Judges have selected the top 10 finalists as part of the World Car Finals, whittling down the list from a total of 58 eligible models.
The jury is made up of 98 automotive journalists from 33 countries – including CarExpert co-founder and presenter, Paul Maric – with vehicles selected by secret ballot.
Models have been chosen from Audi, BMW, BYD, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Toyota.
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2026 WCOTY Finalists |
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Audi Q5/SQ5 |
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BMW iX3 |
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BYD Seal 6 DM-i |
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Hyundai Ioniq 9 |
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Hyundai Palisade |
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Kia EV4 |
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Kia EV5 |
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Mercedes-Benz CLA |
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Nissan Leaf |
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Toyota RAV4 |
“It’s an exciting set of cars this year with a healthy mix of technologies at play,” said Paul Maric at the announcement.
“Certainly, from an Australian market point of view, there’s a huge increase in contenders from China that are now presenting a genuine challenge to established legacy brands.
“We’ve also seen an increase in the volume of fully electric models on offer, and while sales of [electric cars] are starting to taper in Australia, the global mix of available models continues to grow,” he said.
Finalists have also been published for the World Electric Vehicle, World Luxury Car, World Performance Car, and World Urban Car categories.
Models from all five categories are all eligible for the 2026 World Car Design of the Year award, which is judged by a panel of seven experts from the US, Japan, and Europe.
All winners of WCOTY will be announced on April 1 at the 2026 New York International Auto Show, which will mark the 21st anniversary of the award partnering with the event.
