2026 World Car of the Year winners: BMW iX3 takes top honour
The BMW iX3 leads the 2026 World Car of the Year winners taking both the top prize and World Electric Vehicle title with Hyundai and Mazda also claiming major awards.
Rob Leigh
The 2026 World Car of the Year winners have been announced at the New York International Auto Show with the BMW iX3 taking top honours and leading a strong showing from Korean and Japanese brands.
A jury of 98 automotive journalists from 33 countries voted by secret ballot, with results independently tabulated by KPMG. Here’s who won what.
| Award | Winner |
| World Car of the Year | BMW iX3 |
| World Electric Vehicle | BMW iX3 |
| World Performance Car | Hyundai IONIQ 6 N |
| World Car Design of the Year | Mazda 6e |
| World Luxury Car | Lucid Gravity |
| World Urban Car | Nio Firefly |
| World Car Person of the Year | Oliver Zipse (BMW) |
2026 World Car of the Year: BMW iX3
BMW's new iX3 is the big winner of the night, taking out the overall prize ahead of finalists the Hyundai Palisade and Nissan Leaf.
It's the German brand's second World Car of the Year title overall following the 3 Series win back in 2006 and ends a dominant run for Korean brands that saw Kia win in 2024 and 2025 with the EV9 and EV3.
The iX3 is the first production model built on BMW's Neue Klasse electric platform. It produces 345kW and 645Nm from a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup, with a 108kWh battery delivering up to 805km of WLTP range and 400kW DC fast charging. Judges praised its range, charging performance, driver assistance systems and the new Panoramic iDrive interface.
The sole launch variant, the iX3 50 xDrive, is priced from $109,900 before on-roads and arrives in Australian showrooms mid-2026.
Compare real prices and find a BMW iX3 deal.
Runners-up: Hyundai Palisade & Nissan Leaf
2026 World Electric Vehicle: BMW iX3
A double for BMW. The iX3 also took home the World Electric Vehicle award - its first in this category - beating the new Mercedes-Benz CLA and Nissan Leaf. It brings BMW's total World Car award tally to 11.
It lands in the same segment as many of Australia’s most popular electric SUVs - see how the category stacks up in our best electric SUVs in Australia guide.
Runners-up: Mercedes-Benz CLA & Nissan Leaf
2026 World Performance Car: Hyundai IONIQ 6 N
Hyundai's IONIQ 6 N claimed the performance crown edging out the BMW M2 CS and Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray. It's the second consecutive World Performance Car win for a Hyundai N EV, following the IONIQ 5 N's win in 2024 and brings Hyundai's total World Car award tally to nine.
The electric performance sedan is due in Australia in May making this one of the most immediately relevant wins for local buyers.
Compare real prices and find a Hyundai IONIQ 6 deal.
Runners-up: BMW M2 CS & Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray
2026 World Car Design of the Year: Mazda 6e
The Mazda 6e beat the Kia PV5 and Volvo ES90 to take the design crown.
Where most EV makers have opted for radical visual reinvention to signal their electric credentials, Mazda went the other way. The 6e features a low, coupe-like silhouette, clean sculpted surfaces and long bonnet proportions - the kind of shape that feels more like a traditional sports sedan than a typical EV.
Mazda calls the approach "Authentic Modern" - combining vibrant, life-inspired forms with a sense of advanced modernity, while maintaining a beautifully proportioned coupe silhouette. The surfacing and detailing is done by hand, which is rare at this price point and in this segment. It's a deliberate act of restraint in a market full of anonymous electric crossovers, and apparently 98 judges from 33 countries noticed.
It's also the brand's third World Car Design win overall following the MX-5 in 2016 and the Mazda 3 in 2020 - a consistency of design vision that very few manufacturers can claim.
The Mazda 6e is available for pre-order in Australia now with deliveries expected mid-2026. Pricing starts from $49,990.
Compare real prices and find a Mazda 6e deal.
Runners-up: Kia PV5 & Volvo ES90
2026 World Luxury Car: Lucid Gravity
The American-made Lucid Gravity SUV took the luxury title ahead of the Cadillac Vistiq and Volvo ES90. No Australian release has been confirmed.
Not yet confirmed for Australia.
Runners-up: Cadillac Vistiq & Volvo ES90
2026 World Urban Car: Nio Firefly
Chinese brand Nio claimed its first ever World Car award with the compact Firefly hatch, beating the Hyundai Venue and Chevrolet Spark. It's a historic result - the first WCOTY win for any Chinese automaker. The Firefly is expected to arrive in Australia at some point, though no date has been set.
Expected in Australia - no date confirmed.
Runners-up: Hyundai Venue & Chevrolet Spark
2026 World Car Person of the Year: Oliver Zipse
BMW chairman Oliver Zipse was named World Car Person of the Year, recognised for leading the brand through its most significant platform transformation in decades. The Neue Klasse rollout he championed will touch more than 40 BMW models in the next 12 months alone.
Five of the past six World Car of the Year winners were Korean. BMW just ended that streak with an electric SUV that didn't exist two years ago. The new era has a name: Neue Klasse.
