The winners of the 2026 NACTOY (North American Car of the Year) Awards were announced today at the Detroit Auto Show. Each of the three categories (Car, Truck, Utility Vehicle) already had three finalists vying for the title, announced in Los Angeles last November; each one now has a winner. Dodge, Ford and Hyundai, take a bow.
The annual awards are handed out from among eligible vehicles, defined as all-new or substantially redesigned vehicles available on the market, by a 50-strong jury of American, Canadian and Mexican auto journalists. This marks the 32nd year NACTOY's North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards have been handed out to happy winners.
2026 North American Car of the Year
The Dodge Charger beat out rival finalists the Honda Prelude and the Nissan Sentra at the finish line. This could be seen as a bit of surprise, given the mixed reaction the overhauled muscle car received from critics and from buyers, we should add. Still, just because it’s a niche car doesn’t mean it doesn’t get to be ‘the best’.
2025 winner: Honda Civic
2026 North American Truck of the Year
Ram had two finalists in this segment (the 1500 HEMI and the 2500) for Ford’s one, the Maverick Lobo. In a bit of a David vs Goliath matchup, it was David taking it in the end. Here’s to fun compact pickups priced accessibly.
2025 winner: Ford Ranger
2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year Winner
In this case, it was two EVs duking it out with a more traditional midsize SUV. The winner? A model quite used to winning awards by this point, Hyundai’s Palisade SUV. The “losers”? The new Nissan LEAF, formerly a hatchback car and now a small SUV, and the Lucid Gravity SUV. Hard to call those EV losers though, since they beat out dozens of well-regarded SUVs to even get this far.
2025 winner: Volkswagen ID.Buzz