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NACTOY Names 25 ‘Best of Year’ Contenders for 2027 Slate makes the cut, Ford misses it, Kia is happiest.

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Photo: NACTOY

The North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) organization has revealed its list of the 25 best new vehicles for 2027. Selected by a jury of 46 automotive journalists from Canada, the United States and Mexico, the chosen contenders advance to the final voting rounds before the three big winners are crowned in January.

That’s for later, though. For now, we can pick apart the choices and highlight surprising omissions and inclusions.

Photo: Slate Auto

A Slate, but no Fords
For the first time since 2019, Ford is completely absent from the shortlist. After claiming the North American Truck of the Year award six years in a row with models like the F-150, Maverick and Ranger, the blue oval failed to secure a single spot across all three categories. Kia, on the other hand, can bust its britches at seeing four of its models named as contenders.

David and Goliaths
Beyond the lack of the Ford name in it, the truck category also stands out for the stark contrasts between some of the models in contentions. The ultra-basic Slate subcompact electric pickup is in direct competition with the supercharged, 777-hp Ram 1500 SRT TRX. Rounding out the four-vehicle truck class are the newly overhauled Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500.

Photo: Toyota
The new, all-electric 2027 Toyota Highlander

Gun-jumping
Here’s another notable quirk of the preliminary 2027 NACTOY. Eight of the 25 vehicles listed have not yet been driven in their final North American production trim by the jury, effectively making the list a showcase of potential rather than a proven assessment.

That’s not the case in the passenger car category, which includes the Audi A6, Hyundai Ioniq 6 N, Kia K4 hatchback, Lexus ES and Mercedes-Benz CLA 220 hybrid. All of those have been driven, at least during initial test drives.

The crowded 16-vehicle utility segment paints a different picture, however. Five SUV entries have yet to be tested in production form:

  • - Audi Q9
  • - Volkswagen Atlas
  • - Nissan Rogue Hybrid e-Power
  • - Toyota Highlander
  • - Jeep Grand Wagoneer REEV

There will be test drives of the revised 2027 Atlas and 2027 Q9 in the coming weeks by media including Auto123, so we’ll be able to cross those two of the list anyways. But for the others, production delays and market constraints mean some, particularly the electrified Highlander and Grand Wagoneer REEV, may not even reach North American roads before voting concludes at the end of the year.

There’s a valid argument to be made that models like these should not be included in consideration. To evaluate a vehicle, it helps to have driven it, it seems to us.

Photo: BMW
The BMW iX3

The road to Detroit
That said, NACTOY jurors do expect to evaluate most of the contenders during comparative driving events in late October. The field will then be narrowed down to three finalists per category; that announcement comes on November 19 in Los Angeles. The final winners in each category will be announced, as per tradition, at the Detroit Auto Show on January 14. In case you're wondering, eight of the 25 models in contention are all-electric.

Full list of nominated vehicles for the 2027 NACTOY Awards

2027 NACTOY Car of the Year category

2027 NACTOY Truck of the Year category

2027 NACTOY Utility Vehicle of the Year category