New York, NY — The BMW iX3 has been named 2026 World Car of the Year by the World Car Awards jury.
As per tradition, the global organization made its announcement for 2026 on opening of the New York Auto Show. Recall that last year, the award was presented to the Kia EV3 - currently making its North American debut at, yes, the New York Auto Show. Here’s the full list of winners in each category.
2026 World Car of the Year
Among the Hyundai Palisade, Nissan LEAF and BMW iX3, the jury selected the luxury German SUV as the World Car of the Year.
2026 World Electric Vehicle of the Year
The BMW iX3, logically enough, also took the World Electric Vehicle of the Year award for 2026. The German manufacturer will thus depart New York with two prestigious awards in hand. The Mercedes-Benz CLA and the Nissan LEAF were the other finalists in this category.
2026 World Urban Car of the Year
The World Urban Car of the Year award was presented to the Firefly, a small electric hatchback manufactured by Nio for the Chinese market. The Baojun Yep Plus / Chevrolet Spark EUV and the Hyundai Venue were also in contention. Note that this is the second-generation Hyundai Venue, which is not marketed in Canada.
2026 World Luxury Car of the Year
In the premium category, the trophy was awarded to the Lucid Gravity. The luxury electric SUV was in competition with the Cadillac Vistiq and the Volvo ES90.
2026 World Performance Car of the Year
The World Car Awards jury presented the World Performance Car of the Year award to the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N, which received a wave of applause during the announcement. The BMW M2 CS and the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray were also finalists.
2026 World Car Design of the Year
Finally, the World Car Design of the Year award was granted to the Mazda 6e / EZ-6. The KIA PV5 and the Volvo ES90 were finalists in this category.