Finalists Announced for the 2026 North American Car of the Year Awards

The Los Angeles Auto Show became the venue for unveiling the shortlist for the prestigious NACTOY awards—North America’s 2026 Car of the Year. Under the competition rules, three finalists were named in each of the three categories: passenger cars, pickups, and utility vehicles, the latter being made up mostly of crossovers. The nine finalists represent the brands Dodge, Honda, Nissan, Ford, Ram, Hyundai, and Lucid.

Competing for the top spot among passenger cars are the Dodge Charger, along with two recently introduced models—the Nissan Sentra sedan and the Honda Prelude coupe. Ram secured two of the three finalist positions in the pickup category with the heavy-duty 2500 and the powerful 1500 Hemi, which has regained its V8. The third contender is a special version of a familiar nameplate: the Ford Maverick Lobo made it through the initial selection round.

With the release of the finalists, it’s now clear that North America’s 2026 Utility Vehicle of the Year will be electrified. The top three vote-getters are the electric Lucid Gravity and Nissan Leaf, as well as the large Hyundai Palisade, which is offered with a hybrid powertrain.

The NACTOY jury is composed of automotive journalists from the United States and Canada. Their final decision will be announced on January 14 during the Detroit Auto Show. Five days earlier, Europe will reveal its own Car of the Year winner, where—traditionally—only a single model is selected.