BMW iX3 crowned World Car of the Year 2026 as EVs lead the way
The BMW iX3 has been named World Car of the Year 2026, with the announcement made at the New York International Auto Show on 1 April.
- Industry News
- 2 April 2026
The Top 23 Finalists for the South African Car of the Year contest held by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists, has been announced.
Besides the overall winner’s crown, the finalists can also win one of nine categories: Budget, Compact, Family Compact, Family, Premium, Performance, New Energy, Adventure SUV and Double Cab. The final category, Luxury, has no contenders.
The most competitive category will be our Compact Family with 6 Finalists: the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30, Peugeot 2008, Toyota Corolla Sedan and Volkswagen T-Roc.
Audi |
A4 |
Family |
BMW |
4-series |
Premium |
Hyundai |
Grand i10 |
Budget |
Hyundai |
Venue |
Compact |
Hyundai |
i30 N |
Performance |
Hyundai |
Creta |
Compact Family |
Kia |
Seltos |
Compact Family |
Land Rover |
Defender 110 |
Adventure SUV |
Mazda |
CX-30 |
Compact Family |
Mercedes-Benz |
E-Class |
Premium |
Mercedes-Benz |
GLA |
Family |
Opel |
Corsa |
Compact |
Peugeot |
2008 SUV |
Compact Family |
Porsche |
Taycan |
New Energy |
Porsche |
911 Turbo S |
Performance |
Suzuki |
Vitara Brezza |
Compact |
Suzuki |
S-Presso |
Budget |
Toyota |
Corolla Sedan XS and XR |
Compact Family |
Toyota |
Starlet |
Budget |
Toyota |
Hilux |
Double Cab |
Toyota |
Land Cruiser Prado |
Adventure SUV |
Volkswagen |
T-Roc |
Compact Family |
Volkswagen |
Caravelle |
Family |
The Budget category has the Hyundai Grand i10, Suzuki S-Presso and the Toyota Starlet going head-to-head, and the Compact category has the Hyundai Venue, Opel Corsa and Suzuki Vitara Brezza vying for top honours. The Family category includes the Volkswagen Caravelle.
Hyundai and Toyota each has an impressive 4 models that made the finalist list. Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Suzuki have 2 finalists each, and Audi, BMW, Kia, Land Rover, Opel, Peugeot have one finalist each.
The final round of scoring will commence shortly and continue until 11 June 2021, where far more detailed scoring will be done on the vehicles. This round of scoring also includes automated factors based on sales data. The winner will be announced on 26 June 2021.
The BMW iX3 has been named World Car of the Year 2026, with the announcement made at the New York International Auto Show on 1 April.
Retail new vehicle sales continue to surge in South Africa despite global and regional conflicts, local floods and droughts.
South Africa’s new vehicle market delivered a standout performance in March 2026, extending its domestic growth trajectory to the strongest level seen in nearly two decades.
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