Female car experts have chosen the best cars of 2026

The jury of the Women's Worldwide Car of the Year (WWCOTY) competition, which consists of 84 female automotive journalists from 54 countries, announced the list of the best cars of 2026. These models will compete for the main prize, the winner of which will be announced in early March.

The list includes cars in six categories that experts say outperform competitors in their segments in terms of safety, driving performance, technology, comfort, performance, and value for money.

In the compact car segment, women recognized the Nissan Leaf as the best, and among compact crossovers, the Skoda Elroq. The Mercedes-Benz CLA was named the significant novelty of the year, the Hyundai Ioniq 9 won the title of the best large crossover, and the Toyota 4Runner was announced as the car of the year among SUVs. Among the supercars and other exclusive models, the Lamborghini Temerario became the winner. It is noteworthy that only electrified models were included in the list.

"In our voting, we focused on cars that stand out not only for their characteristics or technology, but also for how effectively they meet people's real daily needs. Electrification, digitalization and sustainable development are no longer trends, but essential requirements," said Marta Garcia, Executive President of WWCOTY.

The longlist of the competition included 55 models. This year, the WWCOTY contest is being held for the 15th time.

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