What's the 2026 Car of the Year? Find out now

The Mercedes-Benz CLA is Car of the Year 2026. It's the world's number one such award, awarded by independent expert journalists across Europe since 1964.

Any all-new car is eligible, wherever made in the world. It just needs to be sold in Europe, and to have been launched in Europe in the past year. The jury picks a shortlist of seven cars. This year they were, in alphabetical order:

• Citroen C5 Aircross and e-C5 Aircross
• Dacia Bigster
• Fiat Grande Panda
• Kia EV4
• Mercedes-Benz CLA
• Renault 4
• Skoda Elroq

Every juror has 25 points to award, and I too gave most of mine to the Mercedes. Unlike all the other candidates, it shares no important parts with any other. The electric version uses new battery, electronics, and motor, plus low aero drag, to extract remarkable efficiency and range. It's also a grand car to drive, well made, and competitively priced too.

If you don't want the CLA as an EV, there's a petrol one too. The Grande Panda and C5 Aircross give that same flexibility. I like the Citroen: comfy, distinctive looking and good EV range for a low price – not much more than the value-brand Bigster. The Kia's a good car also.

I gave zero points to just one car, the Skoda. Nothing wrong with it, but too similar to many related cars from the VW Group to be 'of the year' as far as I'm concerned.

Many other jurors disagreed with my view of the Skoda as it got the second-highest overall score, but that's the point of an award where lots of jurors vote for a single trophy, uncomplicated by category winners.

Final voting from the 59 jurors, from 23 countries, was: Mercedes CLA 320 points, Elroq 220 points, EV4 208, C5 Aircross 207, Grande Panda 200, Dacia Bigster 170, R4 150 points.

The Mercedes was the clear winner then, but the rest were a tighter field than most years. Despite my reservations on the lack of 'newness' in the Elroq, there is a general feeling among jurors that the R4 suffered because Renault was second with the Mégane three years ago, then won with the Scenic two years ago and R5 last year.