Every category winner at the 2026 World Car Awards is fully electric — a first in the programme’s 21-year history — as EVs completed their takeover of the auto industry’s most prominent global jury.
The BMW iX3 won both World Car of the Year and World Electric Vehicle at the ceremony in New York on Wednesday, marking a double victory for the first production model from BMW‘s Neue Klasse platform.
The Lucid Gravity took the World Luxury Car title and Nio‘s sub-brand Firefly won World Urban Car, while the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N claimed World Performance Car and the Mazda 6e won World Car Design.
All six vehicle winners run on battery-electric powertrains.
The last combustion-engined car to win the overall World Car of the Year award was the Kia Telluride in 2020.
BMW’s Return
The iX3 beat the Hyundai Palisade and Nissan Leaf for the overall title and the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Nissan Leaf for the electric vehicle award.
It is the first BMW to win World Car of the Year since the 3-Series in 2006 — a 20-year gap — and ends Hyundai Motor Group‘s streak of four consecutive overall victories (Ioniq 5 in 2022, Ioniq 6 in 2023, EV9 in 2024, EV3 in 2025).
BMW has now drawn level with Audi as the winningest manufacturer in the awards’ history, with 11 total wins across all categories.
The iX3 has secured more than 50,000 orders since its launch as the first vehicle built on BMW‘s new Neue Klasse architecture — the platform that underpins the German automaker’s electric transition.
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse was separately named World Car Person of the Year for steering the company through what the jury called “the most turbulent of times.”
Lucid Gravity
The Gravity was named World Luxury Car of the Year, beating the Cadillac Vistiq and Volvo ES90.
It is Lucid‘s second win in the category since the Air sedan took the same award in 2023.
The recognition comes as the Saudi-backed EV maker is recalling nearly all Gravity SUVs produced to date — approximately 5,000 units — for a physical repair.
Lucid is set to report first-quarter production and delivery figures later this week.
At its Investor Day on March 12, interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said Gravity was “off to a good start,” citing 80% of buyers being new to the brand.
Nio’s Firefly Brand
Nio‘s cheapest sub-brand Firefly was named World Urban Car of the Year, beating the Baojun Yep Plus (marketed as the Chevrolet Spark EUV in South America) and the Hyundai Venue.
The compact electric hatchback began deliveries in China in April 2025 and in Europe last August.
At the time of the initial nomination, it was one of two finalists not sold outside China — though it has since expanded to Norway, the Netherlands, and several other European markets.
Hours before the ceremony, Nio reported that it delivered 35,486 vehicles across its three brands in March — a 136% jump year over year — with Firefly posting its second-strongest sales month since launch.
Firefly won the World Urban Car title one year after another Chinese brand — BYD — took the same award with the Seagull (marketed as Dolphin Surf outside China) in 2025.
Other Winners
The Hyundai Ioniq 6 N won the World Performance Car award, following the Ioniq 5 N’s win in the same category in 2025.
It beat the BMW M2 CS and Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray. Hyundai has now won the performance title in consecutive years.
The Mazda 6e took the World Car Design award — Mazda’s third design win — beating the Kia PV5 and Volvo ES90.
The design category drew from an initial field of 90 eligible vehicles, with a panel of seven specialist design experts establishing the shortlist.
How the Awards Work
The 2026 ceremony marks the 21st year of partnership between the World Car Awards and the New York International Auto Show.
The jury comprises 98 automotive journalists from 33 countries who evaluate vehicles through their ongoing professional work.
The process began last November at an annual test drive event in Los Angeles, where 35 jurors from 15 countries assessed contenders back to back.
A first round of voting was completed in December, with top 10 and top 5 finalists announced in January. The top three in each category were revealed in early March.
The overall World Car of the Year field began with 58 eligible vehicles.
To qualify, a vehicle must be produced in volumes of at least 10,000 units per year, priced below luxury-car level in its primary market, and on sale in at least two major markets across two continents between January 1, 2025, and March 30, 2026.
