THE ROAD TO WORLD CAR 2026 and the WORLD CAR FINALS POWERED BY BREMBO concluded today with the live announcement of the winners in six award categories at the New York International Auto Show.
The Hyundai IONIQ 6 N is the 2026 World Performance Car.
This is the second World Performance Car win for Hyundai, with the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N being the 2024 World Performance Car. Today’s win brings the total number of awards won by Hyundai to nine in World Car’s 22-year history.
“This recognition from the World Car Awards jury means a great deal to the thousands of people at Hyundai who designed, engineered, and built this vehicle. Customers appreciate great design, advanced technology, and real-world value that the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N offers. We are grateful to the jury for this honor. And we are grateful to the customers around the world who choose Hyundai every day and inspire everything we build. This award belongs to them and to the team that earned it,” said José Muñoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company.
A jury of 98 distinguished international automotive journalists from 33 countries selected the winning cars by secret ballot based on their evaluation of each eligible vehicle as part of their on-going professional work. Today’s vote results have been tabulated by KPMG.
The Hyundai IONIQ 6 N was chosen from an initial list of 20 contenders from all over the world. A shortlist of three finalists was announced on March 3rd, 2026. The 2026 Top Three in the World were: BMW M2 CS, Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, and Hyundai IONIQ 6 N.
Vehicles eligible for World Performance Car must be produced in volumes of at least 1,000 units/year, must be overtly performance-focused in overall character, and must be “on-sale” in at least two major markets (China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, USA) on at least two separate continents within the period January 1, 2025 and March 30, 2026.
For a complete list of previous winners in all categories, please visit our web site.
Mark Schienberg, president of NYIAS said, “The World Car Awards are a global benchmark for excellence by recognizing the vehicles and technologies that are truly moving the industry forward. We’re proud to host these honors at the New York Auto Show, where each spring the global automotive community gathers, bringing together leaders in industry and media to exchange ideas and shape what’s next.”
Daniele Schillaci, Chief Executive Officer of Brembo, said: “On behalf of Brembo, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the winners across all six categories of the World Car of the Year Awards. These recognitions honor vehicles that set new benchmarks in innovation, performance and design, representing the very best of today’s automotive excellence. At Brembo, we are proud to support an award that celebrates visionary achievements and inspires the entire industry to keep pushing boundaries.”
The Road to the World Car Awards is an annual journey that follows our international jurors as they test-drive, and vote on, the eligible vehicles for the awards’ season. The jurors’ road-test journey is captured virtually on World Car TV.
The World Car Awards program would not be possible without the support of our official 20th Anniversary Partners: AITASTIC Research & Consult, BREMBO, the NEW YORK International Auto Show, KPMG and Newspress. Thank you to our partners.
