The seven-strong shortlist has been named for the 2026 Car of the Year.
The list includes the Citroën C5 Aircross, Dacia Bigster, Fiat Grande Panda, Kia EV4, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Renault 4 and Skoda Elroq.
A total of 59 jurors from 23 countries each selected seven cars from a long list of 35 cars. The seven cars with the most votes each made the shortlist.
The winner will be announced at the Brussels motor show on 9 January after final testing from jurors and an additional round of voting.
Notable models overlooked from the shortlist include the Nissan Leaf, Toyota C-HR+, Hyundai Ioniq 9, Jeep Compass and BYD Dolphin Surf.
The current holder of the Car of the Year title is the Renault 5 and related Alpine A290. Renault will be looking to claim the title for a third straight year with the 4, after the Renault Scenic won the Car of the Year title in 2024.
Dacia and Skoda are the only brands on the shortlist to have never won Car of the Year. The Dacia Duster was shortlisted last year and came fourth overall. The most recent Skoda on the shortlist was the Skoda Enyaq iV in 2022.
Kia won the 2022 edition with the Kia EV6 and has since made the shortlist with the Kia EV9 and Kia EV3 models.
Mercedes-Benz last won the title in 1974 with the 450SE. The new CLA is the first Mercedes to make the shortlist since the Mercedes A-Class in 2019.
Fiat is a serial winner of Car of the Year, having scooped the prize with the 124 in 1967, the 128 in 1970, the 127 in 1972, the Uno in 1984, the Tipo in 1989, the Punto in 1995, the Bravo/Brava in 1996, the Panda in 2004 and most recently the 500 in 2008.
Citroën has frequently made the shortlist but has won the overall prize on only three occasions: the GS in 1971, the CX in 1975 and the XM in 1990.
By
