EV wins ‘Car of the Year 2026’ award and it’s not | Tech News
The 2026 car of the 12 months has been introduced (Image: Getty)
An electric car has secured the official title of Car of the Year, bringing home the first victory for its producer in the contest for over 50 years.
This 12 months, the Mercedes-Benz CLA saloon took home the honours in the 63rd working of the competitors that goals to formally determine the best automobiles on sale.
In a aggressive area up towards the likes of the Fiat Grande Panda, Kia EV4, Renault 4, Skoda Elroq, Citroen C5, and Dacia Bigster, the Mercedes got here out on prime with 320 factors.
This marks the first time Mercedes has been given the title for 52 years, after it initially gained with the 450 SE/SEL in 1974.
In a assertion marking the car’s victory, the official Car of the Year judges mentioned: “The Car Of The Year award celebrates its 63rd edition this year and has done so by returning a premium brand to the top.
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The Mercedes-Benz CLA won (Image: Getty)
“This year’s edition was more competitive than ever, given that all the finalist models had electrified features, and most of them were 100% electric.”
Second behind the Mercedes was the Skoda Elroq on 220 factors, and coming in third was the Kia EV4 with 208 factors. The Mercedes takes over the title from the Renault 5 EV that gained final 12 months.
After the victory, Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG remarked: “The new CLA was named Car of the Year 2026 — a proud moment for Mercedes Benz.
“Jurors from across Europe have confirmed what our customers have been telling us: the CLA is a game-changer, delivering outstanding efficiency and effortless intelligence.”
As nicely as coming in an all electric kind, the CLA will also be bought as a hybrid or as an property car, or taking pictures brake, as it’s generally referred to.
It is one of many automobiles that may be bought as both a hybrid or an all electric vehicle, as producers proceed to deal with the transition away from fossil fuels and the difficulties therein.
Recent knowledge has urged that regardless of the authorities’s best intentions, there was a temporary slowdown in electric car uptake with latest figures from the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) displaying a drop in share in contrast with final 12 months.
In a assertion, they mentioned: “Uptake of battery electric vehicles rose just 0.1% to 29,654 units – delivering a 20.6% market share, the lowest since April 2025.
“The decrease follows a strong 2025 January performance when uptake was pulled forward as buyers sought to avoid April’s introduction of new tax rates on BEVs….The largest growth was again recorded in plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), rising 47.3% to account for 12.9% of registrations.”
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