New BMW iX3 Wins 2026 World Car Of The Year Award

The second-generation BMW iX3 is off to a strong start in more ways than one. Not only has it secured 50,000 orders in a matter of months, but it has also convinced journalists it’s the best vehicle to come out this year. At the New York Auto Show today, the electric SUV was crowned 2026 World Car of the Year, beating the Hyundai Palisade and Nissan Leaf.

The international jury of 98 motoring journalists from 33 countries has also added another feather to the iX3’s cap. BMW’s inaugural Neue Klasse model in the modern era has also been named the 2026 World Electric Vehicle. The “NA5” finished ahead of the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Nissan Leaf to take the title.

BMW had a third model competing for an award. However, the M2 CS didn’t claim the World Performance Car accolade. Instead, the jurors awarded the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, which also beat the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

Nevertheless, it’s a good day for BMW. The iX3 is the second car with the roundel to win the World Car of the Year award. The last time it happened was 20 years ago, when the BMW 3 Series E90 claimed the 2006 WCOTY title.

Although this is BMW’s first World Electric Vehicle Award, it has previously earned two World Green Car titles. It first happened in 2008 with the diesel-powered BMW 1 Series 118d. The success was repeated in 2014 with the innovative i3 electric city car.

Before today’s double win, BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse was named World Car Person of the Year after receiving more votes than David Craig (Staff Product Manager at General Motors) and Tisha Johnson (Head of Design at Slate).

Even before this year’s awards, the BMW Group had already collected nine titles at the World Car Awards since the event launched 22 years ago.