Article Summary
- Readers selected 27 finalists from 79 new models before a jury determined the winners at Germany's Lausitzring circuit.
- The two BMWs emerged victorious from a field of 79 new models competing across nine categories.
- BMW scored back-to-back victories in the Mid-Size Cars category after the iX3 won in 2025.
BMW is celebrating a double victory at the 2026 Golden Steering Wheel awards, with two wildly different models taking home trophies. The new i3 electric sedan won the Mid-Size Cars category, while the M2 CS took the top prize among sports cars. The awards also represent another win for the Neue Klasse, following the iX3’s success at last year’s ceremony. BMW clearly hopes its next-generation electric cars will make as strong an impression as the first model built on the new platform.
This year’s Golden Steering Wheel awards mark the 50th anniversary of the competition, jointly organized by German publications Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag. The 2026 edition featured 79 new models across nine categories.
Readers initially selected 27 finalists between July 2 and August 2. The shortlisted vehicles then underwent extensive testing at the Lausitzring race track in Germany, where a jury of racing drivers, celebrity car enthusiasts, and automotive editors selected the winners.
Mind you, the i3 didn’t just scrape through to victory. According to BMW, the jury awarded it first place in 12 individual testing criteria, giving it a clear advantage over the other finalists. Besides its acceleration and agility, the electric sedan impressed with its steering, braking feel, visibility, build quality, infotainment, screen/software, start-up behavior, and energy consumption. It also scored highly for value for money.
What About The Other Winners?
Of course, the BMW i3 and M2 CS weren’t the only winners at this year’s Golden Steering Wheel awards. This year’s edition recognized 17 winners across 15 categories, with the Opel Corsa GSE taking the Small Car trophy and the Skoda Epiq winning in the small SUV category. Kia had a particularly successful evening, collecting three awards with the K4 Sportswagon in the Compact Class, the EV5 among compact SUVs, and the EV2 as the best car priced under €30,000. Other category winners included the Genesis GV60 Magma in the Upper Mid-Size Class, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the Luxury Class, and the Skoda Peaq in the Family Car category.
There were also awards outside the traditional new-car categories. The VW ID. Polo won the editorial prize for the best car under €25,000, while the Mazda CX-5 took the corresponding award for vehicles costing less than €35,000. The Audi A4 Avant B9 was named Best Used Car, and Ferrari received the Innovation Award for its Luce. To mark the anniversary, readers also selected three historic winners: the Mercedes-Benz SL R129, Porsche Carrera GT, and Audi 100 C3. Finally, Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, received the Motorsport Award.
Previous BMW Wins
BMW has enjoyed a consistent run of success at the Golden Steering Wheel awards in recent years. In 2025, the M5 Touring triumphed in the Upper/Luxury Class. The previous year was equally successful, with the 540d xDrive Touring taking the Executive Car category and the 3 Series being named Best Used Car. BMW also picked up eight Auto Trophy awards in 2024, including the overall Best Brand title.
In fact, BMW has secured at least one Golden Steering Wheel every year since 2019, making the latest double victory for the i3 and M2 CS another addition to an already impressive trophy collection.
