Dodge Charger, Ford Maverick Lobo, Hyundai Palisade Win 2026 NACTOY Awards
The winners of the 2026 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) awards were announced today as part of the Detroit Auto Show’s media day. Let’s just say there were no real surprises.
The finalists were judged by 50 professional automotive journalists from a wide variety of print, online, radio and television media outlets in the U.S. and Canada including The Car Guide’s Antoine Joubert and Marc Lachapelle.
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2026 North American Car of the Year
Completely absent last year, American automakers were saved this time by the Dodge Charger (195 points), which won the award thanks to the addition of a four-door variant for 2026 as well as the option of a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder gasoline engine to complement the battery-powered Charger Daytona.
The all-new Honda Prelude hybrid sports coupe (152 points) and the redesigned Nissan Sentra compact sedan (143 points) were the two other finalists.
2026 North American Truck of the Year
Ram was responsible for two of the three finalists including the Ram 1500 HEMI (114 points) and Ram Heavy Duty (99 points). However, the award went to the other contender, namely the Ford Maverick Lobo (277 points), a compact and sport-focused pickup with street cred.
For Ford, this is a sixth consecutive win following the F-150 in 2021, Maverick in 2022, F-150 Lightning in 2023, Super Duty in 2024 and Ranger in 2025.
2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year
The third and final category featured a pair of electric models—the luxurious, high-powered Lucid Gravity (85 points) and the small, affordably priced Nissan LEAF turned into a coupe-like crossover (135 points). In the end, the Hyundai Palisade (270 points) easily secured the award.
Completely redesigned for 2026, the three-row midsize SUV from South Korea offers more space, refinement and technology in addition to an available hybrid system that enhances both performance and efficiency.
