Dacia Bigster, Skoda Elroq, Hyundai Ioniq 9, Cadillac Vistiq and Lucid Air Sapphire are the winners

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany, Oct. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A jury of 40 automotive journalists and experts has chosen five class winners in the German Car of The Year 2026 award program from a list of new cars launched in Europe within the past twelve months.

The Dacia Bigster captured the program's new "Budget" segment (entry price of up to 25,000 euros) established to highlight the importance of affordable mobility. The "Compact" segment (up to 40,000 euros) was taken by the Skoda Elroq; the "Premium" segment (up to 70,000 euros) winner was the Hyundai Ioniq 9, and the Cadillac Vistiq took the "Luxury" category (over 70,000 euros). The "Performance" class winner was the Lucid Air Sapphire.

Jurors will select an overall German Car of The Year 2026 winner from the five class leaders during extensive two days of testing. The winner will be announced on Friday, Nov. 17.

The program's independent jury consists of 40 German and international automotive journalists and industry experts. Program sponsors include Aitastic, AutoCom Associates, Bridgestone, Gentex, KST Motorenversuch and ZF Friedrichshafen.

An overview of the jury is available at gcoty-awards.com.

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SOURCE German Car of the Year