BEHIND THE SCENES OF OUR BIGGEST AWARDS

We made no changes this year to the six criteria we use in determining our Of The Year awards; as a refresher, they are advancement in design, efficiency, engineering excellence, performance of intended function, safety, and value. With that out of the way, we deployed to the Honda Proving Center (HPC) in Cantil, California, to begin our Car of the Year proceedings.

- WORDS SCOTT EVANS, AARON GOLD, AND BILLY REHBOCK PHOTOGRAPHY RENZ DIMAANDAL, WILLIAM WALKER

We used a high-speed oval with a lane that simulates Los Angeles' 110 freeway, a curvy and undulating winding road, a special surfaces area with obstacles for testing suspension, and a vehicle dynamics area (VDA) with our figure-eight cone course. Everything went smoothly until word circulated that the BMW M5 Touring was vibrating; one of its wheels was bent, and no replacements were available. Unfortunately, the Isle of Man Green wagon was forced to retire on the spot.

As the day went on, the temperature climbed to 112 degrees. Honda made matters even toastier by insisting we wear fire suits, helmets, and gloves to drive at the limit on the VDA. And while that dry heat defined day one, humidity prevailed on the second. The temperature rose as we got situated for the day, but this time our evaluations were punctuated by monsoon rains and crackling lightning in the distance. The highly unusual weather made for poor visibility on the high-speed oval and trickier handling around the figure eight.

The hours we next spent driving on public roads revealed new characteristics about the seven vehicles we brought forward to the ultimate round. We tested active safety systems with real traffic, experienced handling on a curvy road, and analyzed refinement over terrible surfaces. When the time came to choose a winner, this incredibly competitive field reminded our judges that any enthusiast worth their 10-millimeter wrench would be out of their mind to turn down spending time driving such a satisfying collection of vehicles. Yes, SUVs command most of the automotive spotlight these days, but our first 2026 Of The Year competition proved the car era is far from over.

Speaking of the former, though, our SUV of the Year program gathered a total of 46 examples from 34 nameplates (the difference is down to trim level and/or powertrain variants) representing 23 brands from 13 parent companies located in six countries on three continents.