- The Dodge Charger, Ford Maverick Lobo, and Hyundai Palisade split the 2026 North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards.
Dodge, Ford, and Hyundai have each taken home one of three North American Car of the Year Awards.
The automotive industry has an unreasonable number of awards, but some are more significant than others. North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year are worth paying attention to because they are given by a jury of 50 journalists gathered from many of the most prominent publications.
Our own Jason Fogelson and Allyson Harwood serve on that panel.
This year, the jury split the awards three ways. In a departure from recent practice, none of the winners are electric, though the Palisade has a hybrid option.
The Winners
2026 North American Car of the Year: Dodge Charger
Dodge took a dramatic detour with its only passenger car in recent years, introducing a new Charger first as the electric Charger Daytona. This year, the company unveiled a gasoline-powered version available with two or four doors.
The Charger is powered by a 420-horsepower turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine, or a 550-horsepower high-output version of the same powerplant.
Juror Greg Migliore says the company “did a nice job capturing the magic of the 1960s into a modern car that is both practical and a lot of fun to drive.”
2026 North American Truck of the Year: Ford Maverick Lobo
Ford gave new life to a neglected corner of the truck market with its new Maverick Lobo. It’s the first factory street truck in years.
Street trucks are speedy trucks, often lowered, built for life on pavement. Ford took its Maverick compact pickup, gave it a torque vectoring twin-clutch rear-drive unit, enhanced the power of the brakes, and used the radiator fan from the towing package to keep the engine cool if pushed to its performance limits.
The result, says Juror Tom Voelk, is “the little truck that could, filling a niche buyers didn’t know they wanted or needed.
2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year: Hyundai Palisade
Hyundai completely redesigned its Palisade 3-row midsize SUV for 2026, giving it a black tie look, a lot of features for a reasonable price, and a new hybrid option.
The Palisade has long been a strong value with the longest warranty in its class. The new version keeps those virtues but adds a dash of elegance.
Juror Joann Muller calls it “a great family car, with 3 rows of seating, a posh interior and lots of safety equipment.” She continues, “With a starting price under $40,000 and a new hybrid powertrain available, it’s the perfect blend of value, technology, and efficiency.”
