RAC New Car Awards 2026: the shortlist

Choosing a new car has never been more difficult. With new brands you may never have heard of, along with choosing between petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric power, it can all be a bit daunting.

That's where RAC Drive comes in. Our experienced motoring journalists have assessed all of the most important new cars to produce our in-depth car reviews. And through rigorous testing of the most important and relevant new models on sale today, we've cherry-picked our favourites for the RAC New Car Awards 2026.

We've kept our awards simple: just nine categories covering the most popular market segments and body styles. Everything from small cars to luxury and sports cars is included, as are family-focused models, hybrids, large SUVs and electric cars.

A total of 27 vehicles have been shortlisted across these nine market categories. The RAC Car of the Year 2026 will be confirmed in September, along with the category winners.

You can find out how we test cars to come up with our review verdicts.

Best Small Car 2026:

Fiat Grande Panda:

Price: from £19,995 / Best version: La Prima Hybrid

We reckon the Fiat Grande Panda isn’t just a good car, it could well be our favourite small car on sale right now. It’s dripping with fun and character, with a great design, but it certainly isn’t all style and no substance.

We like the comfortable and easy driving experience, the intuitive technology, the keen pricing and the surprising practicality, too. Granted, a Renault 5 E-Tech or Clio is sharper in the bends (and both feel a bit posher inside) but in terms of comfort and the ability to zip about town, we reckon Fiat has nailed the balance.

Skoda Fabia

Price: from £21,070 / Best version: 1.0 TSI 95 SE Edition

The Skoda Fabia isn’t the newest or most visually exciting small car on the block, but its sheer breadth of ability means it could be all the car you need.

It’s easy and confidence-inspiring to drive, while the 1.0 TSI petrol engine is smooth, strong and economical. It’s also practical and spacious enough to serve as a small family car, while the interior is solid, well equipped and refreshingly easy to operate.

Toyota Aygo X Hybrid

Price: from £21,645 / Best version: Icon

The Toyota Aygo X was always an appealing small car hampered by poor performance, but the new hybrid version completely transforms it.

Blending punchy performance with silent about-town electric running, the Aygo X Hybrid is a city car that doesn’t disappoint on the open road. It’s also exceptionally fuel efficient, agile and comes with Toyota’s market-leading warranty. It’s not the cheapest city car, nor the roomiest, however.

Best Small SUV 2026:

Citroen C3 Aircross

Price: from £20,995 / Best version: Turbo 100 Collection

Citroen majors on comfort and value for money, and the Citroen C3 Aircross perfectly encompasses this. It’s priced like a small hatchback but offers seating for up to seven, or a huge boot and good passenger space in five-seat form.

Collection trim offers all the kit you need, too, while the ride is smoother than some more expensive alternatives and the base petrol engine is peppy enough. Don’t expect a luxurious interior or pin-sharp handling and you won’t be disappointed.

Dacia Duster

Price: from £21,845 / Best version: TCe 140 Expression

Like the C3 Aircross, the much-celebrated Dacia Duster is all about sheer bang for your buck. It’s unpretentious, hugely affordable and more capable than you’d expect both on or off-road.

Both petrol and full hybrid engine options offer good performance and should be cheap to run, while the simple interior is easy to use and there’s plenty of space for passengers and luggage. Spending more gets you more comfort and refinement, but as a value-focused family car the Duster is hard to beat.

Volkswagen T-Roc

Price: from £31,635 / Best version: eTSI 150 Life

The Volkswagen T-Roc has been a hugely popular model, and this latest version is more complete than ever. Granted, it’s a lot more expensive than the Citroen or Dacia, but you can feel it inside and on the road.

With a comfortable ride, composed handling, a solid and neatly designed interior and plenty of space, it’s an extremely complete small SUV that makes some premium brand alternatives look overpriced.

Best Small Electric Car 2026:

Kia EV2

Price: from £24,245 / Best version: Air Long Range

Kia’s smallest electric car, the EV2, is a remarkably well-equipped and grown up compact EV at a very reasonable price. It also feels as thoroughly engineered as we've come to expect from a modern Kia.

It might lack the retro charm of the Renault 4, but the boxy EV2 combines big car technology, comfort and refinement with small car ease-of-driving. The Long Range model also goes further on a charge than any similarly priced rival to put the icing on the cake.

MG 4 Urban EV

Price: from £23,495 / Best version: Comfort Long Range

If it’s sheer value for money you’re after in a small electric car, then the MG 4 Urban EV is well worth a look. It’s far roomier than similarly priced rivals and competes with many family cars for practicality.

The Urban EV doesn’t disappoint in other areas, either, with a good overall driving experience, decent efficiency and an interior that masks its budget price tag pretty well. It’s hardly desirable, but for cost-conscious motorists that won’t matter.  

Renault 4 E-Tech

Price: from £23,445 / Best version: Techno+

Head-turning style and charm often doesn’t come cheap, but the Renault 4 E-Tech is an affordable electric car with plenty of both. We’ve narrowly chosen it over the excellent (but cramped) Renault 5 E-Tech because it offers more space for very similar money.

Granted, it’s still less practical than the MG 4 Urban EV, but we love the 4’s feel-good interior design, intuitive technology and good all-round driving experience. It’s real proof that Renault is on a roll.

Best Family Car 2026:

Citroen C5 Aircross

Price: from £29,530 / Best version: Hybrid 145 Plus

The Citroen C5 Aircross takes the value and space attributes of the smaller C3 Aircross, but in a much more grown-up package. It’s significantly improved on the old version, too.

Blending a smart design with a comfortable ride, good refinement, new standards of cabin quality for Citroen and the option of efficient mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric power, the C5 Aircross is a very worthy contender.

Honda Civic

Price: from £34,325 / Best version: Elegance

The expertly engineered Honda Civic is proof that family car buyers don’t have to default to SUVs. If you want a hybrid hatchback that’s great to drive and blends strong performance with strong real-world efficiency, then look no further.

The Honda also excels by feeling built to last in a way that many rivals struggle to replicate, while there’s decent space inside and a useful boot. There are cheaper options that are roomier still, however.

Nissan Qashqai

Price: from £30,635 / Best version: e-Power N-Connecta

Just like the Toyota Aygo X Hybrid, the Nissan Qashqai is a good car transformed into a great one with the addition of hybrid power.

The Qashqai’s e-Power system leads the family SUV class for its blend of smoothness, performance and exceptional fuel efficiency, without breaking the bank. What’s more, you get an upmarket interior with loads of standard kit, plenty of space and versatility, and a comfortable and quiet driving experience. It’s one of Britain’s most popular cars for a reason.

Best Midsize Electric Car 2026:

Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake

Price: from £40,150 / Best version: 250+ Sport Executive

Mercedes-Benz finally created a world-beating EV with the new CLA Electric – and the stylish CLA Shooting Brake’s small extra dose of practicality only adds to an impressive package.

It’s one of the longest range electric cars on the market at a relatively affordable price, boasting outstanding efficiency along with a very well-sorted driving experience. Factor in the impressive technology and best-in-class safety, and it’s easy to overlook that there are more spacious alternatives.

Renault Scenic E-Tech

Price: from £33,245 / Best version: Techno

The Renault 4 and 5 are dazzling buyers with their retro charm, but the Scenic E-Tech is the best all-round family car the French brand makes.

It’s difficult to criticise, with plenty of space, a premium interior, easy-to-use technology, a longer range on a charge than many SUV rivals and keen handling. It’s also very safe, good value for money and full of ingenious details. Some might want more performance, but for most people it’s got plenty.

Skoda Elroq

Price: from £33,970 / Best version: SE L 85

Skoda seems to produce some of the best cars of the entire Volkswagen Group, and the Elroq is one of our favourite all-rounders. It plays to the brand’s strengths superbly without breaking the bank.

It’s roomier and more flexible inside than alternatives that are bigger on the outside, packed full of Skoda’s ‘Simply Clever’ features and well-equipped, too. It strikes a great balance between confidence-inspiring handling and comfort, too, while offering plenty of performance and a good range on a charge.

Best Large Electric Car 2026:

BMW iX3

Price: from £53,250 / Best version: 50 xDrive

The BMW iX3 is one of the most important cars from the brand in recent years, setting the tone for the design and technology of all future BMWs. Good job, then, that it’s a deeply impressive effort.

Many will be drawn to the class-leading 500-mile range capability, but there’s more to the iX3 than that. It’s great to drive, fast, well-appointed and very roomy, and the new technology features avoid being gimmicky. Super-fast charging also makes this a genuine long-distance EV.

Mercedes Benz GLC

Price: from £55,495 / Best version: GLC 250 Sport

Hot on the heels of the iX3 is the all-new Mercedes-Benz GLC Electric, which is a similarly impressive effort after the lacklustre EQC it replaces. It’s the one to go for if luxury is top of your agenda.

With superb comfort levels and a polished, premium interior, the GLC also offers plenty of space, strong efficiency and superb performance. It can’t match the iX3 for outright range, but it’s similarly quick to charge and packed full of tech.

Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer

Price: from £51,445 / Best version: Pro S Match Plus

VW’s Passat-sized electric estate shows that the large electric car space isn’t just the reserve of premium brands. It’s also proof that estate cars can be better than SUVs.

The ID.7 Tourer is comfortable and easy to drive, has loads of space, a vast boot and goes almost as far on a charge as more expensive alternatives. Factor in excellent safety scores, plenty of standard kit and strong performance, and there’s an awful lot to like here.

Best Large SUV 2026:

Hyundai Santa Fe

Price: from £49,090 / Best version: Hybrid Premium

The Hyundai Santa Fe isn’t the cheapest seven-seater, but it’s the most affordable one that can carry seven adults in relative comfort. But there’s more to the brand's largest SUV than just outright space.

It’s packed with technology and comfort features even in entry-level form, offers a smooth ride and does a good impression of a more expensive luxury SUV inside and out. The option of both hybrid and plug-in hybrid power means it isn’t too thirsty, either.

Land Rover Defender

Price: from £57,255 / Best version: 110 D250 S

No, the Land Rover Defender isn’t a back-to-basics farm workhorse anymore; it’s a brilliant posh family SUV that also happens to be a formidable off-roader.

With huge amounts of space even in mid-size 110 form, superb interior quality, usable technology and an impressively polished driving experience, the Defender is one of those cars that ticks so many boxes. It’s not cheap, but you definitely get your money’s worth.

Peugeot 5008

Price: from £37,045 / Best version: Hybrid 145 Allure

If you want a proper seven-seater without paying proper seven-seater money, then the Peugeot 5008 is a great buy. You can just about fit adults in the third row, while children will be very happy – and the boot is massive in five-seat form.

Beyond that, the 5008 offers a smart, high-quality interior, plenty of standard equipment, a comfortable and refined driving experience and the choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric power. Some fiddly tech aside, it’s a strong choice.

Best Luxury Car 2026:

BMW i7

Price: from £104,230 / Best version: i7 50 xDrive

The BMW i7 is a luxury car that takes technology and comfort features to the next level. From its dramatic Theatre Screen to the amazingly multi-functional rear seating, this is a car that you’ll want to be driven in more than drive.

That’s a shame, though, because the i7 is also very enjoyable behind the wheel for a big limo, blending outstanding comfort with strong performance and remarkable agility. We reckon the electric i7 offers the ultimate refinement and response in a way the petrol 7 Series can’t match.

Porsche Panamera

Price: from £91,100 / Best version: 4 e-Hybrid

The Porsche Panamera is a luxury car that’s more about the driver than those in the back. It’s still very comfortable, super quiet and packed full of gadgets, but as you’d expect from Porsche there’s a level of driver appeal above and beyond any rival.

You also get a level of performance that ranges from fast to mind-boggling depending on which version you go for. The only real negative is that you’ll need to spend money on options to really make it excel.

Range Rover

Price: from £107,530 / Best version: D350 SE

The all-conquering Range Rover is one of the world’s most recognisable symbols of luxury for a reason. It’s sheer class is unmatched, while you get plenty of substance to go with the style.

The Range Rover has one of the world’s finest driving positions, great comfort and tonnes of luxury and tech features. But it’s also spacious and can even be had as a seven-seater. That it’s also one of the world’s best off-roaders on top of this is quite the feat.

Best Sports Car 2026:

BMW M2

Price: from £71,645 / Best version: M2 CS

The finest BMW M car on sale today also happens to be the smallest and cheapest one. The BMW M2 offers so many smiles per mile thanks to its glorious straight-six engine, entertaining handling and the feeling of it being a muscle car with added sophistication.

But the M2 is also a BMW, which means genuine everyday usability, a high quality cabin and seating for four. There are faster and cleverer M cars, but for UK roads this is all you need.

Mazda MX-5

Price: from £28,605 / Best version: 2.0L Exclusive-Line

Few cars epitomise the ‘less is more’ approach better than the Mazda MX-5. It’s over a decade old now but keeps getting even better as the years go by.

No other everyday usable sports car feels as agile and light on its feet, while the beauty of its modest performance is that you can use more of it, more of the time. The cabin design is great, too, although it’s hardly the most practical of sports cars for a trip away.

Porsche 911

Price: from £105,200 / Best version: Carrera T

A true icon of the car world, the Porsche 911 is a brilliant example of a recipe that’s been finely tuned over the years. It’s fantastic to drive on all roads, retains a distinct character even today and, simply, is one of the most complete sports cars money can buy.

It’s even surprisingly usable as a daily driver. What’s more, although there is outstanding talent at the top of the 911 range, the Carrera T offers stripped-back driver appeal for a semi-affordable price.