The Car Expert Awards 2027: contenders announced

Ask a dozen motoring journalists to name the best new car of the year and you’ll probably get a dozen different answers. That’s the nature of car reviews – everyone has their own preferences, priorities and opinions, and there’s rarely a single right answer.

At The Car Expert, we take a different approach. Rather than assembling a judging panel, driving a selection of cars and arguing over the winners, we use our unique Expert Rating Index to bring together the verdicts of more than 30 of the UK’s leading motoring publications.

We then combine those reviews with independent data on safety, environmental performance, running costs and new car warranties to recognise the best new cars of 2026, as well as the established models that are still setting the standards in their classes.

This year’s awards feature a revised set of categories, reflecting the changing new car market, and a new Editor’s Choice Award that gives us the opportunity to recognise something a little different.

The winners of The Car Expert Awards 2027 will be announced at 10am on Tuesday 8 December 2026.

How do we choose the best new cars?

Every car review is ultimately someone’s opinion, even when it’s written by an experienced and knowledgeable motoring journalist. Different reviewers place different emphasis on design, driving experience, comfort, practicality and value for money, which is why their verdicts on the same car can sometimes be wildly different.

Our Expert Rating Index brings all those different opinions together. We’ve collected reviews of new models from more than 30 leading UK motoring websites and magazines, converting their different scoring systems into a consistent overall assessment.

But we’re not simply adding up review scores and declaring the highest-rated car the winner. We also use independent data from Euro NCAP, environmental performance figures, running cost information and new car warranty terms to build a much broader picture of each contender.

All this information is processed using a version of our Expert Rating algorithm adapted specifically for newly launched cars. Some information, particularly reliability and longer-term ownership data, won’t yet be available for models that have only recently arrived on the market.

The result is an awards programme that isn’t determined by one journalist’s opinion or a show of hands among a panel of judges. It’s based on a wide range of evidence gathered from across the UK motoring industry.

What’s new for the 2027 awards?

As in previous years, we have 12 awards to present, including the overall Car of the Year 2027. Our award categories continue to reflect the changing new car market, with one new addition for 2027.

We’ve largely moved away from separating conventional cars and SUVs into different categories, because the boundaries between them have become increasingly blurred. For most buyers, the size, price and practicality of a car are far more useful considerations than whether a manufacturer calls it a hatchback, saloon, crossover or SUV.

We’re also continuing two categories introduced last year. Best Plug-In Hybrid Family Car reflects the growing popularity of plug-in hybrids, while Best Value Family Car recognises the importance of getting the most for your money, regardless of whether you’re choosing a petrol, hybrid or electric car.

There’s another new addition this year, and it’s one that takes a different approach from the rest of our awards.

The Editor’s Choice Award is a personal selection by The Car Expert’s founder and Editorial Director, Stuart Masson. Unlike the other categories, which are decided using our Expert Rating data, this award recognises a car that particularly stands out for its qualities, character or contribution to the market, even if it doesn’t necessarily top the overall rankings.

It gives us a chance to recognise something that the numbers alone may not fully capture.

Award categories

With our revised award categories, there are 12 awards on offer this year.

Best New Models and Class Champions

There’s one other important distinction between The Car Expert Awards and many conventional car awards. We’re not simply interested in finding the best new model launched over the last 12 months. We also want to know whether it’s actually better than the cars already on sale.

New models naturally attract plenty of attention from manufacturers, journalists and buyers, but that doesn’t automatically make them better than the cars they’re replacing or competing against. Some new arrivals immediately set new standards, while others struggle to match established rivals that have been on sale for several years.

That’s why we recognise both Best New Models and Class Champions across our award categories.

The Best New Model award recognises the strongest eligible newcomer, while the Class Champion is the highest-rated car in its category, regardless of when it was launched. Sometimes the same model will take both honours, but that’s certainly not guaranteed.

We also recognise separate class champions for electric and petrol/diesel models where appropriate, giving buyers a clearer picture of the strongest choices available to suit their preferences.

Which cars are eligible?

To qualify as a new model for The Car Expert Awards 2027, a car must have been launched and comprehensively reviewed by the UK motoring media during the previous 12 months.

Most contenders will already be on UK roads, although some won’t have reached showrooms just yet. All eligible models must have confirmed UK pricing and specifications, allowing us to assess cars that are arriving imminently as well as those already available to buy.

The class of 2026

There certainly hasn’t been a shortage of new models arriving on the UK market this year, particularly as Chinese manufacturers continue expanding their ranges and established brands introduce more electric vehicles.

Below is the full list of eligible cars for The Car Expert Awards 2027, in alphabetical order. Some were launched late in 2025, after the cut-off for last year’s awards, so they’re included for the first time.

Which of these cars will come out on top? Will any of the newcomers manage to knock the established class champions off their perches, and which model will take our overall Car of the Year title?

We’ll reveal all the winners at 10am on Tuesday 8 December 2026. Place your bets now, and come back to find out which cars have made the grade.

A look back at previous results

*There was no Car of the Year 2023 as we changed the dating system