Toronto, Ontario -- The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada has announced 20 semi-finalists for the 2026 Canadian Car of the Year Awards, selected from nearly 400 eligible models.
The awards span four categories: Canadian Car of the Year, Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, Canadian Electric Car of the Year and Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year. About 50 journalists from across the country voted on their top five vehicles in each class, evaluating each model on Canadian roads in everyday driving conditions before advancing to detailed ballots.
“Announcing our semi-finalists is the first big step toward the 2026 Canadian Car of The Year Awards,” said association president Evan Williams. “Whether they take home the top trophy or not, the Canadian Car of the Year voting process makes sure that every one of these semi-finalist vehicles is a standout in their class.”
Many of the semi-finalists feature advanced driver assistance systems that have increasingly become standard equipment in new vehicles. Examples include forward collision avoidance with automatic braking on the Hyundai Elantra, lane keeping assistance on the Honda Civic and reverse automatic braking with cross-traffic alert on the Subaru Forester. Blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning are widely available across the list, though specifications vary by model and trim level.
Over the years the awards have highlighted both well-established models and newer entries. The Honda Civic, which appears on this year’s semi-finalist list, was named Canadian Car of the Year in 2025 after also winning in 2022. The Toyota Prius took the title in 2024 as its hybrid redesign shifted attention toward fuel-efficient models. Electric vehicles have advanced as well, with cars such as the BMW i4 earning top honours in EV categories.
Semi-finalists
Canadian Car of the Year
- Honda Civic
- Hyundai Elantra
- Kia K4
- Porsche 911 Carrera
Toyota Prius
Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year
- Ford Maverick
- Honda Passport
- Hyundai Palisade
- Subaru Forester
Toyota RAV4
Canadian Electric Car of the Year
- BMW i4
- Hyundai Ioniq 6
- Lucid Air
- Porsche Taycan
Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year
- BMW iX
- Hyundai Ioniq 9
- Kia EV9
- Lucid Gravity
- Porsche Macan Electric
The association will announce the 12 Best Vehicles in Canada for 2026 at the Montreal Auto Show on Jan. 15. Category winners will be revealed on Feb. 12 at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto.
