Carwow Car of the Year Awards 2026
Last updated November 20, 2025 by
Darren Cassey
The Carwow Car of the Year Awards are the peak of our year - it’s where our experienced team of car reviewers put their heads together and distil a year’s worth of testing into a list of the very best new models. Whether you’re looking for a small car, an electric car, a luxury model with space for all the family or just want to trim your shortlist down to the very best cars on sale - we’ve got you covered.
Our road testing team, led by Mat Watson, have decades and millions of miles of car-testing experience between them, and over the year they test-drive literally hundreds of new cars. Whether it’s cheap or expensive, sensible or flashy, they all get the full road-test treatment, from assessing how they drive to how practical they are and how cheap they’ll be to run. So no matter what type of car you’re considering, you’ll find a great option among our award-winners.
Our car of the year comes from a new entrant to the UK market, but that just makes it all the more impressive. Chery’s first car here proves to be smartly styled, posh inside and roomy enough for the whole family - and with a price tag that makes the European, Japanese or Korean opposition look positively overpriced. There’s a petrol engine or an excellent plug-in hybrid option, loads of standard equipment and a reassuringly long warranty too. Altogether it’s a package any established manufacturer would be pleased to offer - Chery’s nailed it straight away.
