The Mercedes-Benz CLA has been named European Car of the Year 2026 in a presentation at the Brussels Motor Show.
The CLA beat six other finalists to the title after scooping a whopping 320 points – a full 100 points clear of the second-place Skoda Elroq. The Kia EV4 was third, just pipping the Citroen C5 Aircross.
It is the first time since 1974 that Mercedes-Benz has won the European Car of the Year award. 52 years ago, it was the Mercedes-Benz S-Class that took top spot.
59 jurors from 23 European countries were given a shortlist of 35 cars to choose from. A first round of voting drew up the shortlist of seven, and each juror was able to award 25 points during final voting.
A maximum of 10 points could be awarded per car, and they had to vote on at least five of the seven finalists – including a winning model.
The 2026 finalists were:
The Mercedes-Benz CLA succeeds last year’s winner, the Renault 5 (and sister Alpine A290). They beat six other finalists including the Alfa Romeo Junior, Citroen C3 and e-C3, Cupra Terramar, Dacia Duster, Hyundai Instar and Kia EV3.
The Kia was second and the Citroen C3 and e-C3 were third; the Alfa Romeo Junior was last.
The European Car of the Year title has been awarded since 1964. The inaugural winner was the British Rover 2000.
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