Some of the top cars from the past year

It’s been another hectic but hugely interesting year for new car arrivals. I’ve driven at least 50 over the past twelve months making it difficult to pick out a few favourites but to help potential buyers, here are the category winners as voted on by members of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI) for the Irish Car of the Year 2026 awards in November as well as the overall winner, this year the Renault 5. 

The awards highlight the very best cars available to Irish motorists, with members individually assessing every new car model and hosting the annual awards sponsored by Continental Tyres.

Winners from each category competed for the overall prize of Irish Car of the Year.

In the Small Car category, the all-electric Hyundai Inster, a small car with a huge personality was the members' choice. The well-packaged interior fits four adults in big comfort. Battery options are a standard 42kWh or a long-range 49kWh, with rated ranges of approximately 327km/360km respectively. Inster won for its style and quality, as well as the amount of standard equipment. It is very competitively priced at €19,595, making it an affordable new first car for a teenage child or a second family car for urban use.

The Compact Car segment was won by the Renault 5. The French carmaker tapped into the current retro trend by reinventing its original Renault 5 with a new 5 EV designed for modern city driving and priced at just under €26,000. Batteries are available in 40kWh and 52kWh capacities, paired with 120bhp and 150bhp electric motors, respectively delivering ranges of up to 310km and 410km. Now with five doors, and with vibrant colours to choose from, the Renault 5 won the 2026 European Car of the Year trophy.

The Medium Car/Crossover segment was easily won by the stylish Kia EV3 SUV, available in both electric and combustion-engine versions. It features an 81.4kWh battery with a range of up to 605km and a 58.3kWh battery with a 436km range. Priced from €36,790, this model also won the 2025 World Car of the Year award.

The Medium SUV of the Year was won by the family-sized Dacia Bigster SUV, launched in May, and the brand’s new flagship model. A popular choice with robust styling and mild and full hybrid options, plus the choice of a mild hybrid 130 4x4 version with a 1.2 three-cylinder turbocharged engine paired to a six-speed manual gearbox. Big on interior space but not a seven-seater like its Jogger stablemate, it can run in all-electric mode up to 80 per cent of the time in urban driving. It is competitively priced from just under €30,000.

The Large Car/SUV of the Year category was won by the all-electric BYD Sealion 7 SUV, part of BYD’s ‘Ocean X Series’ design language that combines sporty performance and stylish design. Customers have a choice of three fully electric models: a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive Comfort edition and two all-wheel-drive models. BYD’s in-house Blade Batteries from 82.5kWh to 91.3kWh power the car. Rated ranges are from 482km to 502km and it is priced from €45,435.

The Seven-Seater of the Year title went to the quite superb Hyundai Ioniq 9, the company’s largest, all-electric SUV, which has everything a family could need, and more. A standout car with advanced styling, very high-quality fit and finish, three rows of super-comfy seating, a high level of specification, a decent boot of from 338-2,494 litres (with a wholly flat floor, you could even sleep in the car overnight), and battery capacity of 110kWh with an electric range of up to 620kms. Just the one trim available for now, priced from €78,495, but an all-wheel-drive version with a 600km range will launch in 2026.

The Volvo EX90 SUV took the Irish Premium Car of the Year award. Upgraded for 2026 with faster charging and improved safety and driver support features, this is Volvo’s flagship 7-seater SUV and a classic in Scandinavian design. It is regarded as ‘a highly advanced computer on wheels’. A twin-motor all-wheel-drive version powered by a 111kWh battery and two electric motors delivers 680hp and a whopping 910Nm of torque, offering 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds. It also offers up to 600km driving range and is priced from €99,895 to €124,895 for Q1 2026.

MG Motors’ all-electric and oh so sexy Cyberster took the Performance Compact Car of the Year gong. A 2-door roadster soft top with two electric ‘scissors’ doors and a well-designed cabin, with 503hp on tap and big torque of 725Nm, that is capable of a 0-100km/h time of 5.0 seconds, but a Super Sport mode button can be used to do the job in a supercar time of just 3.2 seconds. Not really a practical motor for everyday use, but a howl to drive and a stunner in styling. Priced from €69,900.

The hybrid BMW M5 won the Performance Car of the Year category. Powered by a hybrid 4.4 litre V8 petrol engine offering over 700hp and with a supercar-like sprint of 0-100km/h in 3.5 seconds, this car is packed with high-tech features. The boot space is a more than decent 460-litre capacity. Expensive though, as prices start from €137,000, which enthusiasts will say is money well spent.

Now is a good time for potential buyers to kick tyres at their local dealership, as the industry focuses on the key selling period at the start of 2026, with many car companies offering generous new-car incentives across all brands.

Here’s wishing readers a Happy New Year and safe motoring.