Japan Car of the Year 2026–27 Names 10 Finalists

Japan Car of the Year 2026–27 Names 10 Finalists, Including BYD Racco

Four of the shortlisted models come from non-Japanese automakers. Final testing and voting are scheduled for November and December.

Source: Headlight Magazine2026-11-041 min read

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The Japan Car of the Year 2026–27 competition has named 10 finalists from 33 eligible cars. The shortlist was announced on November 2, 2026, and includes four models from automakers outside Japan, among them BYD’s Racco, a Chinese K-car. The award is open to passenger cars introduced between November 1, 2025, and October 31, 2026; an initial panel of 58 judges selected the finalists.

The 10 models are Suzuki e SKY, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Elgrand, Nissan Kicks, Honda Super-ONE, Mazda CX-5, BMW iX3, BYD Racco, Kia PV5 and Volvo ES90. Alongside the Japanese brands, the list includes models from Germany, China, South Korea and Sweden.

Judges are due to test the finalists and compile their assessments on November 18. A final voting meeting and the winner announcement are both scheduled for December 3, 2026. The previous three top winners were Japanese models: Toyota Prius in 2023, Honda Freed in 2024 and Subaru Forester in 2025.

This is an original summary compiled and translated from the source below, not a direct translation of it.

Source: Headlight Magazine →How we compile the news →

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