The Ferrari Amalfi Spider and Cupra Raval have taken the two headline prizes at the News UK Motor Awards 2026, while Jeremy Clarkson has named the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring as his personal Car of the Year.
Now in its ninth year, the awards span vehicles from affordable small cars and family SUVs to performance, electric and luxury models, with winners selected by the motoring teams across The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times and Times LUXX.
The Ferrari Amalfi Spider was crowned The Times and The Sunday Times Car of the Year, with judges highlighting its combination of open-top performance, V8 power and traditional Ferrari character.
At the other end of the market, the Cupra Raval secured The Sun Car of the Year title. The compact electric model was praised particularly for its styling and entertaining driving characteristics, with The Sun Motors Editor Rob Gill describing it as a car offering younger buyers something “fresh and different”.
Jeremy Clarkson chose the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring as his Car of the Year, singling out its steering, manual gear change and accessible performance. He went further, describing it as “the best sports car I’ve ever driven”.
Golf GTI recognised 50 years on
The Volkswagen Golf GTI was named The Times and The Sunday Times Legend Car of the Year as the famous performance hatchback celebrates its 50th anniversary.
First launched in 1976, the GTI was recognised for combining performance with the everyday practicality that has helped sustain the model across eight generations.
The Aston Martin Valhalla, meanwhile, collected The Times Luxury Car of the Year award. Its hybrid powertrain, more than 1,000 horsepower and Formula 1-influenced aerodynamics helped secure the title, alongside its combination of extreme performance and road-going usability.
Elsewhere, the BMW iX3 was named Mid-Sized SUV of the Year, Renault Twingo took the Value Car title and the forthcoming Range Rover Sport Electric secured The Times and The Sunday Times Electric Car of the Year.
Mercedes was named Manufacturer of the Year, while Jaecoo collected the Breakthrough of the Year award.
Andy Green and JCB recognised for hydrogen record
The awards also looked beyond new production cars, recognising Andy Green and JCB following their hydrogen-powered land speed record project.
Green was named Hero of the Year after setting a new land speed record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle at the Bonneville Salt Flats in August.
The former RAF pilot drove a vehicle powered by twin hydrogen internal combustion engines producing a combined 1,600 horsepower, recording an average speed of 406mph across two runs.
JCB received the Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of the British engineering, machinery, funding and vehicle development behind the project.
Led by JCB Chairman Lord Bamford, the programme was designed to demonstrate the potential of hydrogen combustion technology, particularly in applications including heavy machinery where alternative low-carbon powertrains present different challenges.
News UK Motor Awards 2026 — winners in full
Family Car of the Year: Citroën C5 Aircross
Value Car of the Year: Renault Twingo
Fun Car of the Year: Honda Super N
Small SUV/Crossover of the Year: Kia EV2
Mid-Sized SUV of the Year: BMW iX3
Large SUV of the Year: Škoda Peaq
Hybrid Car of the Year: BYD Seal 6 DM-i Touring
Performance Car of the Year: Audi RS 5
Hot Hatch of the Year: Vauxhall Corsa GSE
The Next Big Thing: Jaguar Type 01
Tech Innovation of the Year: BYD Flash Charging
The Times & The Sunday Times Adventure Car of the Year: INEOS Grenadier
Breakthrough of the Year: Jaecoo
Manufacturer of the Year: Mercedes
The Times & The Sunday Times Electric Car of the Year: Range Rover Sport Electric
Homegrown Car of the Year: MINI Paul Smith Edition
The Sun Van of the Year: Volkswagen Transporter
Hero of the Year: Andy Green
Outstanding Achievement Award: JCB
The Times Luxury Car of the Year: Aston Martin Valhalla
The Times & The Sunday Times Legend Car of the Year: Volkswagen Golf GTI
The Times & The Sunday Times Car of the Year: Ferrari Amalfi Spider
The Sun Car of the Year: Cupra Raval
Jeremy Clarkson Car of the Year: Porsche 911 GT3 Touring
The judging panel comprised Rob Gill, Motors Editor at The Sun; Nick Rufford, Driving Editor at The Times and The Sunday Times; Will Dron, Digital Driving Editor at TheTimes.com; and David Green, Motoring Editor at The Times LUXX Magazine.
Motoring Echo Verdict
What stands out from the 2026 awards is just how broad the modern car market has become.
The two main Car of the Year winners illustrate that particularly well. The Ferrari Amalfi Spider celebrates a traditional recipe of a petrol V8, open-top driving and high-performance engineering, while the electric Cupra Raval represents a very different direction for the next generation of smaller cars.
Look further down the winners and the picture becomes even more varied. There are EVs from BMW, Kia and Range Rover, a BYD plug-in hybrid, the old-school INEOS Grenadier, the 50-year-old Golf GTI nameplate and an Aston Martin hybrid hypercar.
Perhaps that’s the most interesting takeaway. The industry’s transition isn’t producing one universal answer to what the car of the future should be. In 2026, buyers are being offered more distinctly different answers than ever.
