Irish Car and Van of the Year Awards 2026

The twenty-nine members of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland 
drew their motoring year to a finale at their annual Irish Car and Irish 
Van of the Year Awards in Dublin on Friday last. The event, in. 
association with Continental Tyres, was attended by representatives 
from across the Irish Motor Industry and culminated in the overall 
winner being voted 2026 Irish Car of the Year being the Renault 5 and 
Irish Van of the Year named as the Volkswagen Transporter. 
 
The Renault 5 victory is now the sixth year in a row that an allelectric 
vehicle has been voted Irish Car of the Year, a firm indication of our 
move away from the Internal combustion engines of petrol and diesel, to 
zero-emission motoring. 
 
Mark Noble, Chairman of the MMAI, said: “Congratulations to Renault 
on the success of the Renault 5. What an achievement, coming as it does 
on the back of last year’s win for the Scenic E-Tech Electric.  The new 
Renault 5 really impressed our jurors with its blend of retroinspired 
design, modern driving dynamics, and practical electric range. It’s a 
stylish, accessible EV that brings innovation and character to the market, 
and a very worthy winner of the Irish Car of the Year title.” 
 
Tom Dennigan of awards sponsor, Continental Tyres, added: “We are 
proud to again support the Irish Car of the Year awards, which continue 
to highlight, year by year, the very best cars available to Irish motorists. 
The fact that the Renault 5 is the sixth consecutive electric vehicle to win 
the overall title shows clearly how the market is shifting. With its 
distinctive design and the benefits of zeroemissions driving, the win for 
the Renault 5 is a fantastic boost for the brand as it heads into the busy 
January sales period.” 
 
The field of eligible cars for this year’s awards was broken down into 
nine categories, with the overall winner selected from the category 
champions. 
 
The Irish Car of the Year awards, the oldest and most reputable 
automotive award title in Ireland, remain the benchmark for excellence 
in the industry, guiding Irish motorists towards the best new models 
each year. 

 

The Irish Car of the Year 2026 category winners: 
 
 Irish Small Car of the Year: Hyundai Inster  
 Irish Compact Car of the Year: Renault 5 
 Irish Medium Car / Crossover of the Year: Kia EV3 
 Irish Medium SUV of the Year: Dacia Bigster 
 Irish Large Car / SUV of the Year: BYD Sealion 7 
 Irish 7-Seater of the Year: Hyundai Ioniq 9 
 Irish Premium Car of the Year: Volvo EX90 
 Irish Performance Compact Car of the Year: MG Cyberster 
 Irish Performance Car of the Year: BMW M5 
 
In the Irish Van of the Year awards programme for 2026, the overall 
Irish Van of the Year title was awarded to the Volkswagen Transporter at 
the same event. 
Photo caption: 
Tom Dennigan, Continental Tyres Ireland; Seamus Morgan, Renault Ireland; and Mark 
Noble, MMAI Chairman; with the Renault 5, Irish Car of the Year 2026. 
Tony Toner is a member of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland and a voting 
juror on Irish Car of the Year and Irish Van of the Year.