- Skoda Kylaq is the first runner-up
- Indian Car of the Year (2025) was the Mahindra Thar Roxx
The Maruti Suzuki Victoris has been crowned Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) 2026, beating out a competitive field that included new-generation EVs, SUVs, and family cars. In a year that saw strong launches across segments, from compact SUVs and EV-only models to mainstream family sedans, the Victoris emerged on top for its well-rounded package of efficiency, technology, and overall value for Indian buyers.
The ICOTY 2026 finalists included the Hyundai Creta Electric, Hyundai Venue, Kia Carens Clavis EV, Kia Syros, Mahindra XEV 9E, Maruti Suzuki Victoris, Skoda Kylaq and the Tata Harrier EV. These cars were shortlisted after thorough evaluation by the ICOTY jury, representing a broad cross-section of the Indian automotive media and expert reviewers.
For the 2026 award year, the ICOTY jury comprised Vikrant Singh and Sagar Bhanushali from Carwale, Dhruv Behl and Ishan Raghava from autoX, Yogendra Pratap and Dipayan Dutta from Auto Today, Aspi Bhathena and Gaurav Davare from Car India, Sirish Chandran and Aatish Mishra from Evo India, Pablo Chaterji and Kartik Ware from Motoring World, Rohit Paradkar and Kranti Sambhav from Overdrive, Arpit Mahendra from TOI Auto, Tushar Kamath from Cardekho.com, Abhay Verma from Turbocharged, Bob Rupani, and Kushan Mitra from The Print.
