The BMW iX3 is the 2026 World Car of the Year

The first modern Neue Klasse model in BMW’s portfolio, the iX3 has claimed top honours at the 2026 World Car of the Year awards…

New BMW iX3 front

Image: BMW

The BMW iX3, which we sampled for a first drive at its international launch event in Spain in 2025, has claimed top honours at the 2026 World Car of the Year awards. Indeed, among 58 competitors and a shortlist comprising the Hyundai Palisade and Nissan Leaf, the first modern Neue Klasse model in BMW’s portfolio was chosen, by a jury comprising 98 motoring journalists from 33 countries, as the Car of the Year.

Said Mike Reichelt, Head of Neue Klasse at BMW, “We are happy with this fantastic accolade for the BMW iX3, the first representative of our Neue Klasse. The BMW iX3 marks the beginning of a new era at BMW – in terms of design language, range, charging capacity as well as driver assistance – and BMW Panoramic iDrive. Above all, the BMW iX3 represents the next generation of Sheer Driving Pleasure powered by the Heart of Joy. The innovations from the Neue Klasse will benefit our entire product portfolio.”

The iX3 also claimed the title of 2026 Wold Electric Vehicle. In this category, the iX3 competed against 43 cars, with the shortlist of three also comprising the Mercedes Benz-CLA and Nissan Leaf.

As a reminder, the SA-bound new-generation iX3 was unveiled in 50 xDrive guise, which features a dual synchronous electric-motor powertrain producing a combined system output of 345 kW and 645 N.m of torque – good for a claimed 0-100 km/h sprint time of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 210 km/h. Power is sent to the road via all four corners via a singles-speed automatic transmission. BMW claims an operating range of over 800 km.

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The post The BMW iX3 is the 2026 World Car of the Year appeared first on CAR Magazine.


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