Members of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), the grouping that brings together some 29 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, hosted the awards event attended by Ireland’s leading car brands, importers and distributors. The awards are voted on by the members of the MMAI who individually assess each new car model launched in Ireland each year.

It is now the sixth year in a row that an all‑electric vehicle has been voted Irish Car of the Year, underlining the rapid transformation of the Irish car market and the growing appeal of zero‑emissions 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 retro‑inspired 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 zero‑emissions 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.

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Voted on by jury members drawn from the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), a group made up of 29 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, the Irish Car of the Year awards highlight for Irish motorists the best cars launched in the country each year, taking into account the particular requirements of the Irish market.

Mark Noble, Chairman of the MMAI, said: “The fact that over half of the eligible cars for the 2026 Irish Car of the Year awards are electric is a clear reflection of where the market is going. Just a few years ago, EVs were a niche category — today, they are leading the field. This year’s line‑up shows the breadth of choice now available to Irish motorists, from compact city cars to large SUVs, all powered by electricity. It’s a milestone moment for the awards and for the Irish car market.”

Tom Dennigan of awards sponsor, Continental Tyres, added: “Continental Tyres is proud to once again support the Irish Car of the Year awards, which shine a spotlight on the very best cars available to Irish motorists. The dominance of electric models in this year’s field underlines the pace of change in the industry. For car buyers, it means more options than ever before to choose sustainable, high performing vehicles — and for us, it’s exciting to see how far the market has come in such a short time.”

Last year’s winner of the title of 2025 Irish Car of the Year, in association with Continental Tyres, was the Renault Scenic E-Tech Electric, continuing a strong run for EVs in the competition. Whether the 2026 title will once again go to an electric model remains to be seen, but with more than half of the entrants now battery powered, the odds have never been higher.

The winners from the 2026 Irish Car of the Year awards programme will be revealed at a gala event at The Conrad Hotel, Dublin, on Friday November 14th.

The full field of candidates for the Irish Car of the Year 2026 awards is as follows:

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Members of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), the grouping that brings together more than 30 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, hosted the awards event attended by Ireland’s leading car brands, importers and distributors. The awards are voted on by the members of the MMAI who individually assess each new car model that is launched in Ireland each year.

It is the fifth year in a row that an all electric vehicle has been voted the Irish Car of the Year, the oldest and most reputable automotive award title in Ireland.

Chairman of the MMAI, Daragh Keany said: “Well done to Renault. This latest model is the fifth generation Scenic and the first full electric version.  Our jurors were very impressed with the driving dynamics of the vehicle, the stylish design and the very generous 430km or long range 625km model with 220 horsepower, definitely a very worthy winner of the Irish Car of the Year title.” 

Tom Dennigan of awards sponsor, Continental Tyres said: “There was a high number of really excellent models in the hunt for our Irish Car of the Year award this year, but the Renault Scenic E-Tech Electric had what it takes to come out on top.  The latest version of the Scenic is a stand-out design and with all the benefits of a zero emissions vehicle. What a great boost for the brand entering the busy January vehicle sales market with the Irish Car of the Year title under their belt.”

The field of eligible cars for this year’s awards were broken down into eight categories and then the overall winner was drawn from those eight models

The Irish Car of the Year 2025 category winners:

• Irish Compact Car of the Year: Suzuki Swift
• Irish Compact SUV of the Year: Fiat 600
• Irish Medium SUV of the Year: Renault Scenic E-Tech Electric
• Irish Large Car of the Year: BYD Seal
• Irish Large SUV of the Year: Kia EV9
• Irish Executive Car of the Year: Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Irish Premium SUV / MPV: Polestar 3
• Irish Performance Car of the Year: Smart #3 Brabus

In the Irish Van of the Year awards programme for 2025, the overall Irish Van of the Year title was awarded to the Mercedes-Benz Vito at the same event.

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Voted on by jury members who are drawn from the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), a group made up of 29 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, the Irish Car of the Year awards highlight for Irish motorists the best cars that have been launched in the country this year taking into account the particular requirements of the Irish market.

Daragh Keany, Chairman of the MMAI, said:

“The past number of years have witnessed a number of shocks for the car manufacturing industry starting with the Covid pandemic in 2020 which was quickly followed by the worldwide semi-conductor shortage. These events all served to seriously reduce or delay the number of new cars built and launched over those years. However, with a strong field of 40 exciting new car models for this year’s Irish Car of the Year awards programme, which is an increase of eight on last year’s tally, it shows that the industry here is not just surviving but thriving. There is huge excitement among the MMAI jurors, and we will have our work cut out for us getting through the eligible vehicles and voting process over the coming weeks”. 

Tom Dennigan of awards sponsor, German premium tyre brand Continental Tyres, said:

“We are proud to again be associated with the Irish Car of the Year awards which recognises the best cars launched in Ireland each year.  Electric vehicles have really come to the fore over the last number of years – for four years straight, the winner of the overall Irish Car of the Year title has been an electric vehicle but it remains to be seen if that will be the case for the 2025 winner, 17 of the 40 entrants are full electric models so they are definitely in with a good shout, but by no means a shoo in!”

Last year’s winner of the 2024 Irish Car of the Year award was the all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 6. To find out if the overall winner for 2025 is again an electric model, motorists in Ireland will have to wait until the awards event on November 15.

The full field of candidates for the Irish Car of the Year 2025 awards is as follows:

Photo caption: Daragh Keany, Chairman of the MMAI, with Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres Ireland, at the launch of 2025 Irish Car of the Year.

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A category award under the umbrella of the Irish Van of the Year awards, the Commercial SUV of the Year is voted upon by a jury of the most experienced light commercial vehicle journalists drawn from the membership of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), the grouping that brings together some 32 of Ireland’s leading motoring journalists.

In deciding on this category award winner, the MMAI Irish Van of the Year jury members took into account such attributes as load capacity, reliability, overall versatility, cost of ownership and driving comfort.

The overall Irish Van of the Year award for 2023 was won by the Volkswagen ID. Buzz.

German premium tyre manufacturer, Continental Tyres, is the main sponsor of the Irish Car and Van of the Year awards.

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The Irish Van of the Year accolade is awarded by the van jury of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), the grouping that brings together Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists.  Members of the Irish Van of the Year jury individually assess each commercial vehicle that is launched in Ireland each year and the winner is announced as part of the overall Irish Car and Van of the Year programme at an awards event each November. 

Presenting the award to Fergus Conheady of the Mercedes-Benz Ireland Commercial Vehicle team, Tom Dennigan of award sponsors, Continental Tyres, said: “Congratulations to Mercedes-Benz on winning this coveted title with the new Citan.  The Irish Van of the Year accolade will no doubt be a great boost for the model in Ireland’s extremely competitive van market.”

Chairman of the MMAI, Joe Rayfus, commented: “The Citan is a very worthy winner of our Irish Van of the Year title.  On every score – versatility, comfort, fuel economy, new safety technologies, driving dynamics – commercial vehicles have come on in leaps and bounds over the last number of years and the Citan is a great exponent of all of those advances”.

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Members of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), the grouping that brings together some 35 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, hosted the awards event attended by Ireland’s leading car brands, importers and distributors. The awards are voted on by the members of the MMAI who individually assess each new car model that is launched in Ireland each year.

It is the fourth time in four straight years that an electric vehicle has been voted the Irish Car of the Year, the oldest and most reputable automotive award title in Ireland.

Chairman of the MMAI, Joe Rayfus said:

“Congratulations to Hyundai Ireland on taking the coveted Irish Car of the Year title for the IONIQ 6, a very worthy winner indeed. What more concrete proof can there be that the era of electric motoring is truly here. Our fourth straight winner of the title. And look at the evolution of vehicles in that time, electric models have gone fully mainstream and luxury as this IONIQ 6 proves.”

Tom Dennigan of awards sponsor, Continental Tyres said:

“The Hyundai IONIQ 6 is a really stylish car at the forefront of automotive design. I am sure that our Irish Car of the Year title will be a huge boost to the nameplate’s profile with Irish motorists who are considering making the move to electric.”

The Irish Car of the Year category winners:

• Irish Small / Compact Car of the Year: MG4 EV
• Irish Small / Compact SUV of the Year: BYD Atto 3
• Irish Medium SUV of the Year: Renault Austral
• Irish Medium / Large Car of the Year: Hyundai IONIQ 6
• Irish Large SUV / MPV of the Year: Nissan X-TRAIL
• Irish Luxury Car of the Year: BMW i7 / 7 Series
• Irish Performance Car of the Year: BMW M2

In the Irish Van of the Year awards programme for 2024, the Ford Ranger Raptor took the category award for Irish Commercial SUV of the Year, while the overall Irish Van of the Year 2024 in association with Continental Tyres award was bestowed on the Mercedes-Benz Citan.

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The Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI) has announced the Soar Foundation as the charity partner for the Irish Car of the Year and Irish Van of the Year 2024 Awards, in association with Continental Tyres.

This year’s event on November 3rd will see the introduction of a ‘Silent Auction’ in aid of the Soar Foundation, chosen as our charity partner by MMAI Chairperson, Joe Rayfus.

The Soar Foundation is an independent, national, youth outreach movement built on an early intervention preventative model focused on peer-to-peer delivery of critical life skills. The Dublin-based charity works inside and outside the education system with young people aged 13-18, delivering workshops that focus on developing confidence, self-esteem and resiliency so that our young people, the next generation, can have the opportunity to dare to dream and fulfil their potential.

To date, the Soar Foundation has worked with nearly 60,000 teenagers in Ireland and has won numerous awards including the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Impact Award.

During this year’s Irish Car of the Year and Irish Van of the Year Awards, guests will be invited to silently bid on items up for auction, including signed Ireland rugby and soccer jerseys, and other one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia.

At the end of the evening, only the total amount raised for our charity partner, along with the names of the successful bidders, will be announced.

Speaking about the announcement, Orlagh Reilly, Head of School Relationships at Soar, said:

“At Soar, we are incredibly honoured to be charity partners for this year’s Irish Car and Van of the Year awards event.

We are a small charity and we help teens discover who they are and what they can achieve. We do this by creating and delivering early intervention, character development workshops for young people aged 13 to 18.

We genuinely care about every teen we interact with and our aim is to support them to tune into their own truth. To let go of external pressures that tell them what they’re meant to be and embrace who they really are. We meet each teenager on their level and aim to elevate their own unique voice and potential.

Receiving this donation means that we can reach more young people through our schools and out of schools programme. We can positively shape the adults of the future to grow their awareness of self and the world around them.”

For more information about the Soar Foundation, visit www.soar.ie

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Voted on by jury members who are drawn from the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), a group made up of 33 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, the Irish Car of the Year awards highlight for Irish motorists the best cars that have been launched in the country this year taking account of the particular requirements of the Irish market.

Joe Rayfus, Chairman of the MMAI, said: “With 32 cars launched here in the past year, we have a very strong line up of models for this year’s awards. Slightly down on last year’s field of 37 models, it demonstrates the continued impact of the semi-conductor and supply shortage issues that affected the industry over the last year or so. However, the record number of new brands entering the market provides us with genuine optimism in the short term. We have seen four new marques launch models onto the Irish market this year and all are in the running for awards – BYD, INEOS, Maxus and Ora. It is a foretaste of things to come as a raft of new brands will launch here in the next couple of years. However, alongside the offerings from those new names, we have some really excellent models from the more familiar automotive brands – as ever, trying to predict who will win out in each category will not be an easy ask!”

Tom Dennigan of awards sponsor, German premium tyre brand Continental Tyres, said: “We are excited to again support the Irish Car of the Year awards which recognises the best cars launched in Ireland each year. It is a welcome sight to see such a range of new brands extending the breadth of options for Irish motorists – increased choice and more competition can only be a good thing. We wish them all, old or new brands, the best of luck in the race for an Irish Car of the Year award”.

The winner of the 2023 Irish Car of the Year award was the all electric VW ID Buzz, the third occasion that an electric car has won the overall title. To find out if the overall winner for 2024 is again an electric model, motorists in Ireland will have to wait until the awards event on November 3.

The full field of candidates for the Irish Car of the Year 2024 awards is as follows:

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Members of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), the grouping that brings together some 32 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, hosted the awards event attended by Ireland’s leading car brands, importers and distributors. The awards are voted on by the members of the MMAI who individually assess each new car model that is launched in Ireland each year.

Volkswagen took the top award with its latest all electric ID. Buzz model and, the van version, the ID. Buzz Cargo, won the Irish Van of the Year title at the same ceremony, a first in the history of the awards. It is the third time that an electric vehicle has taken the award as Kia EVs also won the 2022 and 2020 Irish Car of the Year titles with the all electric EV6 and e-Soul respectively.

Chairman of the MMAI, Joe Rayfus:

“The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a really worthy winner of the Irish Car of the Year title, it is a truly stand-out vehicle. As the third electric vehicle to win the title, it really does confirm the onward march in Ireland towards an electric motoring future. Just look at our field of runners for this year’s awards, more than half of the contenders are available as either partial or full electric vehicles”.

Tom Dennigan of awards sponsor, Continental Tyres said:

“After the Covid disruption that impacted on the Irish Car of Year awards over the past couple of years, we are delighted to be back with these awards for 2023. The MMAI jurors provide a great service to Irish motorists in providing a really helpful insight into the broad range of increasingly sophisticated car models that are launched here each year. No doubt, the Irish Car and Irish Van of the Year titles will be a huge boost to the popularity of the ID. Buzz in the new vehicle market in January and throughout 2023.”

The all electric ID. Buzz uses the same 77kWh battery as the Volkswagen ID.4 and delivers a 420km range from a single charge.

The Irish Car of the year category winners:

1. Irish Small Car of the Year: Fiat 500e
2. Irish Compact Car of the Year: Opel Astra
3. Irish Compact Executive Car of the Year: Mercedes-Benz C-Class
4. Irish Compact Crossover / SUV of the Year: Kia Niro
5. Irish Medium Crossover / SUV of the Year: Kia Sportage
6. Irish Large Crossover / SUV of the Year: Citroen C5X
7. Irish MPV of the Year: Volkswagen ID. Buzz
8. Irish Luxury Car of the Year: Mercedes-Benz EQS
9. Irish Large Executive Car of the Year: Mercedes-Benz EQE
10. Irish Performance Car of the Year: BMW i4 M50

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