You’d expect Germany’s own automakers to dominate the German Car of the Year (GCOTY) awards and not necessarily because the judges are partisan. BMW, VW and Mercedes cars work well on German roads because they’re developed both for them and on them.

It’s a home-field advantage that usually shows. Yet like a WWII GI cutting in on a beaten German soldier’s dance to steal his girl, two American cars have just walked away with major wins in the 2026 competition.

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The awards, which group contenders into five categories, including Budget, Compact, Premium, Luxury and Performance, are voted on by a panel of 40 German and international motor journalists. While the overall winner won’t be revealed until November 17, we already know the victors in each category.

American Upset

The Lucid Air Sapphire, America’s electric interpretation of a luxurious hyper-sedan, took home the crown in the Performance segment. That’s hardly a shock once you’ve looked at its numbers.

With 1,234 hp (1,251 PS / 920 kW) and an ability to break 2 seconds to 60 mph (97 kmh; with rollout) the Sapphire is like a four-seat physics experiment. One that makes German heavy-hitters like the BMW M5 and Porsche Taycan Turbo GT look slow.

Meanwhile, over in the Luxury category, Cadillac’s 615 hp (624 PS / 459 kW) Vistiq took top honors. Cadillac only recently returned to Europe, but the sleek Vistiq is proof that Cadillac’s EV push isn’t just resonating in the States.

And this isn’t the first time GCOTY judges have had their heads turned by a Caddy. This year’s Luxury win follows last year’s success for the Cadillac Lyriq, which won the same class, but was beaten to the overall GCOTY title by the BMW 5-series and i5. Maybe the Vistiq can do better.

To take outright gold, Cadillac’s three-row EV will have to beat not only the Air, but three strong European and Asian entries. Dacia’s Bigster is the 2026 GCOTY Budget Car of the Year, the electric Skoda Elroq scooped the Compact award and Hyundai’s Ioniq 9 was named best Premium car.

Changing Currents

In case you hadn’t noticed, that means four out of the five class winners are EVs, and it’s that shift to electric power that has helped American cars up their relevance game in Europe.

Perhaps most telling of all, not a single German brand made the winners’ list this year, with the nearest contender being Skoda, a Czech marque under the VW Group umbrella.

The Dacia Spring proved that EVs can be seriously affordable, so long as you can afford the time. The original versions were shockingly slow, but Dacia has replaced both the 46 and 65 models with two new versions that are on a different performance planet, and still shouldn’t cost the earth.

Until now, the Spring has come in a couple of trims and with two different motor options, the 45 and 65. Those numbers referred to the metric horsepower output, which equates to just 44 hp (33 kW) and 64 hp (48 kW).

Clearly, we’re not talking about Tesla-grade go here. The 65 took 13.7 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h), and the 45 required 19.1 seconds, the kind of performance last seen on mainstream cars over 40 years ago.

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Dacia hasn’t revealed a zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) time for the new 69 hp (70 PS / 52 kW) Spring 70, but it did provide some in-gear acceleration data to prove what a massive difference the extra muscle makes.

Where the 45 and 65 needed 26.2 and 14 seconds, respectively, to amble from 50-75 mph (80-120 kmh), the 70 can do the job in 10.3 seconds. And the 99 hp (100 PS / 74 kW) Spring 100 cuts it to just 6.9 seconds, while also getting to 62 mph in 9.6 seconds, which is hardly hot hatch performance, but it will certainly feel like one in this company.

Smarter Under The Skin

Helping keep that newfound punch in check is an anti-roll bar, which makes an appearance on the tech sheet for the first time, along with a new 24.3 kWh lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) battery. The electric driving range is unchanged at 140 miles (225 km), but the previously 30 kW on-board charger is upgraded to 40 kW.

That change looks laughable in the context of the latest 400 kW EVs, but the Spring’s battery is tiny, so a 20-80 percent fill takes a bearable 29 minutes when hooked up to a DC charger, and a 20-100 percent fill via a 7kW wallbox is done in 3h 20 minutes.

Price Still Matters

Dacia hasn’t revealed prices for the upgraded Springs, but hopefully, they won’t stray too far from where the outgoing cars were positioned. At just £14,995 ($20,200), the base 45 was one of the cheapest EVs available in the UK.

Dacia

The race to make electric cars affordable has produced plenty of overcomplicated ideas, but Dacia’s Hipster concept goes the opposite way. Think Citroen 2CV and Fiat Panda in its simplicity. It’s unapologetically basic, designed to get people moving without the frills or inflated promises that often come with an EV badge.

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Now, the Hipster is officially still just a concept, but its production intent is clear. It’s expected to undercut Dacia’s most affordable electric model, the Spring, which starts at just under €17,000 euros (around $18,400) in Germany and roughly £15,000 (about $18,900) in the UK.

According to Dacia, the average price of new vehicles in Europe climbed by an eye-watering 77 percent between 2010 and 2024, far outpacing household income. With the Hipster, the brand aims to bring electric mobility to a broader audience, pushing beyond what the already budget-friendly Spring offers.

Compact By Design

The Hipster measures 3 meters (118.1 inches) in length, 1.55 meters (61 inches) in width, and 1.54 meters (60.6 inches) in height, making it even smaller than a kei car. Only a few micro-sized quadricycles like the Citroen Ami manage to come in beneath it on the size chart.

Dacia describes the Hipster’s shape as “a block sitting firmly on four wheels at the four corners.” It looks like a scaled-down mix between a Jeep and a Land Rover Defender, with a stubby front, upright nose, and flat window surfaces that give it a utilitarian charm. There are virtually no overhangs, and the proportions seem designed more by common sense than by committee.

The bodywork is painted in a single color with three colorful parts and protecting cladding made of a partly-recycled material called Starkle. Other cost-cutting measures include straps instead of door handles, taillights mounted behind the rear glass, and sliding windows.

Small And Lightweight

Despite its tiny footprint, the Hipster promises enough room for four adult passengers in comfort-oriented bench seats. Behind the split tailgate there is a 70 lt (2.5 cubic feet) boot that can grow to 500 lt (17.7 cubic feet) when the rear seats are folded.

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The interior makes full use of the brand’s “You Clip” accessory mounting system with 11 anchor points for cupholders, armrests, lights, toys etc. In typical Dacia flavor, the user’s smartphone is mounted on a docking station serving as a digital key, a navigation device, and an infotainment system connected to a portable Bluetooth audio speaker. There is also a digital instrument cluster behind the futuristic steering wheel, and dual airbags.

At just 800 kilograms (1,764 pounds), the Hipster weighs roughly 20 percent less than the Spring subcompact hatchback. That weight-saving mindset carries through to its environmental goals, as Dacia aims to cut the car’s full lifecycle carbon footprint in half compared to conventional EVs by using less material and energy overall.

Enough Range For Half Of The Week

The exact battery capacity and motor output remain undisclosed, but Dacia hints that the Hipster’s range is tailored for real-world habits rather than marketing numbers.

According to the company, research shows that 94 percent of French drivers cover fewer than 40 kilometers (25 miles) daily, or about 280 kilometers (174 miles) a week. The Hipster is designed to manage typical routines with only two recharges per week, suggesting a usable range near 93 kilometers (58 miles).

From Idea To Reality

Dacia’s take on reinventing the car is not just a design study. It is clear that the company wants the Hipster to evolve into a production offering that could shake up the EV market in Europe. This could happen with the upcoming regulatory changes allowing smaller and more affordable EVs to be sold across the continent.

Interestingly, the Hipster is different from the budget-friendly electric hatchback that was teased earlier this year promising a sub-€18,000 starting price and a mid-2026 debut. Besides unveiling the new concept, Dacia has also introduced an updated Spring EV, alongside facelifted versions of the Sandero, Sandero Stepway, Loggan, and Jogger.

Dacia

At a time when prices of new cars keep climbing out of reach for many households, Italy has launched a surprisingly generous scrappage scheme that makes some EVs almost absurdly affordable. Under the program, low-income buyers who trade in a car registered before 2015 could drive home in a brand-new Dacia Spring for as little as €3,900 (about $4,600 at current exchange rates).

The €597 million ($700 million) initiative is designed to increase electric car sales to at least 39,000 units by June 2026. Right now, fully electric vehicles represent only 5.2% of Italy’s market, far behind the European Union average of 15.8%.

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To qualify for the full €11,000 ($12,900) discount, prospective EV buyers must scrap a Euro 5 (or earlier) vehicle, live in an urban area with more than 50,000 residents, and have a family income below €30,000 ($35,200). Households earning up to €40,000 ($46,900) can still access a reduced €9,000 ($10,600) bonus. Small companies also benefit, with subsidies covering 30% of an EV’s cost capped at €20,000 ($23,500) per new vehicle.

Pocket-Sized Prices

Dacia has trimmed the Italian starting price of the Spring EV from €17,900 ($21,000) to €14,900 ($17,500). With the full scrappage bonus applied, the figure falls to the headline-grabbing €3,900 ($4,600). That entry point is for the Essential Electric 45 trim, equipped with a 44 hp (33 kW / 45 PS) motor and a 26.8 kWh battery, good for a range of 225 km (140 miles).

Stellantis has also dropped the cost of the Leapmotor T03 from €18,900 ($22,200) to €15,900 ($18,700), meaning it can be purchased for €4,900 ($5,800) under the same scheme. As reported by Autonews, the Chinese brand claims that the heavily discounted price is “less than what you paid for your bicycle.”

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Electric vehicles from other automakers are also eligible under the same scheme. Fiat offers the 500e from €9,950 ($11,700) and the electric version of the Grande Panda from €11,950 ($14,000). The closely-related Citroen e-C3 starts at €12,900 ($15,100), while the spacious e-C3 Aircross SUV is now offered from a discounted €15,790 ($18,500).

These prices are undeniably attractive, but the strict eligibility requirements mean the incentives only reach a narrow slice of the population. For now, the question is whether the subsidy will genuinely reshape Italy’s car market or simply deliver a short-term boost among those who qualify.

Citroen