Half Of The World Car Of The Year Contenders Are Chinese

• Almost half of the cars competing for World Car of the Year come from China.
• Brands like BYD, Chery, and MG are competing with BMW, Mazda, and others.
• Candidates have been confirmed for World Performance Car, Luxury Car, and Urban Car.

The World Car Awards have announced 56 vehicles which will be vying for top honors in next year's awards. Of these, 27 come from Chinese brands, revealing just how quickly cars from China have established themselves as among the very best in their classes.

To be eligible to take out the crown of 2027 World Car of the Year, at least 10,000 units of nominated vehicles must be produced each year, they must be priced below the luxury-car level in their primary markets, and they must be on sale in at least two major markets on at least two continents between January 1, 2026, and March 19, 2027.

Read: A Hyundai Beat The BMW M2 CS For World Performance Car Of The Year

Among the vehicles named as early candidates include the BMW i3, BYD Ti7, Chery Q, Cupra Raval, Deepal S07, Exeed RX, GAC Aion V, Geely Starray EM-I, Hyundai Ioniq 3, Jetour T2, Kia Telluride, Leapmotor T03, Lepas L6, Lynk & Co 900, Mazda CX-5, MG4 EV Urban, Onvo L90, Subaru Trailseeker, Volvo EX60, and the Zeekr 8X.

Early candidates have also been announced for the 2027 World Urban Car, World Luxury Car, and World Performance Car, although candidates for the World Electric Vehicle and World Car Design of the Year have yet to be confirmed.

Those competing for World Urban Car include the Chery Q, Cupra Raval, Exeed Exlantix ET, Geely EX2, Hyundai Bayon, Hyundai Ioniq 3, iCaur v23, Kia EV2, Kia Syros EV, Leapmotor T03, and Mercedes-Benz GLA.

Among the key contenders for the World Luxury Car are the Audi Q7, Avatr 07 and 07, BMW X5, Genesis GV80 Hybrid, Jaguar Type 01, Polestar 5, Range Rover GT, Xpeng X9, and Zeekr 9X. As for the World Performance Car, eligible models include the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and ZR1X, Genesis GV60 Magma, Kia EV4 GT, Lotus Eletre X, Lynk & Co 02, Zeekr 7GT, and Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric. We'll learn who takes home the crown for all of these categories on March 24, 2027.

2027 World Car of the Year

2027 World Urban Car

2027 World Luxury Car

2027 World Performance Car