Cadillac
American motorists have a seemingly endless list of products they can choose from, including the nearly 100 all-new and significantly updated products that will have debuted in 2025. Picking the right vehicle can be a daunting task – and that’s where the 50 U.S. and Canadian journalists on the NACTOY team come in.
Next January, they’ll announce their three choices for the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards. But the process of winnowing down the options began on Wednesday with the announcement of 30 semifinalists, a list including six passenger cars, five trucks and 19 utility vehicles. A list of finalists will be announced in November, with finalists being revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2026.
A Diverse List
“This line-up shows a lot of diversity. You have plenty of EVs. There are big vehicles like the heavy duty Ram 2500, and little ones like the Nissan Sentra,” said NACTOY President and Detroit radio journalist Jeff Gilbert. “It means consumers have a lot of choices, and so do jurors for whom (picking winners) won’t be easy.”
Now in its 32nd year, NACTOY has changed a lot over the decades. It initially debuted with a single “Car-of-the-Year” category, adding a separate truck award a few years later. With SUVs and crossovers rapidly becoming the most popular segment of the market, a utility vehicle category was added a decade ago.
Jurors considered adding a fourth category for electric vehicles but that’s no longer necessary, added Gilbert. “EVs are starting to go mainstream and hybrids are already very mainstream. EVs are no longer a special category. They now compete head-to-head with other powertrain options.”
Car-of-the-Year Semifinalists:
- Audi A5
- Dodge Charger
- Honda Prelude
- Kia K4 Hatchback
- Mercedes-Benz CLA
- Nissan Sentra
Cole Attisha
Truck-of-the-Year Semifinalists:
- Ford F-150 Lobo
- Ford Maverick Lobo
- Ram 1500 Hemi
- Ram 2500
- Rivian R1T Quad Motor
Utility-Vehicle-of-the-Year Semifinalists:
- Acura ADX
- Audi Q5
- Cadillac Escalade IQ
- Cadillac OPTIQ
- Cadillac VISTIQ
- Ford Expedition
- Genesis GV70
- Honda Passport
- Hyundai Ioniq 9
- Hyundai Palisade
- Jeep Cherokee
- Lucid Gravity
- Nissan Leaf
- Polestar 4
- Subaru Forester Hybrid
- Toyota 4Runner
- Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
- Volkswagen Tiguan
- Volvo EX30
Coming Up With the Winners
NACTOY is comprised of 50 journalists from the U.S. and Canada. (Note: I am one of those jurors.) The process of choosing the eventual winners begins early each year when they begin testing all the potential candidates. Following the release of the semifinalist list, jurors will gather in Ann Arbor, Michigan next month for a four-day series of road tests. They next will narrow the field down to three finalists in each category, a list to be announced late in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Winners will be announced on January 14,2026 during a ceremony marking the start of the annual Detroit Auto Show.
