Could this year be the year a high-end sports car wins the Canadian Car of the Year award?

It’s certainly possible as the Porsche 911 Carrera is one of the three finalists for the award, but history is against it.

A look back at the past 10 winners (from most recent to oldest) – Honda Civic, Toyota Prius, BMW I4, Honda Civic, Mazda3, Mazda3, Kia Stinger, Honda Accord, Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen Alltrack, Honda Civic Sedan, Subaru Legacy – shows the awards favour more mainstream offerings. Vehicle price, after all, plays a role in vehicle scoring. Yet, there’s a chance.

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada revealed the finalists for the 2026 Canadian Car of the Year Awards at media day of the Montreal Auto Show on Thursday, Jan. 15.

There are four categories.

The finalists, in each category, are listed below.

Canadian Car of the Year:

• Honda Civic
• Hyundai Elantra
• Porsche 911 Carrera

Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year:

• Ford Maverick
• Hyundai Palisade
• Toyota RAV4

Canadian Electric Car of the Year:

• Lucid Air
• Porsche Taycan
• Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid

Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year:

• Hyundai Ioniq 9
• Kia EV9
• Lucid Gravity

The four winners, one per category, will be unveiled at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto on Thursday, Feb. 12.

AJAC said every 2026 model year vehicle was eligible for the awards, whether they were all-new or not in 2026. That included vehicles that were newly designed, refreshed or carried over from the previous year. That means nearly 400 vehicles were eligible for the 2026 CCOTY awards.

The awards are voted on by Canada’s automotive journalists who drive every vehicle they vote on.

More information is available at canadiancaroftheyear.ca.

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