Maruti Victoris Wins The Indian Car Of The Year (ICOTY) 2026
The ICOTY 2026 Green Car Of The Year award was handed over to the Mahindra XEV 9e, while the Volkswagen Golf GTI has become the ICOTY 2026 Premium Car Of The Year
We saw a lot of new car launches in 2025, some of which also brought back old nameplates and new-generation models of popular offerings, including the Hyundai Venue. Following our story that covered all the nominees of the Indian Car Of The Year (ICOTY) 2026 awards, we now bring to you the list of winners from the three categories each.
Indian Car Of The Year (ICOTY) 2026: Maruti Victoris
The Maruti Victoris swept the top position, while the Skoda Kylaq and Mahindra XEV 9e took second and third place, respectively.
Other candidates for the ICOTY (overall) category were as follows:
| ICOTY 2026 (Overall) |
2025 Hyundai Venue |
| Tata Harrier EV |
|
| Kia Carens Clavis EV |
|
| Hyundai Creta Electric |
|
| Kia Syros |
ICOTY 2026 Green Car Of The Year: Mahindra XEV 9e
The Mahindra XEV 9e was crowned as the winner in this category, while the Kia Carens Clavis EV and BMW iX1 LWB took the remaining two spots.
Other candidates for the ICOTY 2026 Green Car Of The Year category were as follows:
| ICOTY 2026 Green Car Of The Year |
BYD Sealion 7 |
| MG Cyberster |
|
| Hyundai Creta Electric |
|
| Tata Harrier EV |
|
| 2025 Tesla Model Y |
ICOTY 2026 Premium Car Of The Year: Volkswagen Golf GTI
The ICOTY 2026 Premium Car Of The Year award was given to the Volkswagen Golf GTI. The following two awards from the same category were handed over to the Toyota Camry and BMW iX1 LWB.
Other candidates for the ICOTY 2026 Premium Car Of The Year category were as follows:
| ICOTY 2026 Premium Car Of The Year |
2025 Mercedes-Benz G-Class |
| 2025 Skoda Kodiaq |
|
| MG Cyberster |
|
| 2025 Skoda Octavia RS |
|
| 2025 BMW X3 |
More Details About ICOTY
The winners are decided by a jury of 20 auto journalists across all major publications in the country, which includes our very own, Head Of Content, Tushar Kamath. The winner is decided by voting on different criterias of the vehicle such as (but not limited to) styling, comfort, fuel efficiency, performance, safety, and price. The car achieving the top scores is declared the winner in its respective category.
What are your thoughts on the results of the ICOTY 2026? Tell us in the comments below.