All 2026 Wards 10 Best Powertrain Winners Are Electrified
For the first time since the awards began in 1995, no engine running on combustion alone made the Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems list: four battery-electric, four hybrid and two plug-in hybrid systems won.
WardsAuto has announced the 2026 Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems, and none of the ten winners runs on an internal-combustion engine alone. That has not happened before in a program that dates back to 1995. The list is made up of four battery-electric vehicles, four hybrids and two plug-in hybrids, chosen from 26 nominees.
What is on the list
The winners comprise seven CUVs, two sports cars and one sport wagon. They are built in five countries: three in Germany, three in Japan, two in the United States and one each in South Korea and Sweden. Prices start at $43,035 for the Nissan Rogue Hybrid and reach $242,060 for the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X, and seven of the ten carry stickers that average under $55,000. The Corvette is also the most powerful winner at 1,250 horsepower, pairing a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 with a 186-horsepower electric motor on the front axle. Also on the list is the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid, a hybrid with a 3.6-liter eTurbocharged flat-six.
Robin Warner, who manages the awards programs and sits on the jury, said the number of electrified vehicles among the nominees "tells a story in its own right" and that even sports cars now use electric assistance to engage drivers. Juror Drew Winter remarked that it is hard to believe buyers once thought of hybrids as slow and underpowered. Bob Gritzinger said hybrids are no longer niche products but an integral part of automakers' line-ups, and Gary Vasilash said that, given how many hybrids manufacturers now offer, their strong showing should surprise no one.
How the winners are chosen
Judges drove the 26 nominees in real-world conditions and scored each powertrain on horsepower, torque, the handling of noise, vibration and harshness, observed efficiency and innovative technology. Only new or significantly improved powertrains qualify, together with the previous year's winners. The jury then meets to weigh the combined scores against one question: does the powertrain or propulsion system sell the vehicle? Electrification first appeared on the list in 2001, when the first-generation Toyota Prius won, and in 2020 the competition was renamed to include "Propulsion Systems" to reflect the technology's growing role. The awards cover powertrains offered in vehicles on the U.S. market.
Source: WardsAuto