DRIVEN · NACTOY

Judging Harshly: Who Will Win the 2027 Car, Truck and SUV of the Year Awards?

Greetings from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Fall is when members of the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year jury gather in our secret lair, slip into smoking jackets, and argue feverishly over which is best: synthetic or natural leather.

OK, the secret lair is Weber’s. And we don’t even have logo T-shirts, let alone smoking jackets. As for the upholstery, the synthetic stuff is pretty tough to beat these days. Just sayin’.

Who are these NACTOY judges? Automotive journalists from the United States, Canada and, for the first time, Mexico. If you’re into cars—and you’re here, so I’m assuming you are—you’ve probably read, watched or listened to their work. You’ll find it in Car and Driver, MotorTrend, WardsAuto, Automotive News, The New York Times, and across YouTube and social media. You know, where people get their information these days.

NACTOY has recognized outstanding new vehicles since 1994. It operates independently of any single publication, with jurors evaluating innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, user experience, driver satisfaction and value.

In my video, I profile 13 of the vehicles on hand. Some are just beginning to trickle into showrooms. There are chapters, so you can watch the whole thing or jump directly to the vehicles that interest you.

To make the most of my time as a juror, I concentrated on vehicles I hadn’t already reviewed. If you’re looking for the Kia K4 hatchback, Mazda CX-5, Jeep Cherokee, Chevrolet Bolt, Kia Seltos or Audi A6, those reviews are on my YouTube channel. There’s a Ram TRX video in the works, too.

The video largely speaks for itself. I’ll use this space for a few observations that didn’t fit into the moving pictures.

First, SUVs dominate. Hardly breaking news, but seeing the field assembled in one parking lot makes the point rather emphatically. Cars and pickups have become the supporting cast. SUVs are what the market demands. Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just holding the camera.

And while we automotive writers continue to chronicle the slowdown in EV sales, manufacturers have a fresh crop of electric vehicles heading our way. Really excellent ones too.

I spent quality time with the BMW iX3, Chevrolet Bolt, Jeep Recon, Rivian R2, Lexus ES 500e, Genesis GV60 Magma, Kia EV3 and Volvo EX60. It wouldn’t surprise me to see one or two take home a prize.

Nothing drives home the quietness and refinement of an electric powertrain quite like jumping between battery-electric and internal-combustion vehicles several times a day. Even some of the group’s committed petrolheads acknowledged the advantage. Engines still have their charms. But electric motors make a persuasive argument without raising their voices.

I’m always impressed by how seriously my fellow jurors take the evaluation process. Everyone has a method. Some carry laptops loaded with spreadsheets. Others prefer a pen and notebook. I record observations directly onto my footage while the impressions are fresh. It’s quick, thorough, and gives me one fewer thing to leave in a cupholder.

We question manufacturers’ representatives. We compare notes. We drive some more.

Naturally, our priorities vary. Some jurors place more weight on driving dynamics. Others focus on technology, practicality, value or design. The challenge is weighing those qualities against what each vehicle promises its buyers—and how well it delivers.

Over meals during the two and a half days, I began to hear some common themes. Opinions differ, but certain vehicles keep coming up. The cream rises to the top, as it were. We’ll see how closely my ballot aligns with everyone else’s when the finalists are announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

Don’t see your favorite vehicle? There are several possible explanations.

Eligibility starts with being new or substantially redesigned. A few fresh trim pieces and an ambitious press release won’t do it. Vehicles also have to meet the competition’s on-sale requirements, so launch timing matters. And being eligible doesn’t guarantee advancing: jurors vote to narrow the field before gathering in Michigan.

For the vehicles that don’t make the cut, that’s gotta sting.

There’s also something new this year: the North American Automotive Technology of the Year award. I’ll cover that in a separate video.

Look for the vehicle finalists at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November and the winners at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2027.

Until then, there’s more driving to do. The smoking jackets will have to wait.