By Gary S. Vasilash

The jurors of the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) awards made their decisions of the vehicles that take each of those categories, and it is hard to imagine that anyone would be particularly surprised by the vehicles that won the 2026 awards:

Car:                     Dodge Charger

Truck:                 Ford Maverick Lobo

Utility:                Hyundai Palisade

The Charger arrived on the scene initially as a two-door muscle car powered by a 670-hp electric propulsion system. But the Dodge faithful like the smell of gasoline, so there is a 550-hp six-cylinder engine they can opt for. (There is also a 420-hp version, but c’mon.) And there is also a four-door variant.

The presentation of the awards was made at the Detroit Auto Show in downtown Detroit, just about 20 minutes away from Ford World Headquarters, which is a convenience for the truck team at Ford, because with the win for the Maverick Lobo, this means Ford trucks have taken the Ed Welburn-designed trophy for six years running. And it is the second win for the Maverick as the original version of the truck got the nod in 2022.

The second-generation Hyundai Palisade, a three-row SUV with an adult-usable third row, has striking exterior design that wraps an interior with a level of design execution and material-appropriateness that would be impressive in a vehicle with a much higher starting MSRP: $38,935. For those who are at the Detroit Auto Show and looking at the three-row SUVs: start with the Palisade. It is simply the benchmark.

(Full disclosure: I am on the NACTOY jury.)