10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Nissan Armada Conquers, Kia EV9 Electrifies
If you’re shopping for an SUV in 2026, Cars.com’s experts have — as they do with every new model year — narrowed the field for you by identifying the best of the best. Whether you’re in the market for a large, mid-size or compact SUV, this year’s finalists run the gamut: The 2026 Toyota RAV4 won big among small SUVs and the 2026 Honda Passport found the middle ground, while proving large and in charge was the 2026 Nissan Armada — vanquishing all 13 fellow nominees to earn its title as the Best SUV of 2026, according to our judges.
Related: See More of Cars.com’s Best Of Awards
The Armada’s all-around SUV-ness cinched the title for it, with utility and versatility at the top of its scorecard. Despite comfortably being the priciest, the Armada is actually cheaper at the base than its chief rivals in the full-size space. In addition to a spacious, thoughtfully appointed interior with abundant comfort and convenience, it boasts an accommodating 8,500-pound max towing capacity and stellar safety ratings. There’s also a trim for every taste, including the luxurious Platinum Reserve, Pro-4X off-roader and performance-focused NISMO.
For the full story on why the 2026 Nissan Armada is the bonafide Best SUV of 2026 — including details on all 14 vehicles nominated for the honor — follow the link below to the No. 1 news story on this week’s countdown of most read articles.
Elsewhere in top-recommended cars of the year, our judges also named the 2026 Kia EV9 the Best Electric Vehicle of 2026. The EV9 scores with its efficiency and livability, offering comfort, convenience and configurability, along with highly competitive driving range on a charge, speedy charge times and a standardized charge port opening up Tesla’s robust Supercharger network to Kia owners. That’s in addition to a (relatively) affordable starting price of $56,495 (destination included). On its way to the rostrum, the EV9 passed fellow finalists the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 5 compact electric SUV and 2026 Nissan Leaf subcompact electric SUV in addition to eight other nominees for the honor.
For the full story on how the 2026 Kia EV9 earned the title of Best Electric Vehicle of 2026 — including details on all 11 vehicles that qualified for the award — follow the link below to the No. 2 news story of the week.
Beyond all that, we’ve got headlines on the Cadillac Escalade IQ, Ram 1500, Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid, Chevrolet Trax, Mercedes-EQ EQE320+ and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
2. Best Electric Vehicle of 2026
7. Here Are the 10 Cheapest New Cars You Can Buy Right Now
8. These Are the Best Hybrid and EV Deals Available Now
9. The 2026 Chevrolet Trax Packs a Bit of Personality and a Lot of Value: Review
10. Slashed Pricing Makes 2026 Mercedes-EQ EQE320+ SUV More Appealing: Review
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