Video: The Best Cars of 2026

om's Best Car of 2026 is the redesigned all electric Nissan LEAF. Brian, we considered every redesigned and all new vehicle for this award. Looking at ones that offered great quality, innovation, and value, and few really combine those attributes like the new LEAF does. Yeah, I mean when you think about the old LEAF that this replaces, it's a boring EV commuter car. It's got poor range, poor charging capabilities, and this new LEAF is just anything but. We both know new cars have gotten pretty expensive, but with a starting price of less than $32,000, the new LEAF is actually pretty affordable. And with that, you get a stylish vehicle that offers really good range at that price point, around 303 miles. And that's enough to really go back and forth to work all week without having to charge. Plus you can do road trips with it. Yeah, 300 miles is sort of my baseline for where I feel comfortable on a road trip with an EV. But the thing that I really like about the LEAF is that it has a built-in NACS port on the other side, which means you can access Tesla's supercharger network without an adapter, which is really helpful when you're road tripping. We both know that. That's our preferred network when we're trying to get somewhere in an EV. And if you wanna charge at home, you have a port on this side too for level two home charging. So really useful to have ports on either side. Yeah, it really gives you some nice options, but it offers even more features and technology on the inside. You've got standard features like automatic climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 360 degree camera system which is super useful, especially if you're parking in tight spaces. Gives you a great view and really good resolution on the screen for that as well. Yeah, that's great to have. I also like a lot of the design cues that Nissan has brought to the new LEAF, they offer this interesting cloth on the dash, the ambient lighting. It brings a really futuristic look to the cabin that we already saw on the exterior. Plus there's these dual screens on the dash that enhance the look even more. You have one for the instrument cluster, the one for the multimedia system. They're clear and they're also easy to use. And if you get the optional system with Google built-in, another great feature that compliments the added range for road tripping is built-in charging planning. So if we want to go somewhere far away, exceed our level of charge, it will tell you how many charges you need, plot the route for it. Super convenient, super helpful, really reduces anxiety when you're road tripping in an EV. And with the LEAF's lower starting price, we wondered if it was gonna come up short in terms of its driving experience, but it really doesn't. It's comfortable, it's quick enough, it's easy to drive, it's just really easy to use. Yep. The LEAF is the total package of quality, innovation, and value. It really impressed us, and that's why the Nissan LEAF is Cars.com's Best Car of 2026. Congratulations to the 2026 Nissan LEAF on its impressive win. Next up is our Best Pickup Truck of 2026 award where the continued evolution of a Cars.com favorite has led to back-to-back wins. Hey, Connor. Hey, Aaron. See that badge on the side there? What's that look like? I do. Well, it looks like a RAMs had smashed onto what I'm gonna guess is a V8. That's true. That's exactly what it is. That's the symbol of protest. And that means that the 2026 RAM 1500 has a 5.7 liter HEMI V8 again. And that's one of the reasons that we named the new 26 RAM 1500 our Cars.com Best Pickup of 2026. But there's other reasons too. Man, how nice is it in there? I mean, for a lower, mid-range big horn trim, which this is, pretty nice. I mean, especially when you compare it to what is available at this level from other truck makers. But RAM has been good at the interiors for about a decade now. Yeah, they really have. They upped their game on interiors. And it's not just in the top luxury models. It's across the lineup, from the lowest Tradesman model all the way up to the luxury Tungsten trim, they're dynamite inside. Now, a note on that tungsten trim, it is about as nice inside as any luxury SUV could ever hope to be. And they really drive great too. They do drive well and it's not just about how nice they feel or how good they look, this is probably the most civilized driving full-sized pickup truck that you can buy today. Yeah. In a complimentary way, these drive kind of like very, very big crossover SUVs. This is the 5.7 liter HEMI V8 that returns to the RAM 1500 for '26. So this wasn't part of the lineup last year? No. They ditched the Hemi V8 in favor of straight 6, 3 liter turbocharged engines. The least powerful one was 420 horsepower. But RAM fans said, "Nope, we have to have the V8 even though it makes less horsepower and costs more money." I mean, what was the reason behind the big outcry for this return? Well, basically they wanted a truck to sound the way they thought a V8 pickup truck should sound. And what should a V8 pickup truck sound like? Oh, it should sound like this. (car engine revving) This thing, no matter how you spec it is a great vehicle overall. Yeah. And there are so many different ways that you can spec a RAM 1500. If you need to tow with it, there's a bunch of different towing packages. If you need to go off road, you can get the Rebel or the truly incredible F-150 Raptor Fighter, the RHO. If you need a basic work truck, there's the Tradesman. If you want a luxury liner, there's the Tungsten. So there's basically a RAM 1500 for just about everyone's needs. And especially if your needs involve your truck sounding like a muscle car. Yeah, we do welcome the return of the Hemi V8. It does make it sound spectacular, and it's for all of these reasons and more that we have named the RAM 1500, our Best Pickup of 2026. Congratulations to RAM on back-to-back wins for the best pickup category. But for the next one, the SUV category, well, we have a newcomer on the list that fought its way to the top by being one of the best well-rounded SUVs we've ever tested. Cars.com's Best SUV of 2026 is the Nissan Armada. Now Damon, when we pick best SUV, we're thinking about more than family duty. Absolutely. Yeah. Now the Armada is totally capable of those daily driver family hauling duties, but let's say you want more than that. Say you wanna go camping, you wanna tow a big boat, you wanna do some off-roading that's more than just a gravel road, the Armada can handle all that as well. It really is a well-rounded vehicle. And here's some more reasons our editors chose it as our best SUV. One of the biggest reasons the Armada was chosen by our editors is this incredible interior. It's comfortable, it's spacious, it's very nicely appointed. Got tons of great features. Just a really great place to be. Yeah. And you're 6'1, you are in the third row, not claustrophobic. Just good space back there. And again, this is not the top luxury trim level. This is a PRO-4X. And look at this upholstery. Nice contrast stitching, just great materials quality, fantastic ambiance overall. And there are tons of great features in here like this center console that still leaves a pass through to the third row. Great third row features, power reclining, power folding, charge ports, air vents in the ceiling that as someone who gets motion sick, I really love having that air blown on my face. Yep. And we haven't even gotten to the best part yet. That's right. Upfront, physical controls instead of everything in a touch screen, which we really like physical controls best, and really nice digital instrument panel and infotainment screen as well. And just to double down on the physical controls upfront, it's something we always harp on as car reviewers because physical controls are the most user friendly no matter what you're doing, especially when you're driving. Absolutely. A lot of our modest competition has moved to touchscreen controls and just unconventional layouts that aren't as simple and easy to use when you're driving. And also simple and easy to use are the displays, the digital instrument panel, and the touchscreen display. Crisp, clear, excellent, up to date. Yep. The Armada standard twin-turbo V6 delivers plenty of power and it delivers it smoothly. Great to drive and it helps it tow up to 8,500 pounds, which can be some pretty big toys. And you can get it in this excellent PRO-4X off-road trim, which we found plenty capable when we've taken it off the pavement. For sure. And if you're more about on-pavement performance, the new performance-oriented Nismo trim has a little bit more oomph and a lot more visual pizazz, we'll call it. Definitely not for everybody, but I'm glad it exists. Yeah, the point is if you're looking for a full sized SUV, there's an Armada for you, and even better news, across the board, it's more affordable than competitors, which is just a really nice bonus. So great power, great capability, fantastic cabin, and a very competitive price. And that's why the Nissan Armada is Cars.com's Best SUV of 2026. Congratulations to the Nissan Armada. Now it's time for our best family car, which goes to a family SUV with a lot of thoughtful touches to help make transporting your crew easier. Jennifer, we've each been reviewing cars for 20 years and in that time we've gone from reviewing cars without a family to both having our own families and reviewing cars. Yes. During that time our needs have changed a lot as three kids have joined my family and two kids have joined your family. And what's become really important are safety, room for people and all of their stuff, and family friendly features. Yeah. I never thought I'd be so passionate about how well car seats fit in cars, but it makes a huge difference and it's one of the reasons why the Hyundai Santa Fe is Cars.com's Best Family Car of 2026. So the Santa Fe size is really what's genius about this car. It's a tweener, you know it's not a compact SUV, and it's not a full-blown, three row SUV. Yeah. And my twins fit really well in the Santa Fe, especially in the third row where there's plenty of space for adults and kids. But just because it is roomy inside doesn't mean that it drives like a big bus. No, what I really like because I have small kids is how it's actually pretty low to the ground, so it's easy to get in and get out of. And you are our certified car seat technician. You found a lot to like about how car seat fits in our official test. Yep. It's got easy access latch anchors for drama free installation, and then plenty of leg room for the rear facing car seats that take up so much space. One thing we both need young kids, old kids, cargo space. So the Santa Fe shape is what gives it so much room on the inside because it's very squared off and both you and I greatly appreciate what it fits back here. Yeah. This big boxy shape translates to a lot of space. We even fit a double stroller behind the third row of seats, which would've been really handy for me with my twin. And this is not something that every SUV can do. No, there's a lot of family friendliness in the cargo area but also on the inside. So let's check out some of the family friendly features on the inside. One of the only times my kids have been excited to throw away trash is with this rear center console bin that slides out. We use it as a trash can. And then also for rear passengers, you get easy access to the front storage because this bin opens both ways. So handy. One of my favorite features, selfishly, are these dual available wireless cell phone chargers because then I don't have to share. Yeah, it's so nice on road trips. And when you're distracted on a road trip because everyone's yelling at you, well, this car comes standard with front and rear parking sensors, which is just great for parking. And a lot of the features that we love in the Santa Fe come standard even on lower trim levels: you've got convenience goodies, safety tech, and then you've also got great crash test scores. And for families looking for Butterfield economy, a hybrid version is available. Yeah. And for those reasons and more, the Hyundai Santa Fe is Cars.com Best Family Car of 2026. Congratulations to the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe. Now if you need three rows but you also want it to be an EV, stay tuned to our next award the Best EV of 2026. Boy, it seems like we just can't keep the Kia EV9 outta Cars.com's best of lineup because here it is, it's the Kia EV9. Yeah, our staffers have pretty much universal praise for this thing. The combination of comfort, and convenience, and electric range, and just sheer character makes it really difficult for us to actually vote for anything else in this category. And that is all that much more impressive given that we have owned one now for over years, a long-term test vehicle. And at this point I don't think it's too hot of a take to say that this is probably the best all electric 3-row SUV that you can buy, which is why the Kia EV9 is Cars.com's Best EV for 2026. The best part about the EV9 is that it is a very usable family-friendly vehicle that just so happens to be an excellent EV, and any EV worth it's lithium, has a solid range and in this, depending on battery trim and motor configurations, you've got between 230 and 305 miles of range. And when that battery is dead, you've got a lot of good charging options as well. It's got an 800-volt architecture, which means that if you can put it on a 350 kilowatt charger the thing can go from 10% to 80% battery state of charge in about 25 minutes. Or new for 26', it's got a Tesla-style max connector now, which means it's gonna open up a lot of the Tesla supercharger network, which should be pretty handy on road trips. And because you can get this in dual motor configuration, it's not too slow either. No, it's actually a lot of fun to drive, especially for a family vehicle. Now flipping back to the family-friendly aspect of this, other than the Kia's direct sibling, the Hyundai Ionic 9, there really isn't anything in this price range that does what the Kia does. Yeah. It starts at about $56,000, and it still comes very well equipped at that price, but it's not just the family-friendly features, it's the electric vehicle features too that have really sold us on this thing to get that same level of room and utility in an electric SUV. So you have to go to a luxury brand like Rivian, or Lucid, or Mercedes-Benz. Yeah, absolutely. And during our long-term testing, I mean, we have whole tons of people, tons of gear, we've towed with it. We love the materials, we love the modularity. Kind of the surprise and delight feature spread out throughout the cabin. No matter which way you spec it, the EV9 remains one of the most versatile and well-rounded EVs on the market, and we are thrilled to crown the Kia EV9 as Cars.com's Best EV for 2026. Now that marks two years in a row that the Kia EV9 has won the Best EV award, which brings us nicely into the last category, which is the Best Luxury Car for 2026, just so happens to be an EV as well. When we think about what makes a good luxury vehicle, it's gotta have an opulent and coddling cabin, it's gotta have refined road manners. And the 2026 Cadillac Escalade IQ does both of those things and adds a huge wow factor. I'm so excited to talk about this car. I spent hundreds of miles in the IQ and it was everything we expect from an Escalade, a gas-powered Escalade except in an EV. Absolutely. And for those reasons and more, we named the Cadillac Escalade IQ Cars.com's Best Luxury vehicle of 2026. We're inside the Escalade IQ and it is gorgeous in here. A lot of luxury EVs will actually make a sacrifice between technology and interior quality, but that's not the case. Yeah, that's definitely not the case. It nails the premium vibe, and it also nails the sweet spot between tech that's slick but also tech that's easy to use. It does both. One highlight is this dramatically curved 55 inch screen, straightforward to use. Another highlight is the rear entertainment system, touchscreen, also straightforward to use. Yeah, it is so great. My kids will not stop talking about this car. They keep asking me to bring it home and, hey, after the shoot I'm happy to. One thing I loved though was the AKG stereo. Now many luxury cars, you turn up the volume, the door panels start vibrating. There's this looseness of the interior. In this car, nothing. It is so well put together that just matches perfectly with the stereo. No vibrations, no noise, only the sound that you wanna hear. Speaking of noise, there is none in here. This cabin is silent. There's isolation from the wind and road. That's great. And then there's just no noise 'cause it's an EV. Yeah, there are other attributes of it being an EV that make it a good luxury car including power. And the IQ is quick with 750 horsepower, acceleration is super strong. And thanks to its huge battery range is strong too with 465 miles. What's really interesting about that rated range is that I sailed right past that 465 mark. I drove 540 miles on a single charge going from Chicago suburbs to Ann Arbor, Michigan and back. I did that with great sacrifices to my personal comfort by not using climate control, but it was very easy to extract that extra miles of range from the Escalade IQ. That is so impressive. And just because it's gigantic doesn't mean that it's not maneuverable. Thanks to four wheel steering, it drives like a much smaller vehicle. Yeah, the four wheel steering may seem like a party trick, but it is so useful. You can fit in spots you would not imagine with that feature. On the whole, the Cadillac Escalade IQ really brings it on a lot of levels. It's quiet, it's luxurious, it's powerful, and it has a ton of range. For all those reasons, that's why we named it Cars.com's Best Luxury Car of 2026. If you wanna read more about the Escalade IQ as well as all of our award winners, be sure to head to cars.com/awards. (upbeat music)