Hyundai Motor wins double victory at 2026 What Car? Awards with Santa Fe and IONIQ 6 N
Hyundai Motor Company won two major awards at the 2026 What Car? Awards, with the Santa Fe named Seven-seat SUV of the Year and the IONIQ 6 N named Best Electric Performance Car.
2
What Happened
Hyundai Motor Company earned two top honors at the 2026 What Car? Awards: the Santa Fe was named Seven-seat SUV of the Year, and the IONIQ 6 N won Best Electric Performance Car. The awards, judged through rigorous independent testing, recognize Hyundai's strengths in design, innovation, performance, and usability across different vehicle categories.
- Family-friendly design with spacious three-row seating and fold-flat functionality
- Advanced safety and convenience technologies paired with bold exterior design
- Builds on previous awards for both conventional and electrified versions
- Demonstrates Hyundai N's performance DNA in the electric era
- Judges praised its dynamic balance, driver engagement, and advanced performance technologies
- Follows the success of the IONIQ 5 N, showing growing dominance in high-performance EVs
Why this matters
The What Car? Awards are based on rigorous independent testing, so these wins validate Hyundai's ability to deliver top-tier vehicles across different segments, from family SUVs to high-performance EVs.
Terms in This Story
- What Car? Awards
- Annual automotive awards by What Car? magazine, known for rigorous independent testing and expert jury evaluations.
- Hyundai N
- Hyundai's high-performance sub-brand, known for driver-focused cars with motorsport-inspired technology.
- EV
- Electric vehicle, powered by electric motors and batteries instead of gasoline.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.