Hyundai Wins Three 2026 What Car? Electric Car Awards, Including Best Electric Performance Car for IONIQ 6 N
Hyundai Motor won three honors at the 2026 What Car? Electric Car Awards, with the IONIQ 6 N named Best Electric Performance Car.
- 3
- 650 PS
- 302 miles
- 43.5 miles
What Happened
Hyundai Motor Company won three honors at the 2026 What Car? Electric Car Awards, announced on September 7, 2026, in Leatherhead, UK. The annual awards, decided by What Car?'s team of expert testers, celebrate the best new and used electrified vehicles on sale, from outright performance to value used cars. Hyundai's wins are Best Electric Performance Car for the IONIQ 6 N, Best Used Hybrid Family SUV for the TUCSON Plug-in Hybrid, and Best Used Hybrid Seven-Seat MPV for the previous-generation SANTA FE. This year's success builds on earlier What Car? recognition: the current SANTA FE was named Seven-Seat SUV of the Year for both 2026 and 2025, while IONIQ 5 N took the Technology Award and Best Electric Hot Hatch title in 2025.
“The Hyundai Motor UK range is defined both by its breadth and its depth. A great amount of thought goes into the usability and longevity of every single model, including its specific use-case as a family car, a performance car or anything in between. The decisions aren't just made to last a few years but for the long-term, resulting in cars that are just as desirable after ten years as they are brand new. This recognition from What Car? — a massively important automotive consumer champion – is a testament to all that work.”
IONIQ 6 N won Best Electric Performance Car. Its dual-motor powertrain produces up to 650 PS and 770 Nm of torque, enabling a 0-62 mph time of 3.2 seconds with N Launch Control and a top speed of 160 mph. An 84 kWh battery delivers up to 302 miles of WLTP range. Hyundai's N e-Shift virtual gearbox and N Active Sound+ system combine to replicate the engagement of a combustion-engined performance car.
“While plenty of electric cars are fast, IONIQ 6 N stands out because it combines its monstrous pace with a level of agility and driving fun that no rival can match. You can make the handling as placid or playful as you wish. And Hyundai's N eShift virtual gearbox brilliantly mimics the real thing, adding to the engagement and sense of control.”
The current TUCSON 1.6 T-GDi Plug-in Hybrid was named Best Used Hybrid Family SUV. It pairs a 1.6-liter T-GDi Smartstream engine with a 13.8 kWh battery, delivering a combined 288 PS and 379 Nm of torque with up to 43.5 miles of zero-emission electric range. That makes it a compelling purchase for family SUV buyers seeking lower running costs. Completing the hat-trick, the previous-generation SANTA FE — sold in the UK between 2018 and 2024 — was named Best Used Hybrid Seven-Seat MPV. Offered with a 1.6-liter T-GDi Hybrid producing 261 bhp alongside a Plug-in Hybrid option, the seven-seat family SUV remains covered by Hyundai Motor's five-year unlimited mileage warranty for cars up to five years old.
“The current Hyundai Tucson has always been one of the best family SUVs on sale, thanks to its generous spec and comfortable, user-friendly interior. What's more, the PHEV version delivers a good real-world electric range. Even though most of them will still be covered by the original manufacturer warranty, used examples are well priced.”
“If you can't afford a new Santa Fe — our reigning Seven-Seat SUV of the Year, no less — it's well worth considering the generation before. Large, practical and good value, it makes a brilliant family car. And, as with all Hyundais, there's the reassurance of the brand's strong reliability record and long warranty.”
Why this matters
These awards come from What Car?, a UK publication that bills itself as an automotive consumer champion, so the wins can guide buyers choosing among new and used electrified vehicles. The mix of a high-performance EV and two practical used hybrids shows Hyundai's range is judged to be desirable over the long term, not just at launch. For Hyundai, the results extend the recent success of its N electric performance line, following IONIQ 5 N's 2025 wins.
Terms in This Story
- Plug-in Hybrid
- A vehicle that combines a conventional engine with a rechargeable battery, enabling short zero-emission driving before the engine takes over.
- WLTP
- Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure, a standardized test used to estimate electric range and efficiency.
- PS
- Pferdestärke (metric horsepower), a unit used to measure engine power; 1 PS is roughly 0.986 hp.
- MPV
- Multi-Purpose Vehicle, a type of large passenger vehicle designed to carry many people and often used as a family car.
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