The BMW iX3 has been crowned the World Car of the Year for 2026 at an awards ceremony in New York last week.
An international jury of 98 motor journalists named the iX3 as the winner ahead of 57 competing vehicles across all powertrain categories. That jury also named the iX3 as the World Electric Vehicle of the Year.
This marks the 10th and 11th title for the BMW Group since 2003. On sale now in Ireland, the new iX3 is the first of BMW's 'Neue Klasse' models. It promises a range of up to 805km, battery charging at up to 400kW and an energy consumption of just 17.9–15.1kWh/100km.
Mike Reichelt, head of the Neue Klasse project at BMW, said that the iX3 marks the "beginning of a new era" for the brand.
"We are delighted by this outstanding result for the BMW iX3, the first production model of the Neue Klasse.
"The iX3 marks the beginning of a new era for BMW in terms of design language, range and charging performance, driver assistance systems, and the user experience with the first-ever BMW Panoramic iDrive.
"Above all, the iX3 stands for the next generation of sheer driving pleasure, powered by the heart of joy. With 40 new or updated models coming in the next year, the innovations of the Neue Klasse will benefit our entire product portfolio."
