The SA Car of the Year sponsored by Old Mutual Insure has selected 18 #sacoty2026 finalists from more than 55 new and qualifying vehicles launched in 2025. The 18 finalists were shortlisted after extensive consideration by SA COTY's expert Jury, each vehicle was assessed for quality, safety, performance and suitability for South African conditions. Finalists will now advance to a rigorous three-day evaluation and scoring process.
These are the 18 finalists that have made it to last stages of the competition in no particular order :
Congratulations to Alfa Romeo JUNIOR for reaching the Finalist round of the SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations to Audi South Africa - both the Audi A5 and
Audi RS Q8 are finalists in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations BMW South Africa - The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe is a finalist in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations BYD South Africa - Both the BYD Dolphin Surf and
the BYD Shark are finalists in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations Chery South Africa - The Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV is a finalist in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations Land Rover South Africa - The Defender OCTA is a finalist in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations Leapmotor - The C10REEV is a finalist in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations Opel South Africa - The Opel Grandland is a finalist in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations GWM HAVAL South Africa - The GWM HAVAL H7 is a finalist in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations Jetour South Africa - The Jetour T2 is a finalist in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations Lexus South Africa - The Lexus GX is a finalist in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations OMODA South Africa - The Omoda C7 is a finalist in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations Volvo Car South Africa - The Volvo EX90 is a finalist in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations Volkswagen Both the VW Golf 1.4TSI and
VW Tayron are finalists in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
Congratulations Hyundai South Africa - The Santa Fe is a finalist in the 2026 SA Car of the Year competition.
All finalists will be tested by Jury members of the South African Guild Of Motoring Journalists in the month of March this year through various on road and track focused testing conditions. Once the rigorous testing and all test score are carefully compiled, the winner will be announced in May 2026. Until then, Good luck to all the brands nominated!