Every winner on the 2026 Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems list uses electric power in some form. Specifically, four are battery-electric, four are hybrids and two are plug-in hybrids. According to Wards, that has never happened since the program began in 1995.
Wards editors chose the 10 from 26 nominees and announced them on October 13. Together, their prices run from a $43,035 Nissan crossover to a $242,060 Chevrolet Corvette. Gasoline engines did make the list, but only as part of a hybrid system.
Here are the winners, how Wards picks them and why this year’s result breaks with three decades of the award.
The 2026 Wards 10 Best Engines winners
Wards groups its winners by powertrain type. It does not rank them, so no single vehicle “won” the list. The WardsAuto announcement names these 10:
- Battery-electric: Mercedes-Benz GLC 400 4Matic Electric, Rivian R2 Performance, Subaru Trailseeker and Volvo EX60 P10 AWD, each with two motors.
- Hybrid: Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X (5.5-liter twin-turbo V8), Hyundai Palisade Hybrid (2.5-liter turbo four), Nissan Rogue Hybrid (1.5-liter turbo three) and Porsche 911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid (3.6-liter eTurbo flat six).
- Plug-in hybrid: BMW M5 Touring (4.4-liter turbocharged V8) and Toyota RAV4 PHEV GR Sport (2.5-liter four).
By body style, Wards counts seven crossovers, two sports cars and one sport wagon. Also, three come from Germany and three from Japan. Meanwhile, two are American, one is South Korean and one is Swedish.
Gasoline remains, inside the hybrids
Still, the headline result doesn’t mean combustion engines vanished from the list. In fact, six winners burn gasoline. However, each pairs its engine with electric motors and a battery.
The most powerful example is the Corvette ZR1X. Wards lists its 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 with a 186-hp electric motor driving the front axle, for 1,250 hp combined. At $242,060, it is also the most expensive winner. Similarly, Porsche’s 911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid uses an electrically assisted turbocharger on its 3.6-liter flat six.
At the other end, the Nissan Rogue Hybrid is the least expensive winner at $43,035. Indeed, Wards says seven of the 10 winners carry an average sticker price under $55,000. So this is not only a list of expensive halo cars.
How Wards picks the 10 Best Engines
First, Wards editors drive each nominee in real-world conditions. They score each powertrain on horsepower, torque, noise and vibration control, observed fuel or energy efficiency, and new technology. Only all-new or significantly improved powertrains can enter, along with the previous year’s returning winners.
Then the judges meet to compare combined scores. Wards says they answer one guiding question: “Does this powertrain or propulsion system sell the vehicle?”
Robin Warner manages the Wards 10 Best programs and serves as a juror. He said the number of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles among the nominees “tells a story in its own right.” Juror Bob Gritzinger, meanwhile, said the shift reflects a market moving away from more than a century of pure combustion power.
How the Wards 10 Best Engines list got here
Wards started the program in 1995. Electrification first appeared on the list in 2001, according to Wards, when the first-generation Toyota Prius hybrid won. Later, in 2020, Wards renamed the award “Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems”.
Wards says the trend began accelerating nearly a decade ago, and 2026 is the first year with no winner powered solely by an internal-combustion engine.
A first-year winner from Subaru
One battery-electric winner is brand new. The Subaru press release says the Trailseeker made the list in its first year on sale. Its two motors make 375 hp combined, and it uses a 74.7-kWh lithium-ion battery.
Warner also praised the electric crossover in that release. “Its 375 horsepower combined with immediate electric powertrain response always satisfies,” he said.
As a result, the record for 2026 is clear. Wards evaluated 26 powertrains, picked 10, and for the first time in the program’s history, none of them runs on gasoline alone.
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