The seven finalist cars put to the test by the Italian jurors of The Car of The Year award

The Car of The Year award is now in its final stages. The seven finalists selected by the jury that will award the Car of the Year 2026 prize are for this year, the following: Citroën C5 Aircross, Dacia Bigster, Fiat Grande Panda, Kia EV4, Mercedes CLA, Renault R4 E-Tech and Škoda Elroq. The Italian jurors coordinated by the monthly magazine Auto, which is the organiser together with seven other European magazines, tested the seven finalist cars in different driving situations using part of the tracks at the Balocco Experimental Centre, which is owned by the Stellantis group.

The seven finalist cars were subjected to various tests, starting with the infamous moose test held at a speed of 50 km/h to assess the car's reaction in the event of a sudden obstacle to be avoided. It is tackled with hard braking followed by a double-take of the obstacle to get an idea of the car's stability in critical conditions. Added to this was the slalom between the skittles at 30 km/h to test responsiveness when changing direction, another of the challenging manoeuvres. The other test took place on different pavements.

Another of the tests to realise the validity of the car took place on cobblestones and uneven terrain where the assembly and behaviour of the car's joint chassis and shock absorber system are put to the test. The final test was completed with a drive on a route through the Langhe. Six kilometres of a track simulating the typical roads of the Piedmontese hills, rich as it is known in ups and downs, fast bends and short straights, which served to assess the overall behaviour of the cars both in acceleration and braking.