Renault 4 E-Tech grabs 2026 Car of the Year award – wins too for Hyundai Ioniq 9, Skoda Karoq and more

The Renault 4 E-Tech has been declared the 2026 Parkers Car of the Year, as Renault grabs three category wins too.

Legacy car makers are struggling to deliver EVs which grab buyers’ attention, but Renault seems to have found a winning formula by resurrecting badges and designs from their back catalogue and delivering them as more affordable EVs with real appeal.

The first big success was the new Renault 5 E-Tech, but its technically similar but more practical sibling, the Renault 4 E-Tech, is now taking the limelight and has been declared Parkers 2026 Car of the Year.

Not only has the R4 been voted COTY, it’s also grabbed the Best Small Family car award, with the Renault 5 E-Tech declared the Best First Car, and the Renault Scenic E-Tech Best Medium Family Car following its COTY win last year.

Adam Wood, Managing Director, Renault Group UK, said:

We’re incredibly pleased and proud to retain the ‘Car of the Year’ title and once again lead multiple categories at the Parkers New Car Awards. It’s testament to the consistency, accessibility and desirability of our electric range, Parkers recognising our line-up as being perfect for everyone from first-time drivers to families.

Away from Renault’s dominance of the Parkers awards, every single category winner – with the exception of the Mazda MX-5’s Best Fun Car gong and the Skoda Karoq’s Best Used Car win – was an EV.

The Best Large Family award went to the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer, Best Severn-Seater to the Hyundai Ioniq 9, Best Luxury Car to the BMW 7 Series/i7, Best Value Car to the Leapmotor T03, Best Used Car to the Skoda Karoq, Best Company Car to the Mercedes CLA and Best Disrupter Award to the CLA too, thanks to its 400-mile range.

Keith Adams, Editor of Parkers, said:

The results speak for themselves. Electric cars can meet the needs of real-world buyers, whether you’re choosing a first car, a family SUV or a luxury limousine. Range anxiety is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, and the cost gap between ICE and EVs is closing fast.