Das Goldene Lenkrad 2026: Every Winner of Germany's Car Awards
Kia, BMW and Skoda were the big names at the 50th Golden Steering Wheel awards, presented in Berlin on 10 November by the German titles Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag. Kia took three trophies, a first for a non-European brand, while the new BMW i3, the Skoda Epiq and the Volkswagen ID. Polo also won, Auto Bild reported the same evening.
Key takeaways
- 79 nominated models were cut to 27 finalists, three in each of nine classes, by a reader vote.
- A 23-member jury tested the finalists at the DEKRA Lausitzring using 19 criteria.
- Kia won with the EV2, EV5 and K4 Sportswagon; Skoda won two classes with the Epiq and Peaq.
- The Ferrari Luce took the innovation prize and Toto Wolff received the Motorsport Award.
The class winners
Electric cars won six of the nine vehicle classes. The full list:
| Class | Winner |
|---|---|
| Small car | Opel Corsa GSE |
| Small SUV | Skoda Epiq |
| Compact | Kia K4 Sportswagon |
| Compact SUV | Kia EV5 |
| Mid-size | BMW i3 |
| Upper mid-size | Genesis GV60 Magma |
| Luxury | Mercedes-Benz S-Class |
| Sports car | BMW M2 CS |
| Family car | Skoda Peaq |
The editors' price awards went to the VW ID. Polo as the best car under 25,000 euros, the Kia EV2 under 30,000 euros and the Mazda CX-5 under 35,000 euros, all for the 2026 awards. The Audi A4 Avant won the used-car category, and the Mercedes SL, Porsche Carrera GT and Audi 100 C3 were honoured as historic winners.
How the cars were judged
The process mixes a public vote with track and road testing. Readers chose the 27 finalists from 79 nominated new models, and the jury of racing drivers, journalists and engineers, including Sébastien Ogier and David Schumacher, drove them at the Lausitzring. Criteria ranged from steering precision and braking to everyday usability, quality and value, and the family cars were also tested away from the circuit. Kia said the EV5 beat the Audi Q3 and Cupra Formentor VZ5, while the K4 Sportswagon beat the VW ID.3 Neo and Cupra Born.
The winners in numbers
Several of the winners are brand-new names. The Kia EV2, built in Zilina, Slovakia, is 4.06 m long with up to 453 km of range, and gives Kia its eighth Golden Steering Wheel since the XCeed won in 2019. The EV5 offers more than 550 km of range and up to 1,800 kg of towing capacity, while the K4 Sportswagon, nearly 4.70 m long, has a 604-litre boot and engines from 85 to 132 kW. The ID. Polo, which went on to win German Car of the Year 2027 a day later, starts at 24,995 euros in Germany in 2026 and covers up to 454 km on a charge.
What it means for buyers
The awards are a jury verdict rather than a crash or reliability test, but the price categories are a useful shortlist for German and European buyers on a budget. The Kia catalogue and the Volkswagen Polo history give background on two of the biggest winners, and the list of the best electric cars puts the electric winners in context. Buyers looking at the price winner under 35,000 euros in 2026 can compare it with the earlier Mazda CX-5 generations still on the used market.
Sources
- Auto Bild: Goldenes Lenkrad 2026: Gewinner aller Fahrzeugklassen (10 Nov 2026) (accessed 12 Nov 2026)
- Hyundai Motor Group newsroom: Triumph for Kia at the Golden Steering Wheel 2026 Awards (10 Nov 2026) (accessed 12 Nov 2026)
- CleanTechnica (VW release): ID. Polo Wins Golden Steering Wheel, Autonis Design Award and German Car of the Year 2027 (11 Nov 2026) (accessed 12 Nov 2026)
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