Hyundai builds on What Car? Awards legacy with 2026 wins for SANTA FE and IONIQ 6 N
- Hyundai SANTA FE named Seven-seat SUV of the Year by What Car?
- IONIQ 6 N recognised as Best Electric Performance Car
- Hyundai builds on a strong and consistent track record at the What Car? Awards
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Hyundai has continued its winning streak at the 2026 What Car? Awards, securing two further accolades for the multi-award-winning SANTA FE and the new IONIQ 6 N, which is available to order today.
The prestigious awards are held annually by the UK’s biggest car buying guide, and Hyundai has enjoyed notable success in recent years. SANTA FE in particular has established a strong track record with the judges and wins Best Seven-seat SUV at What Car Awards 2026. SANTA FE won the same award in 2025 and in 2024 won Best Hybrid Seven-seat SUV in What Car? Electric awards. The success also continues in 2026 with an award for Hyundai’s newest performance model, the IONIQ 6 N as Best Electric Performance Car, outperforming the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-Tron to win the title.
The awards have been decided by What Car?’s expert team of judges, who have driven hundreds of new cars over the past 12 months.
The Hyundai SANTA FE impressed judges once again with its accomplished blend of space, quality and versatility. Designed to suit modern families and active lifestyles, SANTA FE delivers exceptional practicality alongside premium comfort and advanced technology.
A spacious and flexible interior provides generous room across all three rows, with fully foldable second- and third-row seats offering excellent everyday usability. Its bold exterior design gives SANTA FE a distinctive road presence, while a wide range of convenience features and Hyundai Smart Sense Advanced Driver Assistance Systems ensure comfort, confidence and safety on every journey.
The striking, angular design of the latest Hyundai SANTA FE doesn’t just help it stand out from the SUV crowd visually – it contributes to it being a great seven-seater. The oblong side windows offer everyone inside a great view, while the car’s squared off rear end ensures that even those in the third row have loads of head room. Access is superb, too, thanks to wide-opening doors. And when it comes to the dynamics, Hyundai has put comfort first – just as you’d want with a car like this.
The IONIQ 6 N, which has been awarded a 5-star rating from the team at What Car?, was also recognised by the What Car? judges, receiving the Best Electric Performance Car award. The accolade marks an important early endorsement for Hyundai’s latest N model as it enters the UK market.
IONIQ 6 N builds on Hyundai N’s growing reputation in the electric performance space, following the success of the IONIQ 5 N, which won What Car?’s Technology Award in 2025 for its innovative N e-shift feature and was also named Best Electric Hot Hatch.
Like all electric performance cars, the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N is monstrously fast. However, unlike the vast majority of them, it disguises its weight brilliantly. It’s so keen to turn into corners that you’d swear it was pivoting around you. Plus, you can adjust its character to suit your mood, varying how playful it feels. On top of all this, Hyundai’s virtual N eShift ‘gearbox’ does a brilliant impression of the real thing, adding a level of engagement that’s missing from all other electric cars, aside from Hyundai’s own IONIQ 5 N.
SANTA FE’s continued success at the What Car? Awards demonstrates just how consistently strong the model has been for UK customers over several years. At the same time, it’s particularly encouraging to see the IONIQ 6 N recognised so early on, as it builds on the award-winning foundations laid by IONIQ 5 N and shows how our N performance DNA is translating into the electric era. Together, these awards highlight the depth and quality of the Hyundai range.
For more information on the Hyundai range, visit www.hyundai.co.uk.
For more on the What Car? Awards 2026, visit whatcar.com.
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