U.S. News & World Report, a leading global source for rankings and consumer guidance, has announced its 2026 Best Hybrid and Electric Cars awards. Even as electric vehicle incentives phase out, demand for hybrids and electrified vehicles continues to rise, largely driven by increasing fuel costs. This year’s program features 15 expanded categories and honors 19 winners recognized for their strong balance of quality, efficiency, and overall value.

According to Tony Markovich, senior editor for autos at U.S. News, rising fuel expenses are pushing consumers to explore more electrified options than ever before. He noted that the updated awards aim to guide buyers toward cost-effective vehicles they’ll genuinely enjoy, while the expanded categories better reflect a wider range of consumer needs. The selected winners distinguish themselves through sustainability, advanced features, and strong value propositions.

With the growing availability of electrified vehicles, the awards now segment categories by size to help buyers find models suited to their lifestyles. While smaller hybrids may offer superior efficiency, they don’t meet every need. Today’s market includes subcompact, compact, and midsize hybrid SUVs, along with multiple EV and luxury vehicle classes. Reflecting shifting family preferences toward eco-friendly and cost-saving transportation, a new category—Best Hybrid Minivan—has also been introduced for 2026.

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation emerged as top performers, each securing three awards. The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid and Hyundai Ioniq 5 both earned their third consecutive wins in the Best Compact Hybrid SUV and Best Compact Electric SUV categories, respectively, while the Hyundai Ioniq 9 claimed top honors in the midsize electric SUV segment.

Kia also delivered strong results in the hybrid SUV space. The Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid won Best Compact Plug-In Hybrid SUV for the second time, and the Kia Niro achieved its fifth win as Best Subcompact Hybrid SUV. The redesigned 2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid captured its first title in the Best Midsize Hybrid SUV category, supported by its high-quality interior and advanced technology.

Additional standout performers include the Nissan Leaf, recognized as Best Subcompact Electric SUV, and the Mazda CX-90 PHEV, which earned Best Midsize Plug-In Hybrid SUV. The Toyota Sienna secured the inaugural Best Hybrid Minivan award thanks to its impressive interior and fuel efficiency, while the Toyota Camry was named Best Midsize Hybrid Car. The Honda Civic Hybrid also earned its first win as Best Compact Hybrid Car, praised for its performance, practicality, efficiency, and safety features.

Among returning categories, the Lucid Air retained its position as Best Luxury Electric Car, and the Rivian R1T was named Best Electric Truck for the first time. Meanwhile, the Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid achieved its debut victory as Best Luxury Hybrid SUV.

To determine the winners, U.S. News assessed 138 hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles across both mainstream and luxury segments. The evaluation considered EPA data on fuel economy and driving range, pricing, and expert reviews from the automotive press, including in-house analysts. Ultimately, each winning vehicle stood out within its category for delivering a compelling mix of quality, efficiency, and value.

Zerova, an EV charging solutions provider, has announced a new service and maintenance collaboration with Comfort in Sweden. Through this agreement, Comfort will act as Zerova’s local partner for after-sales support, helping improve response times and ensuring reliable, long-term service for customers throughout the country.

With extensive on-the-ground expertise, Comfort is well-positioned as both an installer and service provider. Under the partnership, it will concentrate on delivering maintenance and support services, giving Swedish customers a streamlined support system and dependable local assistance.

“Partnering with a strong local service provider is key to maintaining customer trust and operational efficiency,” said Brian Huang, Business Operations Director at Zerova. “Comfort’s established presence in Sweden enables us to offer quicker response times and consistent long-term performance for our customers.”

“High-quality service becomes increasingly important as the EV charging sector expands,” said Mattias Lindgren, Head of National Business at Comfort. “We are pleased to collaborate with Zerova and provide customers in Sweden with structured maintenance and hands-on local expertise.”

The partnership is already underway, with service operations now active across Sweden to support customers nationwide.

Across the globe, sale of electric vehicles saw brisk sales in 2022, with 2 million EVs being sold in the first quarter of this year, up by 75% compared to the same quarter last year. Demand for eco-friendly mobility options are steadily increasing despite supply chain disruptions. Ecologically conscious consumers and increasing government regulations on EV are shaping the future of a green transportation industry.

The U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is expected to fund significant spending on electric vehicle charging stations. Manufacturers worldwide, including startups, are racing full speed, bolstered by recent investments totaling to $72 billion in the US and $50 billion in Asia, according to IDC.

EVs are steering the entire automotive ecosystem towards an innovative, technology-driven business model. 

EV startups are jumping on advanced technologies and are reinventing internal and external supply chains. One shining example is ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp, a North American EV manufacturer that’s digitalizing operations from finance through services to drive the company’s aggressive growth plans. 

The company’s flagship vehicle, a single-seater. 3-wheeled EV SOLO that offers a unique driving experience.

“The unique two-door, single-passenger design offers drivers agility and safety, as they can enter and exit from either door, making it ideal for activities like pizza deliveries, security, and parking enforcement,” said Jim Gwynn, director of Information Systems at ElectraMeccanica. “To meet current strong demand for our SOLO vehicles, and manage our rapid growth for years to come, we needed an enterprise-class ERP system that connects information company-wide for a digital-first experience that’s highly scalable, functional, and regulatory compliant.”

No one is more thrilled with ElectraMeccanica’s transformation from startup to fully operational OEM than the company’s retail and fleet customers now taking EV deliveries. Digitalization has been central to this important transition. 

Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, with international production, assembly, and testing facilities, ElectraMeccanica selected RISE with SAP to build its digital-first foundation. Its vision is to connect everything from product design, supply chain planning, and production, to sales and after-market care.

“We needed an ERP system that would grow with our business,” said Gwynn. “We selected SAP because it’s a complete solution that will allow customers to reserve and procure vehicles online and help us directly connect market demand with strategic planning, bringing that into the ERP system with SAP S/4HANA and SAP Commerce Cloud. The vehicle management system means we will have full traceability of our EVs and the components inside throughout the product life cycle. Equally important, SAP solutions have broad acceptance in the automotive OEM market.”

The company has already started building an assembly and engineering center in the U.S.
Gwynn expects further cloud-based digitalization including warehouse management that will include vehicle inspection facilities at the new plant and beyond. As far as he’s concerned, there’s no time to lose.

“Speed is critical in bringing these innovations across our business so that we can anticipate and respond to what our customers want,” said Gwynn. “Having digital representation for all our core business processes allows us to share valuable data between sales and operations, making us more informed for stronger decision-making and business resilience.”

Digital-first operations have already generated business results. Automating mundane processes has eliminated repetitive work, allowing employees to spend more time on value-add activities such as order intake and vehicle allocation. With a simplified employee experience, people can collaborate more easily across the company’s expanding geographical locations for increased productivity.