Home > Business > Industry

Hyundai Palisade wins North American Utility Vehicle of the Year

Published: 15 Jan. 2026, 14:11 Updated: 15 Jan. 2026, 16:25

SARAH CHEA
[email protected]

The new Palisade SUV [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai Motor's Palisade full-size SUV snatched the 2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year by the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (Nactoy) jury, recognizing its versatile powertrain lineup, including its hybrid option.

The latest accolade brings Hyundai Motor Group’s total Nactoy wins to nine, and its first victory since the Hyundai Elantra captured the title in 2021.

Founded in 1994, Nactoy is the longest-running new-vehicle awards program, which is determined by a jury of 50 independent automotive journalists from the U.S. and Canada. Vehicles are evaluated through an exhaustive evaluation process that includes long-term road testing, head-to-head comparisons and in-depth assessments of design, performance, innovation, safety and overall value.

The Palisade also earned high marks for its expansive interior and suite of advanced safety and convenience technologies. Finalists in the utility vehicle category included the Lucid Gravity and the Nissan Leaf.

Jeff Gilbert, president of Nactoy, described the Palisade as “a family vehicle for the 21st century.”

Since the first launch in January 2019, the Palisade has sold 1.1 million units worldwide through the end of last year, including 604,117 vehicles in the United States alone.

“Palisade represents everything we strive to deliver at Hyundai — beautiful design, advanced technology, exceptional safety and real value for families," said Hyundai Motor CEO José Muñoz. "To be recognized by 50 of North America's most respected automotive journalists as the best utility vehicle of the year is a tremendous honor."

Hyundai's previous Nactoy wins include the Genesis in 2009, Elantra in 2012, Genesis GV70 and Kona in 2019. Wins also include the Kia Telluride in 2020, Kia EV6 in 2023 and Kia EV9 in 2024.

BY SARAH CHEA [[email protected]]