What is North American Car of the Year Award (NACTOY)

The North American Car of the Year (NACTOY) is a prestigious set of automotive awards announced annually in January. The awards are intended to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, user experience, and value. The awards are given out in three categories: “North American Car of the Year™,” “North American Truck of the Year™,” and the “North American Utility Vehicle of the Year™”

The NACTOY awards are judged by an independent jury of no more than 60 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada. The jurors spend hundreds of hours test driving, researching, and evaluating vehicles to cast their votes for the NACTOY award winners. The awards have been presented annually since 1994.

The winners of the 2024 North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year awards were the Toyota Prius/Prius Prime, Ford Super Duty, and Kia EV9 respectively.

NACTOY winners list from 2000 to 2024

YearCar of the YearTruck of the YearUtility Vehicle of the Year
2000Ford FocusNissan XterraN/A
2001Chrysler PT CruiserACURA MDXN/A
2002Nissan AltimaChevrolet TrailblazerN/A
2003Mini CooperVolvo XC90N/A
2004Toyota PriusFord F-150N/A
2005Chrysler 300Ford Escape HybridN/A
2006Honda CivicHonda RidgelineN/A
2007Saturn AuraChevrolet SilveradoN/A
2008Chevrolet MalibuMazda CX-9N/A
2009Hyundai GenesisFord F-150N/A
2010Ford Fusion HybridFord Transit ConnectN/A
2011Chevrolet VoltFord ExplorerN/A
2012Hyundai ElantraLand Rover Range Rover EvoqueN/A
2013Cadillac ATSRam 1500N/A
2014Chevrolet Corvette StingrayChevrolet SilveradoN/A
2015Volkswagen Golf/Golf GTIFord F-150N/A
2016Honda CivicVolvo XC90N/A
2017Chevrolet Bolt EVHonda RidgelineN/A
2018Honda AccordLincoln NavigatorVolvo XC60
2019Genesis G70Ram 1500Hyundai Kona/Kona EV
2020Chevrolet Corvette StingrayJeep GladiatorKia Telluride
2021Hyundai ElantraFord F-150Ford Mustang Mach-E
2022Honda CivicFord MaverickFord Bronco
2023Acura IntegraFord F-150 LightningKia EV6
2024Toyota Prius & Prius PrimeFord Super DutyKia EV9