2026 Dodge Charger: North American Car of the Year Finalist

The North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) jury has announced their finalists for the 2026 awards and the new Dodge Charger lineup is among the three entries vying for the Car of the Year title. The other two finalists in the race are the Honda Prelude and the Nissan Sentra, so when you compare those to the 2026 Dodge Charger lineup, which includes both the battery electric Daytona models and the Hurricane-powered SIXPACK models, the latest generation of Mopar_® muscle has a good chance of taking home the title.

Here is a look at each of the finalists.

2026 North American Car of the Year Finalist #1 – Dodge Charger

The 2026 Dodge Charger lineup has three key models – the SIXPACK R/T, the SIXPACK Scat Pack and the Daytona Scat Pack. Each of these models is available as either a 2- or 4-door hatchback, but all models use the same seating layout and wheelbase, so the 2-door models offer the same rear passenger seating space as the 4-door models. The main difference between the three models is the drivetrain and power output.

The 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK R/T starts at $49,995 and is powered by the 3.0-liter Hurricane straight-six, delivering 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft of torque. The SIXPACK R/T will scoot from a stop to 60 in about 5 seconds, with a top speed of 168 and a 13.6-second quarter-mile time. The 8-speed automatic transmission and an advanced all-wheel-drive system with the ability to select rear-wheel-drive is standard for both SIXPACK models.

Next up, the 2026 Dodge Charger SIXPACK Scat Pack starts at $54,995 and is powered by the high-output version of the Hurricane straight-six, offering 550 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque. The gas-powered Scat Pack gets to 60 from a stop in just 3.9 seconds, reaching a top speed of 177 miles per hour and covering the standing quarter-mile in 12.2 seconds.

Finally, the 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona starts at $59,995 and is powered by an all-electric, all-wheel-drive powerplant that delivers 670 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. This BEV will move out from 0-60 in just 3.3 seconds and run an 11.50 quarter-mile.

2026 North American Car of the Year Finalist #2 – Honda Prelude

The 2026 Honda Prelude is marketed by the company as a hybrid sports coupe and many enthusiasts of  spunky little economy cars were excited when it was first announced, but that excitement was largely diminished when the production specs were revealed. This “sports coupe” is only available in one form, and it is powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that is coupled to a pair of hybrid motors that work together to deliver just 200 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque. It does not come with a traditional transmission, instead using a unique direct drive system that works in conjunction with the electric drive motors, so it drives more like an EV. However, unlike most EVs, the new Prelude is not very quick at all.

The first Prelude owner in the USA to share real-world performance online only ran an 8.28 0-60 time and with some work on the launch, they got down into the 7.2 range, but some people have reported stock 0-60 times in the 9-second range. Any one of those numbers for a 2026 sports coupe is bad, considering that the Dodge Hornet GT only takes abut 6.5 seconds for a 0-60 pull. There don’t seem to be any official quarter-mile times, but with 0-60 times in the 7.2-9.2 range, this has to be one of the slowest new sports coupes to hit the market in many moons. The new Prelude is rated at 46 city, 41 highway and 44 mpg combined, so while it is not a remarkable sports coupe, it is also not remarkably efficient.

Finally, the Prelude has already taken some shots for the lack of rear passenger legroom, so it is really a car for two adults and two small children. The biggest knock against the new Prelude is the price, which starts at $42,000 and quickly climbs up around the $50k mark when you start checking boxes.

2026 North American Car of the Year Finalist #3 – Nissan Sentra

The Nissan Sentra has long been known as one of the cheapest cars in the North American market, and that continues for the redesigned 2026 models with a starting price of $22,400. Getting right to the point, the Sentra is about cheap transportation and everyone knows that. It is only available as a 4-door sedan and it is only available with one drivetrain – a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder mill mated to a CVT – delivering 149 horsepower and 146 lb-ft of torque. No one buys a Sentra to go fast, which is good, because it isn’t fast in any way. Initial reports suggest that it is in the same 0-60 range as the slower of the Prelude times, which further illustrates how bad the 0-60 numbers are for the new Honda “hybrid sports coupe”. There are no official quarter-mile times, but they are going to be as bad as the Prelude, if not worse. The Sentra doesn’t get great mileage for a tiny sedan either, offering 29 city, 38 highway and 33 combined in its most efficient form.

The Sentra offers a touch more seating space for rear passengers than the Honda Prelude, but as you would expect from a tiny little car, it is still tight for four adults.

In short, the North American Car of the Year jury is selecting between the multi-energy Dodge Charger lineup, a hybrid sports coupe that is neither efficient nor quick and a car that is best known for being really cheap. The Charger will likely outsell the Prelude and the Sentra, and we know that the Charger offers more of pretty much everything – more passenger space, more cargo space, more power, more drivetrain configurations, more options, more all-electric driving range and more premium technology – but we will have to wait until the 2026 North American International Auto Show in Detroit to find out who the jury picked.