The Nissan Leaf has been named the overall winner of the 2026 Women's Worldwide Car of the Year (WWCOTY) awards, beating five other category champions to take the top honours.The third-generation electric vehicle received the nod from a panel of 86 women motoring journalists representing 55 countries across five continents. The final round of voting followed months of testing and evaluation of vehicles launched during 2025 .
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The Leaf emerged victorious from a field that included category winners: Škoda Elroq (Compact SUV), Mercedes-Benz CLA (Large Car), Hyundai Ioniq 9 (Large SUV), Toyota 4Runner (4x4) and Lamborghini Temerario (Performance Car) .
Marta García, Executive President of WWCOTY, said the voting revealed strong competition among the finalists. "Several models received very similar levels of support, which reflects the exceptional quality and diversity of today's automotive industry," she said. "In the end, however, the Nissan Leaf prevailed" .
Jurors praised the Leaf for its realistic and accessible approach to electric mobility. The vehicle is designed for everyday use, with particular strengths in urban and suburban environments where its smooth, quiet operation and efficiency stand out .
Tanya Gazdik from the United States noted that consumers "can say goodbye to range anxiety" with the new model. "The vehicle feels significantly more premium than its price suggests, and notably, the new Leaf starts at a lower price point than the original 2011 model," she said .
Serbian juror Tina Vujanovic highlighted the vehicle's versatility. "It is perfectly suited to urban driving while offering generous interior space that makes it equally capable on longer journeys. The ride is smooth and comfortable, it features the latest technologies, and, importantly, it has an appealing design," she explained .
The vehicle's pricing strategy also drew comment from jurors. "Nissan has successfully made electric mobility and advanced safety technologies more accessible to a broader audience," noted Shereen Shabnam from Dubai .
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South Africa is represented on the WWCOTY jury by Charleen Clarke, Publisher and Editor of Focus on Transport.
The judging criteria prioritise how vehicles respond to everyday driving requirements rather than technical specifications alone. Safety, quality, value for money, design, ease of use and environmental impact all form part of the assessment .
"In our voting, we have focused on vehicles that stand out not only for their figures or technology, but for how effectively they respond to people's real, everyday needs," García explained. "The Nissan Leaf represents a mature and intelligent vision of electrification — one that makes electric mobility truly usable and accessible" .
The organisation maintains that jurors do not select a "woman's car" because cars are not gender specific. Instead, the awards aim to recognise the best vehicles while giving visibility to women in the automotive industry across all continents .
The first-generation Nissan Leaf launched in South Africa in 2013 as the country's first electric vehicle. However, Nissan later discontinued the model locally and did not import the second-generation version .
Nissan South Africa has indicated the new Leaf does not form part of its future model plans, with the company recently announcing the sale of its local manufacturing plant to Chery
.
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WWCOTY was founded in 2009 by New Zealand motoring journalist Sandy Myhre, who serves as Honorary President. It remains the only car awards group in the world comprised exclusively of women motoring journalists .
The 2026 edition marked the 15th year of the awards. Beyond the category winners, Renault received the Best Tech Award for its electric platform development, while Ford collected the Sandy Myhre Award for its sustained focus on gender equality within its corporate structure.
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