The South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ) has announced the winners of the 2026 Car of the Year (COTY) competition, adding a new name to the long list of industry favourites.
This year, the title went to none other than the Jetour T2, which is the first-ever Chinese car to claim the accolade.
The T2 not only won the COTY title, but also came first in the Mild Adventure segment, which is a category for light off-roaders.
“Combining rugged design, luxury and advanced technology, the adventure-focused SUV outperformed the Hyundai Santa Fe, a mid-size hybrid SUV with futuristic styling, as well as two Chinese rivals, the BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid bakkie and the GWM Haval H7 hybrid SUV, to secure the category win,” said the SAGMJ.
Other segment winners in this year’s competition included the Audi A5 (Premium), Audi RS Q8 (Performance), Land Rover Defender OCTA (Adventure), Omoda C7 (Family), VW Golf TSI (Compact), and Chery Tiggo 7 (People’s Choice Award).
With the 2026 competition wrapped up, the T2 is officially the newest vehicle to earn the title of South Africa’s Car of the Year.
South Africa’s motoring hall of fame
The Car of the Year competition is an annual tradition organised by the SAGMJ, which involves extensive testing of various models, ranging from affordable hatchbacks to luxury SUVs, performance sedans, and rugged double-cab bakkies.
Each year’s evaluation follows a similar formula. It starts with a list of dozens of eligible vehicles, which are split into distinct categories.
The categories change from year to year to reflect the evolving automotive landscape. For example, the SAGMJ previously introduced a new group for electric vehicles, which obviously wasn’t around when the competition was started back in the 1980s.
However, this segment was recently removed because, according to the SAGMJ, EVs are now widespread enough that they don’t need their own category and are free to compete against non-electric models.
The initial roster is then whittled down to a list of semi-finalists, which is cut down to the finalists after another round of evaluations that considers everything from price to performance, both on the track and in real-world environments.
The first awards were handed out all the way back in 1986, making 2026 the 40th annual COTY event.
Now that the T2 has claimed the title, this is the complete list of every COTY winner in South Africa’s history:
- 2026: Jetour T2
- 2025: BMW X3
- 2024: BMW 7 Series
- 2023: Ford Ranger
- 2022: Toyota Corolla Cross
- 2021: Peugeot 2008
- 2020: Jaguar I-Pace
- 2019: Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- 2018: Porsche Panamera
- 2017: Opel Astra
- 2016: Volvo XC90
- 2015: Porsche Macan S Diesel
- 2014: Porsche Cayman S
- 2013: Porsche Boxster
- 2012: Hyundai Elantra 1.8 GLS
- 2011: VW Polo 1.6 TDI and BMW 530d
- 2010: VW Golf 6 1.4 TSI Comfortline
- 2009: Honda Accord 2.4i Executive
- 2008: Mazda 2 1.5 Individual
- 2007: Honda Civic 1.8 VXi
- 2006: Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TFSI
- 2005: Volvo S40 2.4i
- 2004: Renault Mégane 1.9 dCi
- 2003: VW Polo 1.4 TDI
- 2002: Audi A4 1.9 TDI
- 2001: BMW 320d
- 2000: Renault Clio 1.4 RT
- 1999: Alfa Romeo 156 T-Spark
- 1998: Ford Fiesta Fun
- 1997: BMW 528i
- 1996: Audi A4 1.8
- 1995: Opel Astra 160iS
- 1994: Opel Kadett 140
- 1993: BMW 316i
- 1992: Nissan Maxima 300 SE
- 1991: Opel Monza 160 GSi
- 1990: BMW 525i
- 1989: Toyota Corolla GLi Executive
- 1988: BMW 735i
- 1987: Mercedes-Benz 260E
- 1986: Toyota Corolla GLi
As mentioned, the T2 is the first Chinese car to make the list, which is indicative of the shift in South Africa’s new-car market.
BMW has scored the most wins overall, taking the gold in 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2011, 2024, and 2025.
Another standout entry is the Ford Ranger in 2023, which was the first leisure double-cab pickup to make the list.
Similarly, the Jaguar I-Pace is the only EV to enter the winner’s circle thus far, though it’s possible that EVs may soon come to dominate the charts in the years to come.
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