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Editorials The Story Behind the Hyundai PALISADE's NACTOY 2026 North American Triumph
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The all-new Hyundai PALISADE started 2026 with a strong statement: winning the 2026 North American Utility Vehicle or the Year™ title.
It rose to the top of a list of talented contenders, with the PALISADE being described as “A perfect family vehicle”, according to Jeff Gilbert, President of the NACTOY Board of Directors. “It epitomizes what a thoroughly modern mass-market vehicle should be. It comes with value, lots of features, reliability, and a large dose of style.”
Founded in 1994, the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year awards — known as NACTOY — is one of the most prestigious recognitions a vehicle can receive globally. NACTOY is the North American auto industry's longest-running independent new-vehicle awards program and honors excellence in innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, user experience, driver satisfaction, and value.
José Muñoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, captured the significance of the PALISADE’s success perfectly, saying:
“PALISADE represents everything we strive to deliver at Hyundai — beautiful design, advanced technology, exceptional safety, and real value for families. 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. Thank you to our teams who made this possible, to our dealers who bring PALISADE to life for customers every day, and to the NACTOY jury for this recognition.”
President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company
That means any vehicle that takes the top prize must exhibit a broad range of stand-out qualities across a vast range of use-cases. Only the verdict of 50 independent journalists — spanning print, digital, television, radio, and social media from across the U.S. and Canada — matters.
"We have an extensive process," explains Gilbert. "We start with all of the vehicles that are new or significantly redesigned. Our jurors then take a first vote to determine which vehicles should be competitors."
The Hyundai PALISADE marked its intent as a contender early on, impressing the judges deeply in the initial stages. Even at this point in the process, the PALISADE’s quality, dependability and reliability as a family SUV shone through strongly.
From Nevada test loops to California coastal highways and Detroit suburbs, jurors put the PALISADE to the test and discovered a three-row SUV that defies the segment's conventional compromises.
A key element of this is the PALISADE’s hybrid powertrain. Hyundai’s next-generation hybrid system balances efficiency and power, refinement and capability, delivering accessible, engaging performance. You can read more about the PALISADE Hybrid’s key features here.
“The new Hyundai PALISADE may just be the ultimate family SUV for the money,” Sofyan Bey, NACTOY judge and founder and editor-in-chief or Redline Reviews said. “You get luxury and technology, and with the addition of the new Hybrid engine, it gets near best-in-class fuel efficiency and excellent power. There’s no denying how good the new PALISADE is. Hyundai just reset the bar.”
Performance meets practicality and technology, with the PALISADE also exceeding expectations on every usability metric. There’s genuine third-row seat space for adults with impressive leg and headroom, superb second-row comfort, thoughtful and practical storage solutions catering to family needs, and a class-above cabin that delivers premium materials and exceptional build quality, offering incredible value.
“The Hyundai PALISADE remains one of the best SUVs you can buy,” according to Greg Migliore, editorial director at AutoGuide. “It looks and feels more expensive than it is, which makes it great value for consumers. It’s stylish inside and out, and Hyundai wisely added a hybrid option, which sips fuel and is great for families.”
The judges were unanimous in their praise for the PALISADE, with Kristin Shaw, contributing writer to Edmunds.com and Forbes, highlighting that “For the money, the PALISADE is a stunner. Hyundai hit a home run with the latest iteration of its top-tier family SUV.”
The PALISADE’s beautifully trimmed cabin also comes loaded with intuitive technology that brings genuine customer benefits, enhancing the experience. From infotainment to safety and convenience, the judges commented that, “Hyundai clearly did its homework designing the handsome PALISADE. It nails the U in SUV with exceptional utility. In this case the V stands for value. It packs in comfort, technology and features found only in vehicles a class higher. Maybe two.”
To take NACTOY top honors, jurors really live with shortlisted vehicles to truly understand their capability. They drive them back-to-back in comparative events designed to expose strengths and weaknesses under identical conditions. They test family SUVs the way families actually use them: loaded up with luggage, navigating traffic, transporting passengers — including in the third row — and logging highway miles. It’s what gives real-world relevance to the award.
The NACTOY voting process is equally rigorous. In the first round, each juror receives 25 points to allocate across multiple vehicles. But here's the catch: no vehicle can receive more than 10 points, and only one vehicle may receive that maximum. This is designed to keep competition close.
The top three advance, then comes the final ballot: 10 points per juror, no restrictions, winner takes all.
The PALISADE was awarded 270 points in total — double the score of the second-place finisher, 135 points ahead of its closest rival.
"There are universal criteria like technology, style, power, and value,” says Gilbert. “Our jurors come from a variety of backgrounds, and each of us looks at vehicles in our own unique way. That allows us to come up with a unique consensus that awards vehicles that best meet consumer needs and desires.”
PALISADE united a jury, delivering breakthroughs that matter to customers. Designed with intent and delivering convincing comfort, technology with purpose, and tangible value, NACTOY jurors’ message was unmistakably clear: PALISADE moves the segment forward.
The NACTOY win didn't happen in a vacuum. PALISADE achieved record-breaking U.S. sales in 2025 — retail sales up 17 percent, total sales up 13 percent — proof that the qualities jurors valued translate directly to driveways across North America.
Families don't vote by ballots. They vote through purchases, reinforcing Hyundai’s belief that modern families shouldn't have to compromise. Fulfilling this promise with PALISADE highlights engineering excellence, design thinking, and a flexible powertrain strategy that provides car buyers with accessible solutions.
The same discoveries NACTOY’s jurors made with the PALISADE play out every day — in school parking lots and on camping trips, highway commutes and weekend adventures — where owners and families discover that they don’t have to choose between what they want and what they need.
PALISADE delivers on both counts — and North America's most respected automotive jury confirmed it.
Sean Carson
sean.carson@hyundai.com
Global PR Strategy & Planning · Hyundai Motor Company
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Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is present in over 200 countries with more than 120,000 employees dedicated to tackling real-world mobility challenges around the globe. Based on the brand vision ‘Progress for Humanity,’ Hyundai Motor is accelerating its transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider. The company invests in advanced technologies such as robotics and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) to bring about revolutionary mobility solutions while pursuing open innovation to introduce future mobility services. In pursuit of a sustainable future for the world, Hyundai will continue its efforts to introduce zero-emission vehicles with industry-leading hydrogen fuel cell and EV technologies.
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