Best of 2026: I'm sticking my neck out again with part two of my 'most loved' cars list

Paddy Comyn

OKAY, SO LAST week we covered off the smaller end of the market, now we get into the meatier end with the various classes of SUVs, the luxury items and the sportier models.

These categories, to remind you, are based on the categories for the forthcoming Irish Car of the Year voting, of which I am a juror for DoneDeal Cars along with Dave O’Caoimh and they reflect new models which arrived in 2026.

They aren’t necessarily the best cars in the class, but they are the best of the latest bunch.

Medium SUV

Mazda CX-5

In a market now which seems to be moving very much towards fully electric cars, the one that I have gone for is, well – not.

The Mazda CX-5 impressed me because of its relatively good value, starting at under €40,000, and the really good fit and finish.

The 2.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine puts out 140hp and offers decent fuel economy. It is a handsome thing, too.

Mazda design is up there with the best at the moment and the latest CX-5 is without doubt one of the prettiest SUVs on the market.

It has a generous 583-litre boot space and for me just feels like one of those cars where everything is ‘just right’.

Definitely one to shortlist if you want a really good family all-rounder.

Large Car / 7-Seater

Kia PV5

Kia has their first foray into the world of commercial vehicles with their all-electric PV5 van and another version of this, is a vehicle that has proven to be one of the surprise hits of 2026, and that is the Kia PV5 passenger model.

Yes, it’s a van with seats, but it is utterly charming and a simply brilliant family car. The Volkswagen ID.Buzz is a car that lots of family buyers would love to own but they are put off by the price tag and the Kia does everything you could want from the ID.Buzz but at a much more reasonable price.

As the name suggests, the PV5 is a 5-seater and it costs €42,550. For this you get a really useful family car that your kids will love, and behind the back seats is an absolutely enormous luggage space that will swallow bikes whole and everything else a family can throw at it.

There will be a PV7 model, which is larger and has seven seats but we aren’t likely to see that until September of 2027 and we’d expect that to cost around €55,000.

I loved this thing, and if you have a family that needs space and fun then this will do it.

Premium Car  

Volvo ES90

There haven’t been a huge amount of regular luxury cars of late, with plenty of SUVs in this category, but I am old school and still believe a luxury car should be just that, a car and that means my pick this year in the premium car segment in the Volvo ES90.

If you want the absolute last word in comfort, refinement and interior brilliance, then the Volvo is a great choice. You can choose between a single- or twin-motor version depending on how quickly you want to tear off your eyelids, and the massive battery provides the promise of up to 700 km of range.

Prices start from €79,995 for the 333 hp Single Motor Version, but you can pay up €111,695 for an ‘Ultra’ spec Twin-Motor version with 456 hp. This is a really gorgeous way to travel.

Premium SUV

BMW iX3

The BMW iX3 is for me, the best electric car on sale at the moment. BMW has been tweaking their EV recipe a lot of late and they seem to have got it spot on with their iX3, which has a ludicrously good 645 km range from the 82.6 kWh battery, a brilliant interior and excellent road manners too.

The looks might not appeal to everyone but it is certainly an improvement in terms of some of the designs we have seen in recent years. Pricing starts at €66,985 and yes this is a lot of money, but if you want the best EV on the market right now, this is it.

Performance Car 

Honda Prelude

This was my favourite car of 2026. The Prelude isn’t the most potent new car of 2026, in fact most premium EVs would now leave it for dust.

Cars like the Cupra Raval VZ deserve a special mention because it was an absolute hoot to drive, but for me the Prelude is exactly what a sports & performance car should be.

It looks gorgeous, has stupidly pointless back seats and man, does it drive well. In these days of neck-snapping fast EVs, the Prelude’s 184 hp petrol hybrid might seem a little measly and it’s not a breathtakingly fast car but it is a really sweet engine and the chassis underneath you is the real star.

On the right back road it is giggle-aloud fun. It costs €59,995 and while I wouldn’t expect to see many of these on Irish roads I will feel a pang of envy for everyone I see in one.

Paddy Comyn is the head of automotive content and communications with DoneDeal Cars. He has been involved in the Irish motor industry for more than 25 years. 

Journal Media Ltd has shareholders in common with DoneDeal Ltd