The 2023 North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year (NACTOY) awards are in the books and the winners are revealed. The Acura Integra wins for Best Car, with the Ford F-150 Lightning crowned Best Truck and the Kia EV6 taking home the title of Best SUV.
Organizers for the annual awards ceremony announced the nine finalists in November. The presentation took place at the M1 Concourse Event Center north of Detroit in Pontiac, Michigan.
Gallery: 2023 Acura Integra
The vehicles competing against Acura for North American Car of the Year were the Genesis G80 EV and the Nissan Z, pitting a compact five-door hatchback against a two-seat sports car and a sizable electric sedan. Collecting a total of 174 votes, NACTOY jurors noted the Integra's styling and fun-to-drive persona as factors in its win.
In the truck category, The F-150 Lightning received the most votes of all at 483, easily beating the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 and Lordstown Endurance in the final round. In its win, jurors liked the familiarity of the F-150 fused with electric power. The F-150 Lightning also won two Motor1.com Star Awards for Best Truck and Best EV.
Gallery: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning: First Drive
For the utility segment, Genesis made a second appearance in the final round with the GV60. The Cadillac Lyriq was also a finalist but neither could top the Kia EV6, which earned 258 total votes. Jurors highlighted the Kia's styling, strong performance with the GT model, impressive range, and easy charging in its victory.
Gallery: 2022 Kia EV6: First Drive Review
2023 marks the first time that an electric vehicle was a finalist in all three categories. Having six EVs competing for the awards is also a new record.
The NACTOY jury consists of 50 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada. Each year, they start with a list of new or substantially updated vehicles. They whittle down this long list to a group of semi-finalists and eventually three models in each category that are up for the award.
In 2022, the Honda Civic won the North American Car of the Year. The Ford Maverick was North American Truck of the Year, and the Bronco scored the North American Utility of the Year award.
