In an announcement made during the Los Angeles Auto Show, the field has narrowed to just nine vehicles competing for the 2024 North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) awards. The finalists, comprising three cars, three trucks, and three utility vehicles, emerged from a pool of 52 eligible contenders initially identified at the Detroit Auto Show in September.
The journey to the finals included a selection process that showcased the "Best of 2024", followed by test-driving and evaluations at NACTOY's Fall Comparison Drive in October. As the competition intensifies, jurors, consisting of 50 respected automotive journalists, will finalize their assessments over the coming weeks before casting their decisive votes by the year's end. The winners of these awards will be disclosed on January 4, 2024, at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac.
Without further ado, these are the finalists in this year’s contest:
| 2024 North American Car of the Year Finalists | 2024 North American Truck of the Year Finalists | 2024 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year Finalists |
As you can see, five of those nine contenders are purely electric. As a quick reminder, six EVs made it to the list of finalists last year.
"Electric vehicles again make up more than half of our finalists," said NACTOY President Jeff Gilbert. "That shows how important they are to carmakers and how many more choices car buyers now have. But there is a lot of variety in this group, including a big work truck, a hybrid, and a family sedan."
Earlier in September, NACTOY unveiled its initial list of candidates for the 2024 awards. The announcement took place during a press conference at the Huntington Place Convention Center in Detroit, where a total of 10 cars, 5 trucks, and 10 SUVs earned the distinction of being the "Best of 2024" following a comprehensive selection process.
