Kia wins three Golden Steering Wheel awards, first non-European brand to do so

EV5 tops compact SUV category, beating Audi

K4 Sport Wagon takes compact class crown

EV2 named best car under 30,000 euros

Kia President and CEO Song Ho-sung poses for a photo at the 2026 Golden Steering Wheel Awards held in Germany on Tuesday (local time). [Kia]

Kia announced Tuesday that it had become the first non-European brand to win three awards at the 2026 Golden Steering Wheel Awards, co-organized by German automotive publication Auto Bild and weekly magazine Bild am Sonntag (local time).

At the ceremony marking the award's 50th edition, the EV5 took first place in the compact SUV category, beating the Audi Q3 and the Cupra Formentor VZ5.

The K4 Sport Wagon claimed the compact class category, edging out the Volkswagen ID.3 Neo and the Cupra Born.

The EV2, Kia's global B-segment SUV, won the "best car under 30,000 euros ($33,700)" category, in which editors evaluate vehicles based on price, specifications, warranty, options and driving experience in the German market.

Kia said this marks the first time a non-European brand has received three Golden Steering Wheels in a single year. The company also said the wins — spanning both electric and internal-combustion models — demonstrated its competitiveness across vehicle segments.

The Golden Steering Wheel, considered Germany's most prestigious automotive award, was established in 1976. This year, editors from the two publications nominated 90 new vehicles, and reader voting narrowed the field to 27 finalists — three models in each of nine categories.

From left: the EV5, winner of the compact SUV category; the K4 Sport Wagon, winner of the compact class category; and the EV2, named best car under 30,000 euros, at the 2026 Golden Steering Wheel Awards. [Kia]

The winning models were selected by a jury of 23 European entertainment and media figures, including nine-time World Rally Championship winner Sébastien Ogier and active racing driver David Schumacher. The jury conducted tests at the Dekra Lausitzring circuit, evaluating handling, ride comfort, ease of use and everyday practicality.

"It is an honor to win three categories in a single year at the prestigious Golden Steering Wheel Awards — with its 50-year history — as the first non-European brand to do so," Kia President and CEO Song Ho-sung said. "This recognition is meaningful as it affirms the product competitiveness of Kia's vehicle lineup and our efforts to offer customers valuable choices."

Robin Hornig, editor-in-chief of Auto Bild, said Kia had "proven it offers the best products across diverse segments, establishing dominance in three class and price categories with both a pure electric vehicle and a gasoline model."

Meanwhile, the EV5 had earlier taken overall first place in a comparative SUV evaluation by German automotive magazine Auto Motor und Sport in August, beating Tesla's Model Y, Chinese electric vehicle XPeng's G6 and the MG S6 EV.

The EV2 was shortlisted as a finalist for the 2027 European Car of the Year on Oct. 30 (local time). The winner is set to be announced at the Brussels Motor Show in Belgium in January 2027.

eyre@heraldcorp.com