The 2025 Los Angeles International Auto Show opened on November 20 (Thursday) at the Downtown Convention Center, showcasing hundreds of sedans, trucks, SUVs, sports cars, racing cars, and electric vehicles from top automakers around the world. At the same time, nine models stood out from the crowd and made it to the finalist list for the 2026 North American Car of the Year Award (NACTOY).
This year saw a record number of manufacturers participating in the Los Angeles International Auto Show in the past five years. During the ten-day automotive extravaganza, car enthusiasts had the opportunity to see exclusive debuts, pre-order new cars, and even test drive over 50 vehicles indoors and outdoors.
The organizers set up a huge custom car exhibition hall in the underground parking lot. Additionally, million-dollar supercars, classic models, the Nissan GT-R seen in the “Fast and Furious” movies, and iconic cars from the “Need for Speed” gaming series were all present at the auto show.
On Media Day (November 20), the day before the official opening of the auto show, the organizers unveiled the nominees for the upcoming North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year competition.
NACTOY is one of the most prestigious independent automotive awards in North America, and the selected vehicles often serve as a reference for many consumers looking to purchase a new car. This year, the NACTOY judging panel, consisting of 50 seasoned automotive journalists, conducted extensive test drives and evaluations, voting based on each vehicle’s overall score.
The 2026 Best Sedan finalists include the Dodge Charger, the classic Honda Prelude, and the Nissan Sentra.
The 2026 Best Truck finalists include the Ford Maverick Lobo, the Ram 1500 Hemi, and the Ram 2500. Ford, a previous winner of the Best Truck award, faces strong competition from the two heavy-duty Ram trucks this time.
The 2026 Best Utility finalists include the Hyundai Palisade, the Lucid Gravity from Lucid Motors, and the Nissan Leaf.
The judging criteria include vehicle innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, driver satisfaction, user experience, and value. The final list of NACTOY winners will be announced during the Detroit Auto Show in January next year.
The Los Angeles International Auto Show will officially open to the public on November 21 and run until November 30, including Thanksgiving Day.
There are various ticket options for the exhibition, with the Any Day ticket being a flexible choice valid for any day. The adult ticket for this type costs $25, while seniors and children pay $12.
Exhibiting manufacturers include Hyundai and Hyundai N Line, Toyota, Kia, Honda, Volkswagen, Porsche, Nissan, Ford, Maserati, Volvo, Jeep, Chevrolet, Subaru, Dodge, Lincoln, Cadillac, Buick, and more.
Moreover, car enthusiasts can witness global premieres or first-time appearances of vehicles like the Hyundai Crater concept and the 2027 Kia Telluride flagship SUV.
As a sponsor of the 2028 Los Angeles Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Honda will showcase new vehicles during the auto show and engage with consumers, including the debut of the all-new 2026 Honda Pilot.
For test drives, Jeep set up the off-road adventure track “Camp Jeep,” Ford had the “Bronco Built Wild” test drive track, Volkswagen and Nissan offered electric vehicle test drive experiences, while Hyundai and Chevrolet had dedicated indoor tracks. Additionally, there were dozens of outdoor test drive experiences available for consumers to compare and choose from.