Dodge Charger Named MotorWeek's Best of the Year

The iconic muscle car takes top honors as the long-running automotive series celebrates its 45th season.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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MotorWeek has named the 2026 Dodge Charger its Best of the Year, handing the muscle car icon top honors as the automotive series rolls into its 45th season. The Charger, available in both gas-powered and all-electric Daytona EV versions, was praised for its blend of performance, design, and technology while staying true to the brand's DNA.

Why it matters

The Dodge Charger is a beloved American muscle car icon, and MotorWeek's recognition validates Dodge's ability to evolve the model for the modern era without losing what makes it a classic. This award highlights the Charger's continued relevance and appeal to automotive enthusiasts.

The details

MotorWeek's Drivers' Choice Awards recognize winners across 12 consumer-driven categories, with the team evaluating more than 150 vehicles each year on performance, technology, practicality, fuel efficiency, and overall value. The gas-powered Charger starts around $52,000, before incentives, while the all-electric Charger Daytona earned the same category win last year and is again among this year's honorees.

  • MotorWeek announced the 2026 Dodge Charger as its Best of the Year in conjunction with the opening of the Chicago Auto Show.

The players

MotorWeek

A long-running automotive television series that evaluates and recognizes the best vehicles each year.

Dodge Charger

An iconic American muscle car available in both gas-powered and all-electric Daytona EV versions.

Matt McAlear

The CEO of Dodge, who said the MotorWeek recognition validates the Charger's blend of performance, design, and technology while staying true to the brand's DNA.

John Davis

The host and creator of MotorWeek, who praised the Charger's ability to evolve while preserving the look, feel, and performance enthusiasts expect.

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What they’re saying

“Here you have a Detroit iconic muscle car … it's totally modern. They managed to engineer both an all electric version that came out last year and this new internal combustion engine, six turbocharged model that's out now, and it's caught the automotive world by storm.”

— John Davis, Host and Creator, MotorWeek (WTOP)

“We were amazed at how they managed to put all of the emotion, and not to mention the sounds of an old Hemi V8 from the '60s.”

— John Davis, Host and Creator, MotorWeek (WTOP)

What’s next

The full list of MotorWeek's Drivers' Choice Award winners will be announced in the coming days.

The takeaway

Dodge's ability to evolve the iconic Charger muscle car for the modern era, offering both gas-powered and all-electric versions, while preserving the model's classic look, feel, and performance, has earned it MotorWeek's prestigious Best of the Year award.