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The mainstream mid-size SUV segment is one of the most tightly contested in Australia, making which option to go for both more exciting and more difficult than ever.
Thankfully, our 2026 CarsGuide Car of the Year Awards will help shorten your choices down to only the best in an ever-changing market.
Which takes the crown and why? Read on to see our reasoning below.
Runner up: Honda ZR-V
The Honda ZR-V is one of the brand’s most recent nameplates, sitting between the venerable HR-V small SUV and larger CR-V.
Our judging panel loved the ZR-V for its just-right sizing, offering family buyers something a little more compact than most cars in this class, whilst also offering a versatile and generous interior space.
We were also impressed how this car communicates Honda’s commitment to build quality so well. All agreed it offers an above-par driving experience for the segment, with not only a good all-rounder combustion engine, but also a sweet fuel-sipping hybrid with a bit more punch.
It offers compelling ownership terms, but the panel also agreed that it has similar flaws to other Hondas in the limited availability of the hybrid powertrain, and its generally higher-than-rivals starting price.
CarsGuide Contributing Journalist Andrew Chesterton who recently tested a ZR-V VTi-LX in hybrid form said it “continues Honda’s winning run of models lately. It looks good, feels solid, is well-appointed and presents as an SUV you can actually enjoy driving, too.”
Runner up: Toyota RAV4
Believe it or not, this award applies to the outgoing RAV4 despite its age, but the good news is many of the metrics on which our panel made its decision likely transfer over to the newly updated model, too.
However, we’re calling out the old version which fits inside our judging timeline because of its well-deserved staying power in our market.
Our COTY panel agreed everything the RAV4 does, it does well, whether you’re considering its build quality, massively popular and affordable hybrid powertrain, or its spacious no-nonsense interior which has proven to be perfect for families.
CarsGuide Contributing Journalist Emily Agar said the outgoing RAV4 “offers families space, convenience and features in a well-priced and handsome package” in her recent review.
Australia’s frequently best-selling SUV isn’t without its flaws. Our panel also agreed that the interior design was starting to age, and there were now more innovative hybrid powertrains on the market.
Winner: Zeekr 7X
Slipping in just under the $60,000 mark, the Zeekr 7X has arrived in Australia with quite some fanfare as one of the most compelling new cars from a Chinese newcomer brand.
Opening the door to a new class of affordable premium car, the fully electric 7X won over our panel for having exactly the ingredients we look for in a Car of the Year contender: it’s ambitious, moves the segment forward and represents excellent value.
Not only that, but in its surprising sense of quality and even its driving performance, the 7X challenges perceptions of how Chinese cars can look and feel, and does so at a price that should be circuit-breaking for the mid-size SUV segment.
Its cutting-edge design and materials are also complemented by a spacious and family-friendly interior with a generous boot, too.
Even as an EV it’s impressive, with its 800-volt architecture supporting ultra-fast charging, and its healthy battery capacities supporting long driving ranges for each variant.
For downsides? Like some of its Chinese contemporaries, the 7X has overly complicated software functions, and it has weird push-button doors and doesn’t feature a spare tyre.
However, as Deputy Editor James Cleary notes in his recent review of the top-spec Performance AWD variant, the 7X offers “so much standard equipment for the money, stunning acceleration, top-shelf safety and a solid ownership package”.
“This electric SUV has thrown down a hefty gauntlet in challenging its existing competition,” he said.
It’s a recipe that makes the 7X our winner for this year’s mid-size SUV category for the CarsGuide Car of the Year.
CarsGuide Car of the Year 2026 award category announcements
| Category | Announcement #1 | Winner & finalists |
| Sub-$50K Small Car | Top 10 shortlist | Winner & finalists |
| Sub-$80K Small Car | Top 10 shortlist | Winner & finalists |
| Sub-$60K Medium SUV | Top 10 shortlist | Winner & finalists |
| Sub-$130K Medium SUV | Top 10 shortlist | Winner & finalists |
| Sub-$100K Large SUV | Top 10 shortlist | Winner & finalists |
| Sub-$220K Large SUV | Top 10 shortlist | Winner & finalists |
| Sub-$85K Ute | Top 10 shortlist | Winner & finalists |
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