Dacia Bigster wins Seguro Directo Car of the Year/Crystal Steering Wheel Trophy 2026

The Dacia Bigster has been named the winner of the Seguro Directo Car of the Year/Crystal Steering Wheel Trophy 2026, Portugal’s most prestigious automotive industry award. The Romanian brand’s new SUV takes over from the Citroën C3, which won the previous edition.

The Bigster prevailed over the other six finalists: the Citroën C5 Aircross, FIAT Grande Panda, Kia EV4, Renault 4 E-Tech, Skoda Elroq and Volkswagen T-Roc.

Dacia Bigster takes the overall award

As well as securing the main prize, the Dacia Bigster won Compact SUV of the Year in Hybrid-G 150 4×4 specification. Combining a hybrid system with four-wheel drive, an automatic gearbox and LPG, this version also received the Technology and Innovation Award. Find out how it works:

As usual, the decision was made by a jury of 15 journalists representing Portugal’s leading media outlets, including Razão Automóvel.

Over recent months, the competing models underwent dynamic testing and detailed assessments. The judging criteria covered styling, performance, safety, reliability, price and environmental sustainability.

92 entries in 2026

The 2026 edition of the Seguro Directo Car of the Year received 92 entries across eight separate categories, although only 28 of those models were eligible for the overall prize.

The categories in contention were City Car, Design, Sports/Leisure, Electric, Family, Plug-in Hybrid, Compact SUV and Large SUV.

Category award winners

The class winners included the Fiat Grande Panda, named City Car of the Year; the exclusive Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, which we have already had the opportunity to test, winner of the Design award; and the Alpine A290, voted Sports/Leisure Car of the Year.

In the electric category, the award went to the Mazda 6e, while the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross won among family cars. The Leapmotor C10 was named Plug-in Hybrid of the Year, and the Xpeng G9 stood out as Large SUV of the Year.

Personality of the Year: Teresa Lameiras

The organisation also presented Teresa Lameiras with the Personality of the Year award, recognising a career spanning several decades in the automotive sector.

After beginning her professional career at Rádio Renascença, Teresa Lameiras went on to become one of Portugal’s most influential figures in automotive communications. In 2003, she took charge of marketing and communications for SEAT in the Portuguese market, a position she held for nearly two decades.

She was also responsible for launching CUPRA in Portugal. More recently, from 2021 to 2025, she served as communications and brand director for the SIVA/PHS group.