ColumnMotoring
In the second of a two-part series, Paddy Comyn picks the highlights from the new car market in 2026.
OKAY, SO LAST week we covered off the smaller end of the market, now we get into the meatier end with the various classes of SUVs, the luxury items and the sportier models.
These categories, to remind you, are based on the categories for the forthcoming Irish Car of the Year voting, of which I am a juror for DoneDeal Cars along with Dave O’Caoimh and they reflect new models which arrived in 2026.
They aren’t necessarily the best cars in the class, but they are the best of the latest bunch.
Medium SUV
Mazda CX-5
In a market now which seems to be moving very much towards fully electric cars, the one that I have gone for is, well – not.
The Mazda CX-5 impressed me because of its relatively good value, starting at under €40,000, the really good fit and finish.
The 2.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine puts out 140hp and offers decent fuel economy. It is a handsome thing, too.
Mazda design is up there with the best at the moment and the latest CX-5 is without doubt one of the prettiest SUVs on the market.
It has a generous 583-litre boot space and for me just feels like one of those cars where everything is ‘just right’.
Definitely one to shortlist if you want a really good family all-rounder.
Large Car / 7-Seater
Kia PV5
Kia has their first foray into the world of Commercial Vehicles with their all-electric PV5 van and another version of this, is a vehicle that has proven to be one of the surprise hits of 2026, and that is the Kia PV5 passenger model.
Yes, it’s a van with seats, but it is utterly charming and a simply brilliant family car. The Volkswagen ID.Buzz is a car that lots of family buyers would love to own but they are put off by the price tag and the Kia does everything you could want from the ID.Buzz but at a much more reasonable price.
As the name suggests, the PV5 is a 5-seater and it costs €42,550. For this you get a really useful family car that your kids will love and behind the back seats is an absolutely enormous luggage space that will swallow bikes whole and everything else a family can throw at it.
There will be a PV7 model, which is larger and has seven seats but we aren’t like to see that until September of 2027 and we’d expect that to cost around €55,000.
I loved this thing, and if you have a family that needs space and fun then this will do it.
Premium SUV
BMW iX3
The BMW iX3 is for me, the best electric car on sale at the moment. BMW has been tweaking their EV recipe a lot of late and they seem to have got it spot on with their iX3, which has a ludicrously good 645 km range from the 82.6 kWh battery, a brilliant interior and excellent road manners too.
The looks might not appeal to everyone but it is certainly an improvement in terms of some of the designs we have seen in recent years. Pricing starts at €66,985 and yes this is a lof of money, but if you want the best EV on the market right now, this is it.
Performance Car
Honda Prelude
This was my favourite car of 2026. The Prelude isn’t the most potent new car of 2026, in fact most premium EVs would now leave it for dust.
Cars like the Cupra Raval VZ deserve a special mention because it was an absolute hoot to drive, but for me the Prelude is exactly what a sports & performance car should be.
It looks gorgeous, has stupidly pointless back seats and man, does it drive well. In these days of neck-snapping fast EVs, the Prelude’s 184 hp petrol hybrid might seem a little measly and its not a breathtakingly fast car but it is a really sweet engine and the chassis underneath you is the real star.
On the right back road it is giggle-aloud fun. It costs €59,995 and while I wouldn’t expect to see many of these on Irish roads I will feel a pang of envy for everyone I see in one.
Paddy Comyn is the head of automotive content and communications with DoneDeal Cars. He has been involved in the Irish motor industry for more than 25 years.
Journal Media Ltd has shareholders in common with DoneDeal Ltd