6:20 am, January 6, 2026
Get set for another fascinating year of the car industry. Electric cars are no long the future – they’re the present, and over the next 12 months we’re going to see a whole raft of EVs, ranging from the cheap and cheerful to the ultra-performance.
These are the five cars we’re most looking forward to seeing in 2026 – and, if we’re lucky, we might even be thrown the keys to.
Peugeot E-208 GTi
Rumours have been rife for years – will Peugeot dare to bring the GTi name back on an EV? It’s a model name that is not just steeped in history, but also firmly attached to petrol hot hatchbacks. Peugeot thinks GTi and electrification can go together, and in 2026 we’ll be getting behind the wheel. It looks typically GTI, especially with those oversized tele-dial-style wheels, packs 276bhp, and promises 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds.
BMW i3
No, don’t get your hopes up – BMW won’t be launching a follow-up to the much loved (and missed) i3 in 2026. Rather it’s having a shake-up of its i-branded model range, and the i3 will be used on an electric version of the 3 Series. Excitingly, this is going to be the new 3 Series based on its Neue Klasse platform. No details are known, other than we sort of know what it’s probably going to look like thanks to the Vision Driving Experience from 2025.
Alpine A110 Electric
I was a round-table interview with Alpine CEO Philippe Krief in 2025, and I was amazed at not only how confident he is for the future of the Alpine brand, but also how candid he was when asked what future cars he’s going to be launching. There’s going to be a four-door GT, a 1,000hp V6-hybrid halo hypercar, and maybe even a large SUV to rival the Porsche Cayenne. But, before all of that, Alpine will reveal an electric successor to the A110 in 2026. It’ll use in-wheel motors, it’ll have a range of 350 miles and a weight of around 1,450kg is targeted. Will it be a proper Alpine? The firm assures us it will be.
Ferrari Elettrica
This will easily be the most intriguing launch of 2026. It’s shrouded in mystery – understandable, really, as an electric Ferrari is a BIG development. We do know that the prancing horse is treating electrification as an opportunity rather than a compromise, but isn’t going all-out on chasing range – this is expected to be a fine-driving Ferrari first and foremost. Ferrari has already proven with hybrids like the SF90 that electrification doesn’t dull excitement, but can a pure-electric Fezza really cut it? Let’s see.
Renault Twingo
The revival of the Twingo (to UK buyers at least) was one of the stand-out moments of 2025, and while we’ve already seen it and know everything about it, 2026 will be the time to drive it. It’s hoped that it’ll be in UK showrooms in 2026, too, but, like the new Clio, it might be delayed to 2027. Either way, Car Dealer will get the chance to drive what’s likely to be the most desirable car at the lower end of the EV market. It’s been developed in just two years – half the time of the Clio – and if the Renault 5 is anything to go by it’ll be brilliant.
And because we need a petrol car to look forward to…
Toyota GR GT
And because we deserve at least one petrol-powered car to look forward to, Toyota’s GR GT sits at the top of our hot list. It’s equipped with a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol that develops 641bhp and more than 850Nm of torque. Toyota hasn’t revealed the car’s 0-60mph time yet, but has said the GT will top out at 199mph. While it may have lots of aero and tech on it, undoubtedly the GT is going to be seen as a last hurrah for a petrol-powered Toyota supercar. It should be coming to the UK, but Toyota is yet to confirm any launch plans.
