After a one-year hiatus, the "Family Cars of the Year" awards have returned with a new format. As before, the competition is limited to vehicles with a flexible cargo space of at least 400 liters. However, the 175 models competing this year—across various SUV, van, and station wagon categories—are now organized into just two price brackets. In the higher of these two, the victory went to an electric bestseller from Kia: "In the 'Best Value for Money' category for vehicles priced between 35,000 and 60,000 euros, the Kia EV3 outperformed 115 competitors," says Peter Wolkenstein, editor-in-chief of the specialist magazine *Auto Straßenverkehr*, which hosted the competition for the 14th time this year. A total of 10,181 readers of the magazine took part in the voting (a figure verified by a notary). Classification into the two price brackets—"up to 35,000 euros" and "35,000 to 60,000 euros"—was based on the base price of each model series (as of March 8, 2026). With a starting price of 35,990 euros, the Kia EV3 ranks among the most affordable vehicles in this category—a category in which another Kia also secured a spot on the podium: the electric van-style PV5 Passenger (base price 38,390 euros) took third place in the "Best Value for Money" category. The brand also secured three additional podium finishes across various vehicle categories: second place for the EV3 among compact SUVs priced from 35,000 euros, and third place each for the PV5 Passenger (vans priced from 35,000 euros) and the K4 Sportswagon (station wagons priced up to 35,000 euros). The detailed results of the readers' poll have now been published in issue 23/2026 of "Auto Straßenverkehr."
