2026 Rusty awards

and the 2026 rusty award goes to.....

    The best of the bottom is where this years winner has always been.  From the time they released their first vehicle, they have never been able to move themselves off the bottom of the design pool.  But in all reality, this formula has worked for them, as they have managed to survive, even with one of the industries worst dressed lists.  Maybe this years award will help them rethink there future endeavours.

​      Better is putting 2026 mildly, as we may have made less bad designs (70 from last years 116), but we still didn't move the bottom end much over 2025.  From 41.53% in 2025 to a 41.85% in 2026, the needle didn't really move that far from where it once was.  Too bad, as we thought with less bad designs on our list, we may be able to move the needle past the 45% mark.  Maybe 2027 will prove to be better.
​

       As usual our bottom end list is made up of the usual contenders.  Vans, Trucks, Crossovers and Hybrids.  But a new addition were four (4) sports cars and one (1) aftermarket.  Guess in these cases, no one was able to make even the best of the market great.  Our four (4) sports cars were not odd at all, as there designs were a bit off, even for a sports car.  But for our aftermarket contender, it was odd to see something which is suppose to be better than the original, wind up looking worse.  Maybe someone needs to rethink there approach to design.
​

      Making up 10.74% of the rated vehicles, 2026 did look pretty good that we nearly went below the 10% mark for bad designs.  Maybe 2027 will prove that bad designs were a thing of the past and we are now moving towards a better designed future.  Nah! Don't think so, as we have had moments like this before and there has always been a new breed of simple, bland and boring cars trying to invade the automotive marketplace.
​

       As usual we you can see that most on this list are from the EV world, as it seems that EV power may be getting better, but its designs still are not.  Here's hoping that 2027 looks better for the automotive industry.  And hey! Maybe we will get under that 10% mark for once.

---

2026 AUTOLOOKS RUSTY AWARD WINNER!

     This years all time bad design was one which looked like a rushed product.  While we know this company in particular doesn't have the endless pockets others have, the final product still showed a rushed to market approach.  This could have been because it was designed to stand out from the crowd in a market which is filled with simplicity.

      As most of us know, extended cargo vans are never the best dressed products on the road, as they are made to serve a simple purpose.  But when you slap on a face that only a mother could love, then there are other issues at hand.  For that, we had to name the 2026 Workhorse W56 as this years Rusty Award Winner.  With a face only a mother could love added to an already simple package, this product just screams.......Help Me!

    We all know that delivery vans (or last mile delivery vehicles) never look good.  Just take a look at your standard UPS and Purolator vans.  Sure, GM did manage to make a decent design with the Brightdrop vans, but I guess none of that rubbed off on the Workhorse design team.

     Trying to add a hood-line and fender flares to a delivery van is something which can be done, but in Workhorse's case, it does not work.  Out back and along the side the W56 is what you expect from a last mile delivery van.  But up front, this beast is just what it is. A Beast.

     Overall the W56 does fit the market it was designed for, with everything you would expect from a delivery van.  But if you had to ask us to purchase one of these vans for our fleet, you would have to provide a substantial benefit over the competition to make us look twice.

​​​​Electric Power​
Hybrid Power
Hydrogen Power
Plug-In Electric Power
Compressed Natural Gas
FlowCell Power

---

2026 RUSTY AWARD WINNERS

​Van
Van
CUV
Utility
Truck
Van
Truck
Truck
Crossover
Hatch
Hybrid-EV - Pod
Truck
Truck
CUV
Van
Hatch
Van
Truck
Crossover
Sports
CUV
Utility
CUV
CUV
Truck
Truck
Hybrid-EV - Pod
CUV
CUV
Hatch
Sedan
Truck
Sedan
CUV
Hatch
Van
Van
Crossover
Sports
Utility
Crossover
Van
Crossover
Cross-trek - CUV
Van
CUV
Cross-trek - Crossover
Van
Truck
Crossover
Van
Hatch
Sports
Utility
Hatch
CUV
Hybrid-EV - Pod
Truck
Van
Truck
Sedan
Utility
Hybrid-EV - Pod
Aftermarket - ALV
Sedan
Truck
Utility
Van
Sports
Van

Workhorse W56
Oshkosh NGDV
Moskvich 3e
Mahindra Bolero
Tata Ace Pro
BYD T35
BAW Small Truck
BAW Small Truck
Hyundai Stargazer Cartenz
Wuling Binguo Pro
MDI Airpod
Esemka Bima 1.3
Foton Wonder
Dongfeng Fengon 560
Workhorse W4
Wuling Hongguang Mini
IndioGo Go-Dash
Esemka Bima 1.2
Wuling Hongguang
Burton Classic
Galaxy M9
Tazzari Electric Zero 4 Buggy
Toyota Urban Cruiser EV
Bestune T90
UAZ Profi
BAW EV Mini Truck
Desner a05
Denza N8L
Hyundai Nexo
Geome Panda Mini
Baojun Xiangjing
CMC Super Veryca truck
Fresco XL
ORA Cat 5
Honri X9
Suzuki Every BEV
Toyota Pixus
VinFast VF e34
Carice TC2
Mahindra Bolero Neo
Luxgen N7
CMC Super Veryca Freezer Van
Li Auto i6
Kia Telluride X-Pro
Shineray E3
Hongqi HS6
Hyundai Stargazer Cartenz X
CMC Super Veryca
JMC Jiangling Collection
Li Auto i8
Farizon V7E
Aishang A100C
Bufori CS
Chery Fulwin X3
AIM EVM
Onvo L90
KG Motor Mibot
RAM 5500 Laramie
Tata Ace Pro
AM General HUMVEE Saber
Smart #6
Slate Truck fastback
Tazzari EV ZeroMax
Genesis GV60 Magma
Aion RT
Slate Truck
HAVAL Big Dog
Udelv Transporter
Fornasari Gigi Rally
UD Trucks Quester CKE

34.39%
36.07%
36.56%
36.90%
37.49%
37.76%
37.97%
38.31%
38.81%
38.83%
38.91%
39.19%
39.29%
39.43%
39.48%
39.81%
39.86%
40.19%
40.30%
40.34%
40.47%
40.48%
40.49%
40.52%
40.52%
41.10%
41.35%
41.43%
41.68%
41.80%
41.88%
41.97%
41.99%
42.03%
42.25%
42.26%
42.26%
42.28%
42.37%
42.42%
42.55%
42.59%
42.68%
43.14%
43.15%
43.53%
43.64%
43.74%
43.79%
43.81%
43.86%
43.93%
43.95%
43.95%
44.18%
44.19%
44.28%
44.37%
44.52%
44.66%
44.88%
45.04%
45.13%
45.25%
45.32%
45.42%
45.45%
45.53%
45.73%
45.98%

---

2026 Rusty Awards - Seventy (70) rated vehicles, with an average score of 41.85%