AJAC Festival des essais 2025
The 2025 TestFest paves the way for AJAC Canadian Car of the Year awards
Pros and cons
Overview
“What’s the best vehicle you’ve driven this year?” This tricky question is one our automotive expert, Jesse Caron, gets asked year after year. He always struggles to answer it, given the vast array of choices and the infinitely variable answer that depend on each driver’s individual experience.
Fortunately, he’s been a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) for 15 years. He can therefore base his answer on the results of the Canadian Car of the Year awards, which the organization has been presenting for decades. For 2026, the AJAC will crown a vehicle in the following four categories:
- Canadian Car of the Year
- Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year
- Canadian Electric Car of the Year
- Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year
Jesse actively participates in the meticulous process that leads to these coveted awards. Like more than 40 other automotive journalists from across Canada, he examines, compares, and, most importantly, drives each of the models he votes for.
The first round of voting ended on November 23, so AJAC will announce the five semi-finalists in each category in early December.
See the Verdict below to discover the AJAC's top 5 vehicles in 4 categories
In addition to conducting road tests every week in Quebec, our automotive expert discovers new models at manufacturer launch events. And of course, he never misses the AJAC TestFest. This event allows him to sample 15 to 20 additional models each year to expand his overview of the competitive landscape.
The 2025 TestFest took place in mid-October 2025 in the Orangeville area, northwest of Toronto. Five of the approximately 35 models on display caught our specialist's attention, representing a wide range of price points and powertrains.
Scroll down to the Evaluation section to discover the five 2026 vehicles that impressed CAA-Québec at the AJAC Test Drive Festival
Verdict
Check back on December 2 to find out about the five semi-finalists are in each category of the AJAC Canadian Car of the Year Awards!
The three finalists in each category will be designated as the 12 Best vehicles of the year. This list will be announced at the Montreal International Auto Show on January 15.
To find out who the winning vehicles are, you'll have to wait until the Canadian International Auto Show media day in Toronto on February 12, 2026.
Evaluation
Discover soon 5 standout vehicles from the 2025 AJAC TestFest!