Gold Seal awards only gold: one winner per category, with no second or third place. These are the other finalists considered in each category, listed in no particular order and without ranking.
Heavily revised for 2026 with a higher-compression 948cc four, quickshifter, cruise control and cornering management.
A new retro-styled four-cylinder roadster for 2026 with five riding modes and cornering ABS.
The CP3 triple naked bike with Yamaha's automated manual transmission, for clutchless riding.
BMW's electric maxi-scooter, with a long, low, futuristic design.
An Indian electric sports motorcycle, part of a fast-growing new wave of electric makers.
Yamaha's flagship 450cc motocrosser, with engine mapping adjustable through Yamaha's smartphone app.
A big-bore four-stroke enduro bike, road-legal in many markets.
A two-stroke enduro bike, popular for hard enduro and technical trail riding.
The electric enduro version of the VARG, with adjustable power up to 80 hp. The VARG won this category in 2025.
A French electric trials bike built for slow, technical terrain.
The open-top version of the 2025 winner, with the same naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12.
A naturally aspirated flat-plane V8 that continues to offer outstanding value among exotics.
A fully electric tri-motor super-saloon with 1,548 hp, holder of the Nürburgring's electric executive car lap record (7:04.957).
A fully electric Italian hypercar, built in small numbers.
A twin-turbo straight-six desert pickup, Ram's answer to the Raptor.
A mid-size off-road pickup with Multimatic dampers and front and rear lockers.
A fully electric off-road super-truck with CrabWalk diagonal driving.
The 2025 category winner, a fully electric stainless-steel pickup that remained a finalist in 2026.
Updated for 2025 with Öhlins SmartEC3 semi-active suspension and a claimed 183 PS, 3 PS more than the previous model.
The new-generation big adventure tourer, built around the 1,300cc boxer twin.
Honda's E-Clutch lets riders shift without using the clutch lever, a rider-friendly technology on a mid-size four.
Zero's naked electric streetfighter, one of the best-established full-size electric road bikes.
An electric sportbike from one of the big Japanese makers, with swappable batteries and aimed at newer riders.
A two-stroke enduro bike with race-spec suspension, a popular choice for hard enduro.
The French maker's factory-spec two-stroke enduro bike, built for technical terrain.
Triumph's first motocross bike, marking a major manufacturer's arrival in off-road racing.
A full-size electric off-road bike from one of the best-known electric dirt bike brands.
A popular mid-size electric trail bike that has brought many new riders to electric off-road riding.
A 5.5-litre flat-plane-crank naturally aspirated V8 at a fraction of the usual exotic price.
A naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 with a manual gearbox, a purist's alternative to turbo and hybrid supercars.
The most powerful production Porsche at its launch, fully electric. Porsche says it set a 7:07.55 Nürburgring Nordschleife lap with a pre-production car and the fastest road-legal EV lap at Laguna Seca (1:27.87).
A fully electric tri-motor saloon with 1,548 hp. On 1 April 2025 it lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:04.957, a record in the circuit's electric executive car category.
America's long-running best-selling pickup, offered with a broad range of petrol engines.
An off-road flagship with a 6.2-litre V8 and Multimatic dampers.
A fully electric adventure pickup with strong off-road ability. It went on to win the category in 2026.
A fully electric full-size pickup on GM's BT1 platform, built at Factory Zero in Michigan.
Being a finalist is not a Gold Seal award. See the 2027 contenders, which will be decided by public vote.