Every Motor Trend Car of the Year Winner (1949 - 2020)

From 1949 to 1957, the Motor Trend COTY award was given to overall manufacturers, not a particular make or model. The first-ever Motor Trend Car of the Year award was given to Cadillac in 1949, for its V8 engine. The first specific model to win the Car of the Year award was the 1958 Ford Thunderbird. Since then it has gone on to win four times, making it the most popular car in the publication’s history.

The first electric car to receive the Motor Trend COTY award was the Tesla Model S in 2013. This was followed by the Chevy Bolt EV in 2017. The first hybrid vehicle to win was the Toyota Prius in 2004. And while all the winners of Motor Trend’s COTY awards from 1949 to 2020 are conventional sedans or coupes, the Dodge Caravan earns the distinction of being the only minivan to win COTY in 1996.