TL;DR
The Acer FASTER Awards 2026 recognized India's top automotive innovations, with Mahindra XEV 9E winning Car of the Year, marking the first time ICE and EVs were judged together.
The Federation of Auto Scribes of the Electronic Realm (FASTER) has concluded its annual Acer FASTER Awards 2026, celebrating India's best cars, motorcycles, technologies, and automotive personalities of 2025 in Gurgaon, NCR. This year marked the fifth successful edition of the awards, with winners selected by a jury of senior editorial leaders and automotive journalists from across India.
A notable highlight of the 2026 awards was the joint judging of internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicles for the first time. The Mahindra XEV 9E was crowned FASTER Car of the Year 2026, recognized for its strong presence in the electric vehicle segment, built on Mahindra's INGLO platform, offering a claimed range of up to 656 km and a 5-star Bharat NCAP safety rating. Other categories recognized excellence across various automotive segments, reflecting the dynamic landscape of the Indian auto industry.
