We wouldn’t exactly call this a shocker, but if you want proof we’re officially living in the future, WardsAuto didn’t pick out a single gas-only engine for 2026. We saw it coming last year when the Chevy Corvette ZR1 was the only ICE model included on its Wards 10 Best Engines list.
It was easy to read the writing on the wall back in 2020 when the name was officially changed to Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems. Here’s what the latest round-up tells us about the automotive industry in 2026.
The Emphasis Is On “Propulsion Systems” This Year
Let’s run down the list, published earlier this month.
Note that these selections aren’t ranked. It’s sort of like King Arthur’s Round Table, where every item on the list is equally respected for its inclusion.
As WardsAuto puts it, the electrification takeover is a trend that was years in the making.
The trend toward electrification reflects a marketplace that continues to evolve away from more than a century of dominance by pure internal-combustion propulsion. Hybrids, in particular, are no longer niche vehicles, but are now considered integral to automakers’ product portfolios.
-Bob Gritzinger, Wards 10 Best Juror
WardsAuto whittled the list down from 26 nominees, with scoring based on factors including overall power output, torque, noise and vibration harshness, efficiency, and innovative technology. The list is specifically intended to rate new and significantly improved engines. That is, an engine can win two years in a row, or more, but not without some meaningful improvements.
American Cars Only Claimed Two Wins This Year
2027 Rivian R2 exteriorRivian
For our fellow statistics nerds out there, here are some points worth mentioning:
- Germany and Japan dominate the list with three winners each.
- The US scores two wins this year.
- South Korea and Sweden tie for third, with one pick each.
- The winners are 40% Asian, 40% European, and 20% American.
- The most powerful engine on the list is the ZR1X, producing 1,250 horsepower.
- Every single all-electric winner is a dual-motor BEV.
- The winners are 70% crossovers, with two sports cars and a sport wagon making up the remaining 30%.
Last year, American automakers claimed four wins, between Lucid, Dodge, Chevy, and Ford. This year, we only scored two places. We hate to tell you how to do your job, but step it up, guys.
The ZR1X Takes The ZR1’s Place This Year
The Chevrolet ZR1X makes the list this year, while the ZR1 does not.
If you want to read an agenda into that, you’re free to do so. But, as mentioned, WardsAuto is specifically looking for new and dramatically improved powertrains. The C8 ZR1 has been around since 2024, for the 2025 model year. The ZR1X came out in 2025 for the 2026 model year. It’s really as simple as that.
2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X
Engine
5.5-Liter Twin-Turbo 8-Cylinder
5.5-Liter Twin-Turbo Hybrid 8-Cylinder
Power
1,064 hp
1,250 hp
Torque
828 lb-ft
973 lb-ft
0-60
2.2 Seconds
1.68 Seconds
Simply laying out the numbers makes it obvious why the ZR1X makes the list. Not that the ZR1 isn’t a monster, but it’s lucky it launched a year before its more powerful sibling, or it probably wouldn’t have made the list going head-to-head with the 1,250-hp version of the powerplant.
Chevy Keeps Making The List, Year After Year
2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (C8) on the roadChevrolet
Both engines are built on the Gemini DOHC 5.5-Liter V8, producing a base 670 hp in its naturally aspirated state in the 2023-2026 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
The LT6 version of the engine is the highest-revving naturally aspirated powerplant ever put into an American production car, redlining at an incredible 8,600 rpm. The non-turbo, non-hybrid version of the powerplant made the list in 2023, sharing an honor with the Mustang Dark Horse’s 5.0-liter Coyote V8 that year as the last naturally aspirated engines ever to make the list.
No version of the 5.5-liter made the list for 2024, but the Corvette E-Ray’s 6.2-liter hybrid V8 did. So, Chevy’s been on a winning streak for a few years now.
Have We Seen The Last Of Gas-Only Engines On The Wards 10 Best List?
2023 Chevrolet Corvette 70th Anniversary Z06 CoupeBring A Trailer
Any ICE fans out there who feel like the sky is falling, bear in mind that progress isn’t always linear, and we may not have seen the last of pure gasoline power on the Wards 10 Best List. Consider the electrification percentages in previous years.
- 2019 – 40% Battery Powered
- 2020 – 40% Battery Powered
- 2021 – 80% Battery Powered
- 2022 – 70% Battery Powered
- 2023 – 70% Battery Powered
- 2024 – 80% Battery Powered
- 2025 – 90% Battery Powered
- 2026 – 100% Battery Powered
Based on this trajectory, we should have reached 100% electrification four years ago, but the Acura Integra, Nissan Rogue, and Jeep Grand Wagoneer prevented that. There’s an ebb-and-flow at play here, and WardsAutos isn’t specifically looking to fill quotas or push a pro-EV agenda. The list only aims to rank the 10 best powerplants, year after year.
In other words, a particularly well-built combustion engine could easily claim a spot on next year’s list. Honestly, we don’t see it happening. We think the genie’s truly out of the bottle this time. But, it’s not outside the realm of possibility.
The Age Of Electrification Is Here
A glass-half-empty outlook on this year’s list says that combustion-only engines are dying. A glass-half-full perspective is pleased to see that electrification is no longer a novelty.
Mainstream automakers can’t ignore the fuel efficiency that comes with hybrids, and how easy hybridization makes it to stay on the EPA’s good side. In the luxury and performance sphere, you’re leaving a lot of horsepower on the table if you refuse to adopt electrification.
Despite the eradication of the EV and hybrid tax credits in 2025, Rivian is having an incredible year, with a 46% bump in sales for Q3. The Toyota Camry is still America’s favorite sedan since going hybrid-only, and Tesla sold 357,528 Model Ys in the US last year.
We don’t expect combustion power to go the way of the dodo anytime soon. After all, they still make bicycles, don’t they? But, gas-only engines will likely become an increasingly niche segment in the industry they once dominated.
Base Trim Engine
5.5L V-8 Hybrid
Base Trim Transmission
8-speed auto-shift manual
Base Trim Drivetrain
All-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
1064 HP @7000 RPM
Base Trim Torque
828 lb.-ft. @ 6000 RPM
Base Trim Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined)
12/18/14 MPG
Base Trim Battery Type
Lithium ion (Li-ion)
Infotainment & Features
8 /10
Sources: WardsAutos, Chevrolet.
