Is Ford’s pickup truck dominance beginning to crumble? After winning the North American Truck of the Year award six times in a row, this year isn’t looking good… for trucks or anything else from the brand.
In fact, Ford isn’t even making it to the finals this time around.
Ford Out, Slate In On Best Of 2027 List
Slate TruckSlate
The 2027 North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards are handed out to the best new or largely changed vehicle in each of the three classes. Ford’s different pickups have dominated in recent years, with the F-150, Ranger, Maverick, Super Duty, and even the Lightning all winning the top trophy.
But now, for the first time since 2019, Ford doesn’t even make the honorable mentions list. NACTOY has just announced its 25 Best of 2027 models, and not only is there no Ford on the truck list, but there’s no Ford anywhere to be found.
What happened? NACTOY doesn’t specify why a model doesn’t make the list, but it seems it may have hinged on “new or substantially changed” in the list of requirements.
Ford did upgrade its F-150 for 2027, but the changes are quite small. A few new grilles and new wheel designs, and BlueCruise improvements might be enough for buyers, but not for jurors. No significant changes have been announced for any of Ford’s other trucks, either.
Who Makes The Top 25?
2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRTRam
Who will compete for the 2027 North American Truck of the Year Award? The GM half-ton twins are both brand-new this year, so the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 have both made the list. The Ram 1500 TRX SRT, a reborn 6.2-liter supercharged TRX with even more power than before, is also in the top 25.
The final of the four trucks that has moved on is the most unusual. It’s the Slate truck, the ultra-basic $25,000 electric truck from a brand-new company. Deliveries of the Slate haven’t started yet, but the upstart has evidently sent enough of them into the hands of jurors to evaluate. The truck should be in customer hands by the time the awards are handed out in early January, ensuring it qualifies.
There are five cars battling for North American Car of the Year. The list includes the Audi A6, Hyundai Ioniq 6 N, Kia K4 hatchback, Lexus ES, and Mercedes-Benz CLA 220 hybrid.
On the SUV side, there are 16 competitors. The list includes three Jeeps and three Kia models, and a mix of gas and electric. Those vehicles are the Audi Q9, BMW iX3, Kia EV3, Seltos, and Telluride, Chevrolet Bolt, Mazda CX-5, Genesis GV60 Magma, Nissan Rogue Hybrid e-Power, Jeep Cherokee, Recon, and Grand Wagoneer REEV, Rivian R2, Toyota Highlander, Volkswagen Atlas, and the Volvo EX60.
The next step in the NACTOY awards season happens in late October. Jurors gather to drive all the Best of 2027 list at one event before casting ballots. The three finalists in each category will be announced November 19 in LA, before the winners are announced at the Detroit Show on January 14.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
2026 NACTOY WinnersJoel Stocksdale/CarBuzz/Valnet
This has to hurt for Ford, but it’s a rare year in which the company hasn’t made any significant changes to any of its wide range of trucks. The F-Series is on pace to be the best-selling truck in America for the 50th year, though, so we don’t think Ford will mind that much. Let GM have the attention for a change.
Perhaps Ford will return to the NACTOY stage with the new Fathom, which should be in the running for 2028.
Source: NACTOY
