TopGear.com names SIXPACK-powered Dodge Charger US Car of the Year

TopGear.com crowns the SIXPACK-powered Dodge Charger US Car of the Year 2026 in its U.S. awards, citing 550 hp and daily usability. Read the full details.

TopGear.com has named the new SIXPACK-powered Dodge Charger its US Car of the Year in the TopGear.com U.S. Car Awards 2026, putting the spotlight on the Charger Scat Pack and its high-output 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six. For this version, Dodge quotes 550 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque.

The editors’ verdict wasn’t shaped by numbers alone. Top Gear editor-in-chief Jack Rix called the new SIXPACK Charger a “revelation,” praising its ability to shift roles—from composed daily driver to something far more playful when asked. The decision, according to the announcement, was cemented after the team drove the car hard on the famed Tail of the Dragon near the Great Smoky Mountains, a stretch widely described as 318 turns in 11 miles.

Dodge CEO Matt McAlear framed the award as proof that the next-generation Charger is carving out a new definition of muscle-car performance, highlighting a drivetrain setup that offers all-wheel drive “when you need it” and rear-wheel drive “when you want it,” alongside the car’s “hidden hatch” design. The recognition also lands as Dodge continues to present Charger as a multi-energy lineup—spanning the gasoline SIXPACK approach and the all-electric Charger Daytona Scat Pack.

That broader strategy is showing up beyond TopGear.com, too. Dodge says the Charger multi-energy lineup is one of three finalists for the 2026 North American Car of the Year in the car category—an outcome that doesn’t decide the winner, but does signal the model’s prominence in this year’s mainstream awards conversation.

There’s a practical angle to the story as well: Dodge notes that the SIXPACK-powered Charger is shipping to dealers now. Pricing, meanwhile, is being communicated in two familiar formats—Dodge cites a $54,995 MSRP for the Scat Pack, while U.S. auto outlets list $56,990 including destination. The distinction matters less as a disagreement than as a reminder of what is, and isn’t, included in the headline figure.

For Dodge, the timing is hard to miss: a major media trophy, a high-visibility finalist slot at NACTOY, and deliveries underway. If the SIXPACK Charger consistently delivers the everyday usability and back-road performance that helped earn this TopGear.com win, it could become one of the most talked-about gasoline-led launches in a segment where options are narrowing and expectations keep rising.