Corvette ZR1 Crowned Road & Track’s 2026 Performance Car of the Year

Big news from the performance-car world: the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 has officially been named Road & Track Magazine’s 2026 Performance Car of the Year, and honestly… it’s hard to argue with the verdict.

Road & Track’s Performance Car of the Year (PCOTY) award isn’t about price tags or brand cachet. It’s a pure, no-nonsense test of driving excellence. Every contender gets pushed hard—on track and on real roads—and only the most complete performance machine walks away with the trophy. This year, after an exhaustive evaluation, the ZR1 didn’t just win—it dominated.

A Legacy of Greatness Gets Even Bigger

The Corvette nameplate is no stranger to PCOTY glory. Over the years, Road & Track has honored:

• The C7 Stingray in 2014
• The C7 ZR1 in 2019
• The C8 Z06 in 2023

Now, the C8 Corvette ZR1 adds another chapter to that legacy, making Corvette the winningest model in Performance Car of the Year history. No other car has managed more than two wins—Corvette now has four.

As Road & Track Director of Reviews Mike Duff put it:

“Performance Car of the Year is a test of driving, not value, but by any measure, the Corvette is an astonishing bargain. It also takes the Corvette dynasty to a whole new plane of awesomeness.”

That’s high praise from people who drive the world’s best cars for a living.

1,064 Horsepower of American Muscle Refined

At the heart of the ZR1 is a monster: a 1,064-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8, the most powerful V8 ever produced in America by an American automaker. Pair that with the available ZTK Performance Package—which adds high-downforce aerodynamics, ultra-high-performance tires, and carbon-ceramic brakes—and you’ve got a car that’s just as happy hunting lap records as it is carving canyon roads. And that balance matters. PCOTY testing isn’t just about lap times.

Tested Where It Matters

For 2026, Road & Track took contenders to Thunderhill Raceway Park in Northern California, wringing out every ounce of performance on track. From there, the cars headed onto the legendary public roads of Napa Valley, where ride quality, approachability, and driver confidence matter just as much as raw speed. That dual-purpose brilliance is exactly what the ZR1 was designed to deliver.

According to Chris Barber, Lead Development Engineer for the ZR1, “We aimed to make this car a standout—fun to drive, incredibly fast, yet comfortable and approachable. The ZR1 faced stiff competition, and I’m very proud that it stood out.”

A Winning Streak That’s Hard to Ignore

The PCOTY award is just the latest accolade in what’s becoming a serious victory lap for the ZR1. Recently, the car has:

• Been named TopGear.com’s 2026 U.S. Supercar of the Year
• Won Hagerty’s Ultimate Lap Battle
• Set six lap records at major North American racetracks
• Achieved a 233-mph top track speed, the fastest Corvette ever

On top of that, both the ZR1 and the hybrid ZR1X now hold the distinction of being the fastest American-manufacturer cars ever to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Yeah. That Nürburgring.

Raising the Bar Again

Road & Track posed a tantalizing question: Can Chevrolet raise the bar any higher? The answer arrived almost immediately in the form of the electrified, all-wheel-drive ZR1X. With 1,250 combined horsepower, it’s now the quickest-accelerating American production car ever, capable of:

• 0–60 mph in under 2 seconds
• A quarter-mile time under 9.0 seconds

If that’s not raising the bar, it’s launching it into orbit.

Final Thoughts

Winning Road & Track’s 2026 Performance Car of the Year cements the Corvette ZR1’s place among the all-time greats—not just as a supercar slayer, but as a deeply engineered driver’s car. It’s ferocious, approachable, and relentlessly fast, all while continuing a Corvette tradition that shows no signs of slowing down.