The Rocky Mountain Automotive Press Association selected the Ram 1500 as its 2026 Rocky Mountain Truck of the Year. This is just the latest award for the popular truck that is often chosen for its affordable luxury and capability. The awards were announced during the annual Colorado Auto Show, in Denver, CO. I took this picture of the America 250 version of the 2026 Ram 1500 on the show floor. The Colorado/Denver Auto Show is one of the oldest in the nation. My personal favorite of the Ram 1500 trims we tested this year was the 2026 Ram 1500 HEMI. The truck is rated at 395 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft. of torque. The HEMI is available pretty much across the board in 2026 model-year Ram 1500 Tradesman, Big Horn, Express, Warlock, Laramie, Rebel, Limited and Longhorn. The HEMI is great fun to drive. Just the sound of it firing up turns heads and gets great crowd reaction.
Of course, the 2026 Ram RHO is nothing to sneeze at. It can generate more horsepower than the HEMI with a whopping 540-horsepower. But for some reason, many truck buyers want the V-8 rather than the Inline-6. Regardless, the 2026 Ram 1500 gets high marks from both Car and Driver and the North American Journalists who vote on Truck of the Year. Despite fluctuations in gas prices, the HEMI is still popular with drivers that love a truck that sounds formidable.
The Honorable Mention in the Truck Division is the 2026 Ford Maverick Lobo. The Maverick Lobo is also receiving a lot of accolades this year for its “Street Truck” appearance in the smaller, affordable truck segment. The Maverick has won all sorts of awards for best value and design, including being named one of Car and Driver’s 10Best. The 2026 Maverick was named MotorTrend’s 2026 Truck of the Year and the North American Truck of the Year in January at the Detroit Auto Show.
2026 Rocky Mountain Automotive Press 'SUV of the Year'
The newly redesigned Honda Passport TrailSport is the 2026 Rocky Mountain SUV of the Year. The Honda Passport TrailSport was designed for life in the mountains. Its new 3.5 Liter V-6 has more horsepower to handle the steep grades. It is now rated at 285 horsepower and 262 lb.-ft. of torque. It also has best-in-class cargo room, enough to fit two adult mountain bikes. It also has great second row leg room. My favorite feature was a built-in altimeter so it could track our elevation. The performance pages also kept track of the vehicle’s pitch and roll. So far, the TrailSport is the only Passport with the altimeter.
Writers chose the BMW X5 sDrive40i for the Honorable Mention in the SUV category. Obviously, the BMW is an outstanding vehicle, but realistically, the Honda is more affordable for the general public.
2026 Rocky Mountain Automotive Press 'Car of the Year'
Again, a Honda prevailed in the competition as writers chose the Honda Civic Hybrid for its affordability and handling the elevation changes in rugged terrain. The Honda Civic Sport Hybrid starts at $29,395 and the Sport Touring Hybrid with all sorts of technological bells and whistles starts at $32,395. Affordability and capability made the
Civic Hybrid especially attractive with the recent fluctuations in the price of fuel. The Hybrid powertrain delivers 200-horsepower.
2026 Rocky Mountain Automotive Press 'EV of the Year'
The 2026 Nissan Leaf is the award winner for Rocky Mountain Automotive Press EV of the Year. The Nissan Leaf was completely redesigned for 2025 and Nissan made the Leaf a compelling choice for our voters not just because of the low entry price and improved range. Our members also appreciated the smart exterior design, upgraded interior looks and materials, and ease of charging. The Leaf’s mileage improved for the new model year, with its base model getting 303 miles of range and its top-of-the-line model getting 259 miles of range.
The Leaf comes standard with a good set of driver-assist features including Pro Pilot assist, adaptive cruise control, intelligent lane intervention, and 360-degree surround view camera. The interior’s materials look and feel premium. The driver display is digital and housed behind one piece of glass that also includes the multimedia screen. The systems are easy to use and Nissan’s smart routing system including public charging stations. The Leaf has two charging ports, so it can use either of the major charging stations.
“That Nissan addressed consumers’ concerns about EV charging is a big win for the Leaf and anyone who owns one, especially if they aren’t always charging from home. Top it off with an interior update that is modern, easy to use, and more premium than you’d expect is such a delight. I respect that the Leaf retains EV features you want, but has left behind some of the more wonky things that make EVs hard to love” said Sara Lacey, president of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press Association. “The more I drove the Leaf the more I liked it. That doesn’t always happen, particularly with a subcompact car.”
The Rivian R1S earned an Honorable Mention for the EV of the Year. RMAP’s voters liked the supreme capability and the distinctive interior of the R1S.
2026 marks the twentieth annual Rocky Mountain Vehicle of the Year awards. The goal is to recognize models that are all-new or significantly revised and have spent time in the Rocky Mountain regional press fleet and/or available for RMAP members to evaluate during at least one of our events.
RMAP membership consists of automotive journalists from Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Kansas, and Nebraska. RMAP members reach millions of potential car, SUV, and truck buyers via the internet, in print, on TV, or via radio. RMAP journalists regularly receive manufacturer press fleet vehicles for review and testing. They also interact with automakers’ executives, engineers, designers, and other representatives to learn all the details about the latest new vehicles. Ultimately, RMAP members serve to help the buying public make educated choices regarding purchasing or leasing vehicles.
Image by Mary Conway
About the Author
Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin. Follow Mary at @MaryConwayMedia on X and on Facebook, and send her car news tips for future stories. Mary Conway is an esteemed automotive and business reporter who was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame in 2019. Mary is a member of the Automotive Press Association, Rocky Mountain Automotive Press, Society of Professional Journalists, and NATAS.
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