The award-winning streak for Cadillac’s supercharged V8 sedan keeps growing. The Drive, a popular automotive news and culture publication, just handed its 2026 Best Performance Car and Best Car of 2026 awards to the same vehicle: the 2026 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. In a year full of electrified powertrains and bloated curb weights, Cadillac’s rear-drive, manual-equipped four-door is the car critics can’t stop celebrating.
- The CT5-V Blackwing won both Best Performance Car and Best Car of 2026 from The Drive, based on its supercharged V8 and available six-speed manual.
- The sedan also earned a spot on Car and Driver’s 10Best list for the fifth consecutive year, competing against over 100 vehicles.
- An optional Precision Package adds carbon-ceramic brakes, revised suspension, and high-performance tires for dedicated track use.
Two Awards, One Supercharged Sedan
Since its arrival, the 2026 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing has been a hit with critics, racking up plaudits left and right. Now, it can add two more to its trophy case. Automotive news and car culture site The Drive gave the recently updated CT5-V Blackwing two honors: Best Performance Car and Best Car of 2026.
Every year, The Drive’s editors award their favorite vehicles across several categories and pick one for the overall Best Car award. This year, it’s the CT5-V Blackwing. If you’ve been searching “Cadillac dealerships near me” to get behind the wheel of one, you’re not alone. This car has earned attention from enthusiasts and critics alike.
The CT5-V Blackwing features a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 making 668 horsepower and 658 pound-feet of torque, paired with either a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission. That $102,795 starting price is a relative bargain compared with competitors like the Audi RS7 ($135,295) and the BMW M5 ($125,450).
What the Critics Are Saying
The Drive’s Deputy Editor Jerry Perez didn’t hold back his enthusiasm. He called the CT5-V Blackwing a car that “addresses every enthusiast’s want and need, from comfort and versatility for the road to motorsport-derived performance for the track.”
Brandon Vivian, V-Series Strategy Executive Chief Engineer, said the recognition validates the team’s work: “Winning these kinds of accolades is why team members all over the company get up and come to work. It validates what we’ve been doing with V-Series and V-Series Blackwing.”
The CT5-V Blackwing picked up another recent honor, too. Alongside the CT4-V Blackwing, it earned a spot on Car and Driver magazine’s 10Best list for the fifth year in a row. This year, the Car and Driver 10Best evaluation process included over 100 vehicles, all driven back-to-back by the full editorial staff.
The Precision Package Turns Things Up a Notch
An optional Precision Package increases racetrack performance with revised suspension, high-performance tires, and carbon-ceramic brakes. The package adds updated camber settings, new springs and bushings, a stiffer front anti-roll bar, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires, and recalibrated electronic controls.
Precision Package or otherwise, the CT5-V Blackwing is still a 668-horsepower, six-speed, eight-cylinder sedan that goes toe-to-toe with anything in its class. It achieves a zero-to-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds. In Car and Driver’s 0-to-150-to-0 test, an automatic Blackwing was barely 0.3 second behind a Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
Cadillac’s Award Season Doesn’t Stop There
The CT5-V Blackwing isn’t the only Cadillac collecting trophies lately. Other Cadillac vehicles also took home awards recently, with the VISTIQ winning German Car of the Year in the Luxury category, LYRIQ-V winning TopGear.com U.S. SUV of the Year, and ESCALADE IQ winning Motor Trend SUV of the Year. TopGear.com also awarded Cadillac its U.S. manufacturer of the year.
Cadillac V-Series began in 2004 with the launch of the CTS-V sedan, a car from which the CT5-V Blackwing can trace its lineage. In 2025, Cadillac V-Series enjoyed its best sales year ever and the introduction of its first electrified models, the OPTIQ-V and LYRIQ-V.
The V-Series lineup also includes the CT4-V and CT4-V Blackwing, and ESCALADE-V and ESCALADE-V ESV. And for a look at what’s coming next, Cadillac has confirmed that “the legacy of the CT5 will continue with a next-generation ICE vehicle.”
Why the Blackwing Matters Right Now
There’s a reason this car keeps winning awards year after year. There is literally no other car like it left on the market. It’s an absurdly engaging driving machine breathing 668 horsepower through eight cylinders, controlled by a Tremec six-speed manual, all wrapped up in a classic luxury sedan body. At a time when competitors are adding hybrid systems and packing on weight, the CT5-V Blackwing stays focused on what matters to driving enthusiasts.
Production of the current CT5-V Blackwing will conclude at the end of the 2026 calendar year. That makes this award season feel like a well-deserved victory lap. If you’ve been on the fence, the window to grab one of these sedans is closing. And given the accolades piling up, don’t expect them to last long on dealer lots.
