{"id":737401,"date":"2026-06-15T04:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T04:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/737401\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T04:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T04:57:09","slug":"2026-carexpert-choice-winner-best-luxury-small-suv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/737401\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 CarExpert Choice winner: Best Luxury Small SUV"},"content":{"rendered":"

The BMW X1<\/a> has been named Australia\u2019s best small luxury SUV in the 2026 CarExpert Choice Awards<\/a>, marking the second consecutive year it’s won this award.<\/p>\n

It beat out two finalists: the Cupra Formentor<\/a> and Volvo XC40<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not only has the X1 won this award twice in a row now, but its electric iX1 sibling has also taken out the award for best small electric SUV for a second year.<\/p>\n

So, why do we love the X1 so much? Quite simply, it offers the traditional BMW hallmarks \u2013 keen dynamics, contemporary technology, a well-appointed interior \u2013 all in a compact and (relatively) affordable package.<\/p>\n

Looking for your next car? We’ll help you\u00a0research\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0compare<\/a>\u00a0so you choose with confidence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You won’t feel shortchanged downsizing to this from a larger, more expensive BMW, while new customers to the brand will appreciate the level of sophistication it offers.<\/p>\n

For 2026 it has gotten even better, with entry-level grades gaining mild-hybrid technology and a new plug-in hybrid xDrive25e variant joining the lineup. That means there’s now everything from a thrifty three-cylinder all the way up to the hot M35i with its turbocharged 2.0-litre four.<\/p>\n

\u201cBavaria\u2019s premium small SUV has gone from being one of the class laggards to a new leader, with a blend of tech, practicality, and driving finesse even from the entry-level grade,\u201d we concluded in our review of the entry-level sDrive18i when it was launched.<\/p>\n

Our view hasn’t changed.<\/p>\n

2026 CarExpert Choice \u2013 Best Luxury Small SUVWinner \u2013 BMW X1Finalist \u2013 Cupra FormentorFinalist \u2013 Volvo XC40<\/p>\n

To see all the CarExpert Choice winners, click\u00a0here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

MORE: Explore the BMW X1 showroom<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The BMW X1 has been named Australia\u2019s best small luxury SUV in the 2026 CarExpert Choice Awards, marking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":737402,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,63,105],"class_list":["post-737401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=737401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/737402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=737401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=737401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=737401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}