The fifth edition of the ACER FASTER Awards 2026, organised by the Federation of Auto Scribes of the Electronic Realm (FASTER), concluded in Gurgaon, NCR, honouring the standout cars, motorcycles, technologies and industry personalities that shaped India’s automotive landscape in 2025.
Held in association with title sponsor Acer India and associate sponsor Spark Minda Limited, the awards recognised thirteen winners across product and non-product categories, celebrating five years of independent and rigorous automotive evaluation.
The FASTER jury comprises the editorial leads and senior journalists from India’s most widely read independent automotive digital publications, collectively reaching over 250 million readers and viewers every month across six languages. The jury includes Gaurav Yadav of Gaadiwaadi, Promeet Ghosh of Drivespark, Roshan Joseph of PilotOnWheels, Rohit Khurana of CarBlogIndia, Amit Chhangani of Motoroids and Naren Sharma of GearFliq,. Every vehicle is assessed through mandatory hands-on testing.
The Mahindra XEV 9E was named Acer FASTER Car of the Year 2026, and the TVS Apache RTX claimed Motorcycle of the Year, both earning their recognition through a mandatory hands-on jury evaluation process independently validated by Markets & Markets and Zen Technologies. In a historic first, ICE and electric vehicles were judged together under a single standard for the Car of the Year category, a decision that reflects the Indian EV segment’s arrival as a mainstream competitive force.
The victory of an electric vehicle from Mahindra & Mahindra alongside the country’s leading internal combustion models at the FASTER Awards signals more than product excellence — it reflects the growing strength of Indian engineering and innovation. According to Amit Chhangani, Chairman of the awards, the achievement highlights how the future of mobility is no longer being imported into India but is increasingly being designed and developed by Indian automakers themselves. Now in its fifth year, the platform continues to focus firmly on product capability, engineering integrity and overall ownership experience as the sole measures of recognition.
Five Years of Independent Evaluation
The 2026 edition marked the fifth anniversary of the FASTER Awards, a collective of automotive journalists reaching more than 250 million readers and viewers every month across six languages nationwide. Since inception, the awards have followed a strict founding principle — every contender must undergo hands-on jury evaluation to qualify for consideration.
This year, that uncompromising standard resulted in several high-profile vehicles from major automakers being deemed ineligible after they were not presented for assessment. Each winner, therefore, secured recognition only after participating fully in the evaluation process.
Naren Sharma, Co-Founder and General Secretary of the platform, emphasised that the credibility of the awards stems from consistency and transparency. Over five editions, no product category winner has faced credibility challenges — a result, he noted, of a process that remains independent, a jury unwilling to compromise, and a platform committed to honest industry conversations, even when they are difficult to hear.
Key Winners at a Glance
The Mahindra XEV 9E, built on Mahindra’s INGLO platform, India’s first born-electric vehicle architecture developed by an Indian carmaker, delivers a claimed 656-kilometre range, 180 kW DC fast charging, a Snapdragon-powered software-defined architecture, and a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating. With over 30,000 deliveries already registered, the XEV 9E is the most commercially validated electric vehicle to win this title.
The TVS Apache RTX, TVS Motor Company’s first adventure motorcycle built entirely in-house, features a 299cc liquid-cooled DOHC engine, ride-by-wire, switchable traction control, quickshifter, and 180 mm suspension travel at Rs 1.99 lakh. The jury’s assessment was clear: for a first adventure motorcycle, the Apache RTX does not feel like a test. It feels like arrival.
Other significant recognitions on the night included the Tata Sierra winning Design of the Year, the Ultraviolette X47 taking Electric Two-Wheeler of the Year with the world’s first production-integrated 77 GHz radar system, and the BMW X3 claiming Premium Car of the Year. The Honda Activa received the Timeless Icon award in the two-wheeler category, acknowledging over two decades of uninterrupted trust from Indian riders.
The evening’s most emotionally significant moment was the Award of Honor presented posthumously to Sanjay ‘Hardy’ Sharma, the legendary Head of Motorsport and Corporate Communications at JK Tyre, who passed away on February 11, 2026, at the age of 61. Hardy was credited with launching India’s National Racing Championship in 1997 and nurturing the careers of Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandhok, and Jehan Daruvala, among others.
Kush Maini was named Motorsports Personality of the Year, following his historic Formula 2 victory at the Monaco Grand Prix weekend in May 2025, the first such win by an Indian driver. In the communications space, Srinivas Krishnan of Adfactors PR received the PR Personality of the Year award, while Anand V of VinFast India was recognised as Communications Personality of the Year. Tarun Garg, who became the first Indian national to lead Hyundai Motor India as MD and CEO, was named Industry Personality of the Year.
Complete List of Winners: Acer FASTER Awards 2026
Non-Product Categories
Auto Campaign of the Year: Skoda India – Octavia RS (Chanakya Campaign)
CSR Initiatives Award: Honda India Foundation
Award of Honor: Sanjay ‘Hardy’ Sharma (Posthumous)
Motorsports Personality of the Year: Kush Maini
PR Personality of the Year: Srinivas Krishnan, SVP, Adfactors PR
Communications Personality of the Year: Anand V, VinFast India
PR Team of the Year: PR Pundit Havas Red – Auto Division
Communications Team of the Year: VinFast India
Industry Personality of the Year: Tarun Garg, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India
Technology of the Year: Mahindra INGLO Platform
New Entrant of the Year: VinFast India
Product Categories
Update of the Year – Two-Wheeler: Harley-Davidson X440 T
Update of the Year – Four-Wheeler: Kia Carens Clavis
Design of the Year: Tata Sierra
Electric Two-Wheeler of the Year: Ultraviolette X47
Electric Car of the Year: Mahindra XEV 9E
Premium Motorcycle of the Year: Ducati Multistrada V4
Premium Car of the Year: BMW X3
Timeless Icon – Two-Wheeler: Honda Activa
Timeless Icon – Four-Wheeler: Toyota Innova
Viewers’ Choice Award: Maruti Suzuki Victoris
Scooter of the Year: Suzuki Access
Motorcycle of the Year: TVS Apache RTX
Car of the Year: Mahindra XEV 9E
