By: Chris Perkins, writer and editor, GM News
By: Chris Perkins, writer and editor, GM News
Since its arrival, the 2026 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing has been a hit with the critics, racking up many plaudits and awards. Now, it can add two more awards to its trophy case. Automotive news and car culture site The Drive has given 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 of the year in several categories and pick one of those for its overall Best Car award. This year, it’s the CT5-V Blackwing.
“The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing addresses every enthusiast’s want and need, from comfort and versatility for the road to motorsport-derived performance for the track,” says The Drive Deputy Editor Jerry Perez. “Its expertly tuned chassis, race-proven suspension, available manual transmission, and thundering supercharged V8 make it a unicorn in today’s automotive environment, as well as an instant classic for decades to come.”
The CT5-V Blackwing features a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 making 668 horsepower and 658 pound-feet of torque1 paired with either a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission. An optional Precision Package increases racetrack performance capability with revised suspension, high-performance tires, and carbon-ceramic brakes.
"Winning these kinds of accolades is why team members all over the company get up and come to work,” says Brandon Vivian, V-Series Strategy Executive Chief Engineer. “It validates what we’ve been doing with V-Series and V-Series Blackwing, and our customers resonate with that. We’re proud to build on Cadillac’s legacy of performance, prestige, elegance, technology, and innovation.”
This isn’t the only recent honor for the CT5-V Blackwing. Alongside the CT4-V Blackwing, the CT5-V Blackwing also earned a spot on Car and Driver magazine's 10Best list for the fifth year in a row.
Other Cadillac vehicles also took home numerous additional 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 lineup also includes the CT4-V and CT4-V Blackwing, and ESCALADE-V and ESCALADE-V ESV
For a glimpse into the future of V-Series, look to Cadillac’s two most recent concept vehicles, the Opulent Velocity and Elevated Velocity, both of which have won EyesOn Design awards for Best Concept Vehicle.
1 With premium gasoline
Since its arrival, the 2026 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing has been a hit with the critics, racking up many plaudits and awards. Now, it can add two more awards to its trophy case. Automotive news and car culture site The Drive has given the recently updated CT5-V Blackwing two honors, Best Performance Car and Best Car of 2026.
Every year, The Drive’s editors award the highest-ranked vehicles in several categories and pick one of those for its overall Best Car award. This year, it’s the CT5-V Blackwing.
“The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing addresses every enthusiast’s want and need, from comfort and versatility for the road to motorsport-derived performance for the track,” says The Drive’s Deputy Editor Jerry Perez. “Its expertly tuned chassis, race-proven suspension, available manual transmission, and thundering supercharged V8 make it a unicorn in today’s automotive environment, as well as an instant classic for decades to come.”
The CT5-V Blackwing features a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 making 668 horsepower and 658 pound-feet of torque1 paired with either a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission. An optional Precision Package increases racetrack performance capability with revised suspension, high-performance tires, and carbon-ceramic brakes.
"Winning these kinds of accolades is one of the reasons why team members all over the company get up and come to work,” says Brandon Vivian, V-Series Strategy Executive Chief Engineer. “It validates what we’ve been doing with V-Series and V-Series Blackwing, and our customers resonate with that. We’re proud to build on Cadillac’s legacy of performance, prestige, elegance and innovation.”
This isn’t the only recent honor for the CT5-V Blackwing. Alongside the CT4-V Blackwing, the CT5-V Blackwing also earned a spot on Car and Driver magazine's 10Best list for the fifth year in a row.
Other Cadillac vehicles also took home numerous additional 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 lineup includes the CT4-V and CT4-V Blackwing, CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing, and ESCALADE-V and ESCALADE-V ESV
For a glimpse into the future of V-Series, look to Cadillac’s two most recent concept vehicles, the Opulent Velocity and Elevated Velocity, both of which have won EyesOn Design awards for Best Concept Vehicle.
1With premium gasoline