The Federation of Auto Scribes of the Electronic Realm (FASTER) concluded the fifth edition of the Acer FASTER Awards 2026 in Gurgaon, NCR, celebrating the best cars, motorcycles, technologies, and automotive personalities that defined India’s industry in 2025. Presented in association with Title Sponsor Acer India and Associate Sponsor Spark Minda Limited, the evening recognised thirteen winners across product and non-product categories, marking five years of independent, rigorous, and uncompromising 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 Mahindra XEV 9E winning Car of the Year alongside the best internal combustion vehicles in India is not just a product story. It is a statement about where Indian engineering stands today. The future of mobility is not arriving in India. It is being created here by Indian automakers. Five editions in, FASTER’s commitment remains unchanged: the product, the engineering, the experience. Nothing else.” Amit Chhangani, Chairman, FASTER Awards
Five Years, One Principle
The FASTER Awards 2026 marked the platform’s fifth anniversary. The collective of automotive journalists committed to honest, independent evaluation reaches over 250 million readers and viewers every month, across six languages and every corner of India. The platform’s founding principle has not changed: every product competing for a FASTER trophy must submit to hands-on jury evaluation.
This year, that principle meant several high-profile products, including from prominent automakers were ineligible for nomination having not been presented for assessment. Every winner tonight earned their trophy by showing up and submitting to the process.
“In five years, not a single FASTER product category winner has been questioned on grounds of credibility. That is not a coincidence. It is the result of a process that does not bend, a jury that does not compromise, and a platform that was built to say the things this industry sometimes finds uncomfortable to hear.” Naren Sharma, Co-Founder and General Secretary, FASTER
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
About FASTER
The Federation of Auto Scribes of the Electronic Realm (FASTER) is India’s leading independent automotive journalism collective, reaching over 250 million readers and viewers monthly across six languages. The FASTER Awards is the only automotive recognition platform in India where every nominated product undergoes mandatory hands-on jury evaluation, with results independently validated by third-party partners. FASTER’s founding principle: credibility is not a philosophy. It is a process.
About Acer India – Title Sponsor
Acer is one of the world’s foremost technology companies, celebrated globally for its premium thin-and-light laptops, gaming laptops, monitors, tablets, and a full ecosystem of computing solutions. Acer India has been the Title Sponsor of the FASTER Awards for four consecutive years.
About Spark Minda Limited – Associate Sponsor
Spark Minda Limited is one of India’s leading automotive component manufacturers, supplying advanced locking systems, information and connected systems, acoustic systems, and sensor technologies to OEMs globally.