Told you we’d be back. For the second episode of The Drivecast, our new weekly podcast, we’re taking you inside The Drive Awards 2026, from what they are and how we make it all happen, to the nominees and winners themselves.
Hot out the gate just a week after launching The Drivecast comes this special episode where Kyle and I are joined by The Drive’s entire editorial team round-robin style to talk about our process for each category. Conceptually, it sounded like a great idea. Kyle warned me it would be a lot of work. I brushed him off. Lesson learned, but no regrets.
The Drive Awards—or the Slashies as Kyle calls them, even though no one else does—is the capstone each year to our hands-on reviews of new cars. Each year the team drives hundreds of models to evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, and whether they deliver on marketing promises in the real world.
You can always read the full stories for each category right here on The Drive, but isn’t it more fun to listen? See for yourself:
The Drivecase is free, just like just like Spyglass–The Drive‘s spy shot newsletter—because everyone should be an insider, and is available on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can also listen to episodes right here on The Drive via the embed above. All podcast episodes will live on the site and can be accessed via the Podcasts tab in the homepage menu bar.
Give episode 2 a listen, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform of choice, and if you dig it, leave us a five star review. It really does help get The Drivecast in front of more people. Also, feedback is always welcome by dropping us a line at feedback@thedrive.com. We really do read every single email, promise.