These Are The Best Engines Of 2025 According To Ward’s Auto

Wards’ Auto changed its 10 Best Engines award name to 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems a few years ago and it’s a good thing.

This year’s list includes nine winners that are either hybrids or all-electric. Your local pedantic car enthusiast will tell you that while an internal combustion engine can also be referred to as a motor, an electric motor is not an engine.

You can argue about that until the cows come home, but Ward’s list is energy source-agnostic and recognizes excellence whether it comes from a gas tank, a battery or both.

It’s no surprise that the American winners include the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1’s 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8, which is the most powerful all combustion powertrain currently sold by any volume automaker. The Corvette ZR1 uses it to accelerate to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds and hit a top speed of 233 mph.

The Dodge Charger Daytona’s Scat Pack’s 670 hp electric all-wheel-drive system also made the list along with the Lucid Gravity’s 828-hp electric all-wheel drive system, while the Ford F-150 Powerboost’s turbocharged V6-based hybrid powertrain was a return winner.

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The BMW M5’s hybrid system combines a 577 turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 with an electric motor to crank out 717 hp. That makes it the most powerful car the brand has ever sold and second most-powerful vehicle behind the XM Label SUV that uses a 738 hp version of the same setup.

Honda launched its first Civic hybrid in a decade for 2025 and its 200 hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder-based powertrain was good enough to earn it North American Car of the Year honors and a spot on the Ward’s list.

The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 is offered with a variety of electric powertrains that includes a 215 hp rear-wheel-drive version, a 303 hp all-wheel-drive version and 422 hp performance all-wheel-drive version.

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The Lexus 700h’s 457 hp turbocharged 3.4-liter V6-based hybrid i-Force Max, Mercedes-AMG E53’s 577 hp turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six plug-in hybrid powertrain and the all-new 2026 Nissan Leaf’s electric powertrain rounded out the list.