Five engines—not ten—won the International Engine of the Year’s overall title more than once in the year-by-year record cited here. They are the BMW 5.0-litre V10, BMW 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six, Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI, Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost and Ferrari 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8. The award also had category winners, but a category trophy is not another overall win.
What counts as an Engine of the Year win?
Here, “Engine of the Year” means the International Engine of the Year competition, which began in 1999 and held its last edition in 2019. Automotive journalists judged engines using driving impressions and technical knowledge, with factors including fuel economy, noise, smoothness, performance and driveability. The award overview describes the competition and its history.
The competition gave awards in multiple categories as well as an overall title. This list counts an engine only when it won the overall award in more than one year. It does not count a displacement-class or other category trophy as a repeat overall win. On that basis, the title’s “10 engines” wording overstates the number: the cited annual results support five repeat overall winners.
The five repeat overall winners
| Engine | Overall title years | Repeat record |
|---|---|---|
| BMW 5.0-litre V10 | 2005, 2006 | Two consecutive wins |
| BMW 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six | 2007, 2008 | Two consecutive wins |
| Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI twincharger | 2009, 2010 | Two consecutive wins |
| Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost | 2012, 2013, 2014 | Three consecutive wins |
| Ferrari 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 | Four consecutive wins |
The years and repeat-win descriptions are reported in Autocar’s retrospective of the award’s results.
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#1 Best Overall
BMW 5.0-litre V10: 2005 and 2006
BMW’s naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V10 took the overall title in 2005 and retained it in 2006. It was the first of the five engines in this list to win the title in consecutive years.
BMW 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six: 2007 and 2008
BMW’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six followed with overall wins in 2007 and 2008. Its victories came immediately after the V10’s two-year run.
Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI twincharger: 2009 and 2010
Volkswagen’s 1.4-litre TSI, using both a turbocharger and a supercharger, won the overall title in 2009 and again in 2010. The twincharging description distinguishes this engine from versions of the TSI name that do not use the same combination.
Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost: 2012, 2013 and 2014
Ford’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost won three consecutive overall titles. In 2014, award co-chairman Dean Slavnich described it as “one of the finest examples of powertrain engineering,” as quoted in Autocar’s retrospective.
Ferrari 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8: 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019
Ferrari’s 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 recorded four consecutive overall wins, beginning in 2016 and ending with the competition’s final edition in 2019. Award co-chairman Graham Johnson called it “a giant leap forward for turbocharged engines in terms of efficiency, performance and flexibility” in Autocar’s account of the 2016 awards.
Why category wins are not additional repeat overall wins
Category results matter, but they answer a different question. For example, BMW’s contemporaneous 2003 release says the M3’s 3.2-litre six-cylinder had won the overall title in 2001 and took its displacement class in 2003, its third consecutive class win. The release reports 202 points for the engine in that class, against 109 for the Porsche 911 GT3. Those class wins do not make the M3 a repeat overall champion. BMW’s 2003 announcement makes the distinction clear.
Rank #4
As a result, a list of ten would need to broaden its scope to include repeat winners in specified categories, then label each category and apply a consistent counting rule. The five engines above are the repeat winners of the overall title supported by the cited annual record.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What these awards do—and do not—tell you
The awards are historical recognition from a jury that weighed several aspects of engine performance and character. They do not establish that a winning engine is the most reliable today, the best choice for a used-car buyer, or superior to every engine outside its award year. Reliability, condition and suitability depend on the particular vehicle and its use; the award record alone cannot settle those questions.
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