The EMMA Benelux Finals 2026 results give Nigel Hill three first-place finishes across SQ, ESPL and Tuning. His VW Jetta appears at the top of three separate classes in the organizer's official results sheet.
The finals took place October 4 at BJ Electronics in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. EMMA's event recap reports 45 registrations and says visiting German judges helped make double judging possible in the sound-quality categories. Competitors also traveled from Germany and England.
Selected EMMA Benelux Finals 2026 results
These are event-class first-place finishes, with the grand totals shown on the official sheet:
- Nigel Hill: SQ Skilled 4000, 370.5 points; ESPL Trunk 3000, 389.4 points; Tuning Custom Trunk, 196 points.
- Mike Rensen: SQ Skilled Unlimited, 364 points, in a VW Golf 8.
- Didi Delnoij: SQ Master 8000, 413 points, in a Suzuki SX4.
- Tonny Evers: SQ Master Unlimited, 420 points, in an Audi TT.
The grand totals are competition scores. Compare placings within each class; the different scoring categories do not form one overall leaderboard. The complete results PDF includes the remaining SQ, ESPL, ESQL and Tuning classes.
What SQ, ESPL and Tuning actually judge
EMMA's 2026 competition rules help explain why one car can compete in several disciplines:
- SQ: sound-quality judging covers the listening result, while installation earns its own score.
- ESPL: measured sound-pressure results and installation judging contribute to the total. A grand total such as 389.4 is therefore not a 389.4 dB measurement.
- Tuning: vehicle modifications and presentation are evaluated alongside audio. The results break out installation, interior, trunk, technical, design, paint, SQ and SPL scoring.
Hill's three wins recognize performance under three sets of criteria. For a reader planning a system, the useful question is which of those goals matches the car's everyday job.
Why the judging matters for your own build
A competition score sheet can turn a vague upgrade goal into a practical conversation with an installer. Start with what you want to improve: the position of a voice across the dash, the way the subwoofer blends with the front speakers, or the finish and service access around the equipment.
Then ask for a clear handover. Have the shop explain what it checked, what it adjusted and what settings it saved. If a judged build is your goal, choose the intended class before buying parts or changing the installation, and work from that class's current rules.
For everyday listening, keep a few familiar tracks and compare changes at a similar volume while parked. Write down the specific improvement you hear. Our guide to phase, polarity and time alignment explains how the speakers work together. The 12-volt wiring checklist covers the installation side of that discussion.
Event placings and national titles
EMMA's event listing says entrants who have not qualified can still win the competition but are ineligible for a national championship. The finishes above are reported as event-class results; national-title eligibility is a separate part of the competition.
Image: original conceptual illustration of car-audio judging, not a photograph of an event vehicle.