The ReviewETF Awards 2026 - Update April 2026

For category awards we deliberately did not just pick the highest 5-year return. We picked the most consistent performer — the ETF that ranked in the top 35% across all three time frames (1 year, 3 years AND 5 years). Consistency matters more than a single hot year, especially when you're using these awards to inform a long-term portfolio decision.

These aren't sponsored picks. No issuer paid for placement. Every winner was selected by hard, public methodology — and we'll update them every month so you always know who's leading.

Data current to 31 March 2026. Source: CBOE Australia monthly report.

The 19 winners at a glance

Performance awards

We rank performance awards using total return (capital + distributions, reinvested), the only number that ultimately compounds your wealth. Eligibility threshold: AUM ≥ $50M to exclude micro-funds whose returns can be distorted by tiny trade prints.

🥇 Top performer · 1 month — OOO

BetaShares Crude Oil Currency Hedged · +62.0% in March 2026

Oil futures rallied hard in March 2026 on Middle East supply disruption fears, sending OOO up 62% in a single month. Worth flagging: this is a complex futures-based product with a 1.29% MER, designed for tactical exposure rather than buy-and-hold. The 1-month winner changes constantly — it's a useful momentum signal, not a permanent recommendation.

Top 5 performers · 1 month

Notice three of the top 5 are inverse/short funds — when major equity markets pulled back in March, the funds designed to profit from declines did exactly that. They're trading instruments, not buy-and-hold.

🥇 Top performer · 1 year — IKO

iShares MSCI South Korea · +98.6%

After years of trailing the US, Korean equities finally moved. Samsung, SK Hynix and Hyundai led the market on the back of chaebol reform momentum + the semiconductor cycle. At 0.45% MER and $108M AUM, IKO is the cleanest single-country play on this trade.

Top 5 performers · 1 year

🥇 Top performer · 3 years — ETPMAG

Global X Physical Silver · +190.7%

Silver has been the trade of the past 3 years. Industrial demand from solar panels and electronics, plus monetary demand as a "poor man's gold," combined to push silver up almost 200% over 36 months. ETPMAG is direct physical silver exposure — no derivatives, no contango drag.

Top 5 performers · 3 years (annualised)

🥇 Top performer · 5 years — ETPMAG

Global X Physical Silver · +227.5%

The same fund wins both the 3-year and 5-year awards — a $10,000 investment in silver 5 years ago would now be worth $32,750. That's the entire payoff for an investor who bought a single ETF in 2021 and held it.

Top 5 performers · 5 years

For more on why precious metals dominated this period, see our best ETFs of 2026 blog.

🏆 Most consistent performer — GDX

VanEck Gold Miners · top 1% across 1Y, 3Y AND 5Y

[CHART: Most Consistent ETFs]

The "consistency" award goes to the ETF that ranks in the top 25% on every timeframe simultaneously (1Y, 3Y, 5Y). It's harder than just being a top performer — it requires sustained outperformance, not a single year of luck.

GDX ticks every box: +77.9% over 1 year, +170.3% over 3 years, +221.9% over 5 years. Same fund, same strategy (a basket of the world's largest gold miners), three time horizons of dominance.

Top 5 most consistent performers

Note ETPMAG technically has a higher consistency score, but as it also wins the 3Y and 5Y individual awards, we awarded GDX here to recognise a distinct fund that's been quietly compounding wealth across every measurement window.

Structural awards

Performance is one dimension. Structural awards recognise the ETFs that lead on size, growth, cost, and core utility — the boring-but-critical metrics that actually determine which funds investors should default to.

💰 Largest fund — VAS

Vanguard Australian Shares Index · $23.3B AUM

VAS holds more money than the entire Global X lineup — combined. It's the default Australian equity ETF for hundreds of thousands of Australian investors. At 0.07% MER, $23.3B AUM, and tight bid-ask spreads, it's the gold standard for liquidity.

The runners-up reveal which other funds Australians have voted for with their money:

The top 5 are all broad-market index funds. Australian investors overwhelmingly use ETFs as core building blocks, not satellite punts.

🚀 Fastest growing — IACT

iShares US Factor Rotation Active · +$252M in one month

IACT launched recently and pulled in $252M in a single month — the largest absolute AUM growth on the ASX. iShares' new factor-rotation strategy systematically tilts toward whichever style (value, momentum, quality, low-vol) is showing strongest relative momentum.

Top 5 fastest growing (by absolute AUM growth, $M)

This award changes more often than any other — capital flows are noisy in any given month. But the pattern is informative: investors moved to factor strategies, energy, emerging markets, Europe, and cash in March 2026.

💵 Lowest cost — VTS

Vanguard US Total Market · 0.03% MER

At 0.03%, VTS charges $30 per year on a $100,000 investment. You won't find cheaper exposure to US equities anywhere on the ASX. The lowest-cost award has a $100M minimum AUM threshold — micro-funds occasionally undercut on fee but lack scale and liquidity.

Top 5 lowest cost (AUM > $100M)

For more on why fees dominate long-term outcomes, see our low-cost ETFs blog.

💎 Best for income — VHY

Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield · +64.6% (5Y)

We rank income ETFs on total return, not headline yield. The fund with the highest yield (HVST at 11%) has one of the worst 5-year returns on this list. The fund with the modest 5.5% yield — VHY — has comfortably the best.

That's the difference between income that builds wealth and income that erodes capital. We unpack the full landscape in Australia's dividend ETFs exposed.

Top 5 income ETFs by 5-year total return

🏛️ Best core ETF (all-in-one) — DHHF

BetaShares Diversified All Growth · +55.7% (5Y)

We define a "core ETF" specifically as a diversified all-in-one — a single fund that holds Australian shares + international shares + (sometimes) bonds, fully diversified out of the box. Buy this and you have a complete portfolio with one ticker.

DHHF wins comfortably. At 0.19% MER, it's the cheapest all-in-one on the ASX and has delivered the strongest 5-year return (+55.7%) thanks to its 100% growth allocation across global and Australian equities. It even outperformed Vanguard's larger VDHG by 12 percentage points over 5 years.

If you'd rather build your own core from individual broad-index ETFs (VAS + VGS, A200 + IVV, etc.), see our low-cost ETFs blog for the cheapest options in each asset class.

Top 6 diversified all-in-one ETFs (5Y total return)

The Vanguard diversified range is sorted by growth allocation (high → conservative). DHHF and VDHG are the most aggressive (100% / 90% growth respectively); VDCO is the most defensive.

Category awards — most consistent in each asset class

For category awards we asked a different question: not "who delivered the highest 5-year return," but who delivered consistently strong returns across multiple time frames. The winner in each category had to:

1. Rank in the top 35% on 1-year return (so it's still firing right now), AND

2. Rank in the top 35% on 3-year return (so the recent run isn't a fluke), AND

3. Rank in the top 35% on 5-year return (so the strategy has long-term legitimacy).

The winner is then the highest-ranked of those that pass all three filters. This rewards funds that have stayed near the top of the table rather than a one-off blockbuster year.

🥇 Top precious metals ETF (consistent) — ETPMAG

Global X Physical Silver · top 1% on 1Y, 3Y AND 5Y

We've broadened this category from "gold" to "precious metals" because the winner is silver — and pretending otherwise wouldn't be honest. Both metals trade as monetary hedges and dominate the same shelf at every issuer, so judging them together better reflects how investors actually use this exposure.

ETPMAG sits in the top 1% of all ASX ETFs on every timeframe simultaneously: +91% over 1 year, +191% over 3 years, +227% over 5 years. If you specifically want gold rather than silver, PMGOLD is the cheapest physical option at 0.15% MER and is also a top-3 consistent performer; GDX and MNRS cover gold miners.

Top 5 most consistent precious metals ETFs

Browse our full Gold & Precious Metals ETFs page for every gold and silver option.

🥇 Top energy ETF (consistent) — OOO

BetaShares Crude Oil (hedged) · +126.6% (5Y)

We split out energy from commodities for this round of awards. The energy bucket here covers oil, gas, hydrogen, uranium, and dedicated energy-sector ETFs. Only two funds passed the consistency filter: OOO and FUEL.

Both are credible. OOO edges it on consistency — +71% 1Y, +88% 3Y, +127% 5Y. It's a futures-based product (1.29% MER) so it's expensive to hold, but it's been the most reliable energy performer across every measurement window. FUEL is cheaper (0.57% MER) and holds the world's largest energy companies — a more traditional buy-and-hold option, even if it slightly trails OOO on 1-year momentum.

Top 2 most consistent energy ETFs

🥇 Top commodities/mining ETF (consistent) — ACDC

Global X Battery Tech & Lithium · +80.7% (5Y)

Commodities here covers Australian resources, mining, and critical minerals/battery materials — separate from the energy bucket above. Only one fund passed the strict consistency filter: ACDC, Global X's battery tech and lithium ETF.

ACDC's 5-year return of +80.7% leads the bucket, supported by a strong 1-year (+75.5%) and 3-year (+61.0%) showing. The electrification thematic — lithium for EV batteries, copper for grid buildout, rare earths for industrial magnets — has been remarkably consistent. Browse the full lineup on our Critical Minerals ETFs page.

Top 5 commodities/mining ETFs by 5Y

MVR and QRE have decent 5-year numbers but didn't pass the consistency filter because their 3-year track records weren't in the top 35% — they had a flat patch in the middle of the period. ACDC stayed near the top throughout.

🥇 Top technology ETF (consistent) — HNDQ

BetaShares Nasdaq 100 (hedged) · +61.9% (5Y)

Under consistency rules the tech award goes to HNDQ, the AUD-hedged Nasdaq 100. It's stayed in the top 35% across all three timeframes — +19.8% 1Y, +70.4% 3Y, +61.9% 5Y — something its higher-flying cousins didn't manage.

FANG had a stronger 5-year return (+109.9%) but a softer 1-year, so missed the consistency cut. NDQ (the unhedged Nasdaq 100) is similar — stronger long-term but volatile in the last 12 months. We've also excluded geared ETFs (LNAS) from this award since they reset daily and aren't designed as buy-and-hold tech exposure.

Top 5 technology ETFs by 5-year return

If you want the highest 5-year return regardless of consistency, FANG and NDQ have led that table. If you want the most reliable buy-and-hold tech exposure, HNDQ has been more consistent. Browse all Technology ETFs.

🥇 Top international ETF (consistent) — IOO

iShares Global 100 · +106.8% (5Y)

IOO wins both on raw 5-year return AND on consistency. Just 100 stocks — the world's largest companies — in a single fund. It's quietly outperformed IVV and VGS over every timeframe thanks to its concentrated exposure to global mega-caps that have led the bull market.

Top 5 most consistent international ETFs

IVV and VTS have stronger 5-year returns than the others on this list, but their 1-year returns dipped below the 35% threshold this period (the broader market pulled back relative to global mega-caps), so they didn't make the consistent winners' shortlist.

🥇 Top hedged ETF (consistent) — HJPN

BetaShares Japan (currency hedged) · +93.8% (5Y)

Japan's been the surprise developed-market winner of the 5-year period. Corporate governance reforms, share buybacks, and a weakening yen drove Topix and Nikkei to record highs. HJPN hedges out the AUD/JPY swing, capturing the underlying equity gains — and it's been remarkably consistent: +39.2% 1Y, +95.3% 3Y, +93.8% 5Y. Top 7% of all ASX ETFs across every timeframe.

Top 5 most consistent hedged equity ETFs

The full hedged lineup is on our Hedged Currency ETFs page.

🥇 Top active ETF (consistent) — VVLU

Vanguard Global Value Equity (active) · +77.2% (5Y)

Under consistency rules, the active winner is VVLU. Returns: +14.9% 1Y, +48.7% 3Y, +77.2% 5Y — top 25% across every timeframe with a low 0.28% MER, which is unusually cheap for an active fund. It's also one of the very few active ETFs to genuinely outperform VGS (the passive MSCI World benchmark) over 5 years.

LPGD (Loftus Peak Disruption) had a stronger 5-year return (+90.4%) but its 1-year was weaker, so it didn't pass the consistency filter. Antipodes Global Value (AGX1) is the runner-up.

For the broader perspective on active vs passive in Australia, the SPIVA Australia scorecard shows roughly 84% of active Australian equity managers fail to beat their benchmark over 10 years.

Top 5 most consistent active ETFs (AUM > $100M)

🥇 Top Australian ETF (consistent) — VHY

Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield · +64.6% (5Y)

Under consistency rules, VHY takes home the Australian award. It's been a top-quartile performer on every timeframe: +21.9% 1Y, +42.6% 3Y, +64.6% 5Y. The high-dividend tilt has been a strong driver — banks and resources delivered both income and capital growth across the period. IHD was the only other Aus equity fund that passed the consistency filter.

If you want straight broad-market ASX 200 exposure rather than a yield tilt, the cheap passives (A200, IOZ, STW, VAS) all delivered ~+44-45% over 5 years — solid but not consistently top-quartile because their 1-year returns slipped this period.

Top 5 most consistent Australian equity ETFs

For the full income-vs-broad-market comparison, we cover the trade-offs in VAS vs A200 vs IOZ and Australia's dividend ETFs exposed.

🥇 Top Geared ETF (long) — GEAR

BetaShares Geared Australian Equities · +68.9% (5Y)

Geared ETFs sit in their own category for one simple reason: their daily-reset 2x structure means they don't behave like the rest of the market. We award them separately so investors who deliberately use leverage can compare like with like — and so the consistency-based category awards don't get distorted by leveraged returns.

Among long-geared equity ETFs with at least a 5-year track record and AUM ≥ $50M, GEAR is the standout. It posted +20.4% over 1 year, +43.6% over 3 years and +68.9% over 5 years — the strongest 5-year result in the segment, on the largest fund ($521M AUM). GGUS and LNAS had higher 3-year returns thanks to the US tech rally, but neither matched GEAR's 5-year compounding once volatility decay was factored in.

Top 3 long-geared equity ETFs (5-year performance)

Important caveat: geared ETFs amplify both gains AND losses, and the daily-reset mechanism causes return paths to differ materially from a simple "2x the index" expectation over longer holding periods. They suit tactical, conviction-led use — not core long-term holdings. Read our hold vs trade ETFs breakdown for context.

Methodology

How we picked the winners — published in full so you can hold us to it.

Performance awards

• Metric: Total return (capital + reinvested distributions). The only number that matters for compounding.

• Eligibility: AUM ≥ $50M. Excludes micro-funds whose returns can be distorted by single-trade prints.

• Source: CBOE Australia monthly funds report.

• Tiebreaker (if needed): Highest AUM.

Most consistent

• ETF must rank in the top 25% on all three timeframes (1Y, 3Y, 5Y).

• Score = average percentile across timeframes. Higher = more consistently strong.

• Eligibility: AUM ≥ $100M (slightly stricter).

Structural awards

• Largest fund: Highest AUM, no other filters.

• Fastest growing: Largest absolute AUM increase over the past month.

• Lowest cost: Lowest MER among funds with AUM ≥ $100M (avoids sub-scale funds with marketing fees).

• Best for income: Highest 5-year total return among dedicated income ETFs.

• Best core (all-in-one): Highest 5-year total return among diversified one-fund-portfolio ETFs (DHHF, VDHG, VDGR, VDBA, VDCO, GHHF and similar).

Category awards (consistency-based)

• Metric: Consistency — the ETF must rank in the top 35% of ALL ASX ETFs on 1-year, 3-year AND 5-year total return simultaneously.

• Tiebreaker: Highest average percentile rank across all three timeframes.

• Universe: Defined by our theme pages — every ETF that legitimately fits the category is included.

• Eligibility: Must have at least 5 years of return data. Geared/leveraged ETFs (GEAR, LNAS, GGUS, GHHF) are excluded from the standard category awards and judged separately under the Top Geared (long) award so leveraged returns don't distort like-for-like consistency comparisons. Inverse/short ETFs (BBOZ, BBUS, SNAS) are excluded entirely — they're trading instruments, not buy-and-hold.

• Why consistency over peak performance: A fund with one blockbuster year and four mediocre years isn't useful for long-term portfolio building. The consistency filter rewards funds that have stayed near the top of their category through different market conditions.

Top geared award

• Universe: Long-geared equity ETFs only (excludes inverse/short and geared bond products).

• Metric: 5-year total return.

• Eligibility: AUM ≥ $50M and a full 5-year track record.

• Why separate: Daily-reset 2x structure makes geared products incomparable to standard ETFs over multi-year periods — they need their own bracket.

Updates

The awards are recalculated every month when CBOE publishes the new monthly funds report. The 1-month performance award changes most often; structural and category awards change less frequently as 5-year tracks are slow to shift.

A note on what these awards aren't

These awards recognise historical performance and structural strengths. They are NOT:

• A buy recommendation — past performance doesn't guarantee future returns

• A complete portfolio — diversification across multiple funds is usually better than picking just the winner

• Personal advice — your tax situation, risk tolerance, time horizon and goals all matter

The most prudent way to use this list: as a shortlist for further research. Use the linked ETF pages on ReviewETF to drill into holdings, fees, and performance details. Compare two or three options side-by-side at compare-etfs before making a decision.

Related reading

• Best ETFs on the ASX 2026 — top performers by 1-year returns — the full top-20 list

• Australia's dividend ETFs exposed — same promise, very different results — why VHY won the income award

• Low-cost ETFs on the ASX — keep more of your returns — context for the lowest-cost award

• Every ASX ETF ranked by fees — full fee ranking

• Hold vs trade ETFs — why some 1-month winners (inverse/short funds) aren't long-term holds

• Is the cheapest ETF always the best? — the nuance behind structural awards

Data current to 31 March 2026. Source: CBOE Australia monthly report. Total return calculations assume reinvested distributions where applicable. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This article is general information only and does not consider your personal situation. Seek professional advice before investing.