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FollowingOnly eight of Vanguard's ETF have outperformed the flagship S & P 500 ETF
Vanguard has provided more than 100 U.S. exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the past five years, but in the past five years, only a few have successfully surpassed its flagship product, the ETF (VOO) that tracks the S & P 500 index. A ranking released by StockMKTNewz shows that only eight Vanguard ETFs have annualized returns that exceed VOO's five-year performance of approximately 12.75%, with Vanguard Energy ETF (VDE) far ahead with a return of 25.84%.
What is striking about this list is that it is completely different from Pioneer Pilot's 2026 rankings. Earlier this year, based on our review of Vanguard Pilot's 2026 ETF performance, 38 Vanguard ETFs performed better than VOO year-to-date. However, if the time window is extended to five years, most of the excess returns disappear.
The energy sector is the clear winner in the five-year cycle
The most prominent outlier is VDE, which reported a five-year annualized return of 25.84%. The results reflect a sharp reversal in the industry after its weak position at the beginning of the decade. Oil producers have benefited from tighter supply, enhanced cash flow generation and higher commodity prices, while the latest turmoil in the Middle East has again pushed energy stocks sharply higher.
Data from Pioneer Pilot shows that as of September 10, VDE has risen by more than 47% in 2026, making it the strongest performing fund under Pioneer Pilot this year. The technology sector ranks second. The Pioneer Information Technology ETF (VGT) has posted an annualized return of 18.50% over the past five years, thanks to strong performance in the semiconductor, cloud computing and artificial intelligence sectors. Vanguard Pilot's latest data confirms the same 18.50% five-year net asset value (NAV) return, while VGT had risen more than 28% before early September 2026.
This combination means that the two funds with the strongest long-term performers almost represent diametrically opposed macro stories: energy scarcity and technological growth.
Only six other funds can beat VOO
The rest of the funds have a much narrower advantage over VOO:
Several of these funds outperform VOO by less than a percentage point per year. This is crucial because VOO itself has extremely low costs, with a rate of just 0.03%, and provides exposure to about 50 large U.S. companies. Pioneer Pilot reported that as of July, its five-year return was approximately 12.8%, which is very close to the rolling data in the rankings.
TI vs. VOO comparison explains why this simplicity makes VOO a benchmark that is difficult to continue to be surpassed by more specialized strategies.
Leadership in 2026 may not necessarily represent long-term leadership
The greater revelation lies in the difference between short-term and long-term investment horizons. Dozens of Pioneer Pilot funds were able to beat VOO this year because energy, value, international stocks and small-cap stocks experienced strong rotating effects. But after five years of testing, only eight funds have maintained the lead.
Even ultra-large-cap strategies barely beat the benchmark. For example, MGC owns many of the giants that already dominate the S & P 500, including Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft. Pioneer Pilot said that nearly half of the fund's current allocation is concentrated in the technology sector.
So this list conveys a simple lesson: It is not uncommon to beat the S & P 500 in a few months; but it is much more difficult to beat it five years in a row. Among Pioneer's entire ETF product line, the energy sector that produces the greatest long-term advantage, rather than artificial intelligence or purely ultra-large-market value growth sectors.
