2026 Toyota Camry Review

The 2026 Camry midsize sedan is a fuel sipper that outdrives its tall-riding rivals.

Benjamin Hunting | 

Feb 11, 2026 | 7 min read

Benjamin Hunting

Leading in the traditional four-door midsize sedan space, the 2026 Toyota Camry provides a spacious cabin, comfortable ride, excellent fuel efficiency from its electrified drivetrain, and relatively affordable pricing. That puts the family-friendly sedan, redesigned for the 2025 model year, square in the crosshairs of shoppers seeking relief from SUV fatigue. 

The 2026 Camry, the only hybrid all-wheel drive (AWD) sedan at its price point, introduces the new Nightshade Edition for the model year. The Camry offers a standard hybrid drivetrain, optional AWD on all trim levels, and a wide range of equipment. 

The Camry consistently outsells popular competitors such as the Honda Accord and the Hyundai Sonata; it even blows past some of Toyota's stronger midsize sport-utility performers, such as the 4Runner and the Grand Highlander.

Is the 2026 Toyota Camry a Good Car?

I found the hybrid sedan more pleasant than nearly any tall-riding crossover out there, not to mention it's easier to park. The 2026 Toyota Camry's hybrid-AWD combination on a traditional sedan is hard to come by in a competitor's showroom. 

Benjamin Hunting

About the 2026 Toyota Camry XLE Review Vehicle

The 2026 Toyota Camry is available in five trim levels: LE, SE, Nightshade, XLE, and XSE. Base prices start around $30,000 for the LE and top out at about $37,000 for the XSE, including the destination charge for shipping the car from its Georgetown, Kentucky, assembly plant to the dealership.

I reviewed a Camry XLE, driving it amid the dense traffic of Montreal, Quebec, and in the mountain passes that snake through the province's eastern part. Options such as Dark Cosmos blue paint, the Premium Plus package (ventilated front seats, panoramic moonroof, head-up display, additional driver-assistance technology), and AWD pushed its manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) to $42,255, including the $1,195 destination charge. Toyota provided the vehicle for this Camry review.

Benjamin Hunting

The Camry Shows an Attention to Detail Inside

The Camry XLE stands as the plushest version of the sedan, while the slightly more expensive XSE adopts a sportier personality. While not a luxury car, the Camry has a cabin that shows an attention to detail throughout, particularly the fabric arch over the passenger's legs that juts out from the dashboard, as well as the perforated patterns on the seats and the quilted stitching on the door panels — all an attractive shade of gray.

I'd prefer automakers banish buttons from the lower-left section of the dashboard, as the Camry's controls there are challenging to see while driving. I'm happy, however, with the easier-to-use mix of dials and buttons on the console, below the infotainment screen, and on the steering wheel.

The Camry's exterior is less inspiring, with its slotted razor grille and pronounced beak the most eye-catching aspects of its design. It's not entirely anonymous, but it's not particularly inspiring either. Ultimately, I don't think that matters much to commuters.

Benjamin Hunting

There's Room for Improvement in the Camry's Interior Comfort

I had trouble dialing in the Camry's driver's seat on longer trips. For the first time in a long while, I ended up with an aching back after an hour or so behind the wheel, which led to a week of tweaking the driver's seat power controls and lumbar support to shut out the spinal suffering.

My legs had no complaints, however, and the rear bench was also accommodating, even with the front seats pushed back. The Camry's trunk checks in at 15.1 cubic-feet, which is useful but not as practical as the 20 to 30 cu-ft found in midsize or even compact crossovers.

I was discouraged by the automatic climate control's inability to keep the windshield free from fogging in cold weather. It seemed overwhelmed by the additional moisture of slush and meltwater gathering on the vehicle's floor mats.

Benjamin Hunting

The Camry's Driver Display Is Complex and Hard to Read

The Camry XLE's 12.3-inch infotainment screen is basic in its functionality, but it looks fine and is responsive to use. Toyota's standard practice is to reserve its big center displays for navigation, media such as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and a few vehicle settings, and then put its advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) controls into a much smaller space on the driver display.

That approach forced me to use pads on the steering wheel to thumb through a list of acronyms for various ADAS. I then had to guess what each set of letters might mean as I adjusted them — I can't think of a reason why Toyota can't spell out those same acronyms, perhaps with helpful graphics, on the large center display instead.

That said, I appreciated the car's optional head-up display, which helped keep my eyes on the road without losing track of my speed. I wish more vehicles offered this feature.

Benjamin Hunting

Subscription-Based Safety Might Annoy Some Camry Buyers

The Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, or TSS 3.0, ADAS generally works well. I almost always deactivate Proactive Driving Assist — a feature that helps with braking and steering when cruise control is not engaged — because I find its automated braking too intrusive when separating the Camry from other traffic.

My test vehicle's Premium Plus package added automated lane changing (initiated by the turn signal) to the adaptive cruise control system, along with traffic jam assist (low-speed automated self-steering in bumper-to-bumper traffic). The latter requires a subscription, which drains more money from your post-purchase pocket after the trial period ends.

If regular winter driving is in the cards, you might not want to fork out the extra cash. I discovered that slush and snow easily blocked the adaptive cruise control sensors — as well as the parking sensors — shutting down these systems. I think many active safety systems require a clean car to work properly, and a clean vehicle is rare during the coldest, messiest months of the year.

Even in dry conditions, I witnessed the Camry's lane-centering assist was ineffective at keeping the car in the center of the lane, allowing it to frequently bounce between the lines. This was most evident on tighter corners, where it would also sound an alarm that the sedan was too close to the edge of the road.

Benjamin Hunting

It's All Hybrid All the Time in the 2026 Camry

The 2026 Camry employs a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor in front-wheel-drive (FWD) models, and another electric motor for the rear axle in AWD variants. In my XLE AWD test vehicle, it offered 232 horsepower, 7 more than the FWD editions. All Camrys come with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

The EPA rates the FWD and AWD versions of the Camry XLE at 46 mpg in combined city and highway driving, while AWD versions earn an identical combined estimate. The base Camry LE FWD is markedly more efficient at 51 mpg combined.

Bitingly cold weather dropped the Toyota's real-world efficiency to 37 mpg during my testing. 

Benjamin Hunting

The Camry's Hybrid Setup Could Be Smoother

On uncleared backroads, the Camry was competent, but I ascribe its traction to the test vehicle's winter tires rather than the AWD system.

Even with just 232 horsepower to move a generously proportioned sedan, passing was confident and quick. The Toyota also felt stable and composed in ways SUVs often don't when asked to negotiate tight, two-lane corners. It's great to get behind the wheel of a sedan and remember what it was like to drive comfortable, well-proportioned vehicles before taller, heavier options largely replaced them.

I only wish the hybrid setup were more refined. The CVT keeps the revs high while accelerating, even if you're not jamming your foot through the floorboard. It can be a jarring contrast to the often silent operation of the vehicle when it's switched to battery-powered cruising or brake-fed regenerating.

That lack of refinement is far from a deal-breaker, but it's a reminder of the new Camry's different character compared with the model it replaced, which had a mightier and quieter V6 on the order sheet in addition to hybrid and four-cylinder gas options. I miss the V6's smoother operation and the more relaxed nature of its traditional automatic transmission.

Benjamin Hunting

Alternatives to the 2026 Toyota Camry

The Toyota Camry XLE is much more fuel efficient than alternative SUVs, including the Honda CR-V Sport Hybrid, Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, Mazda CX-50 Hybrid, and Toyota RAV4. The Camry really only asks you to sacrifice cargo space. So for commuters, the extra efficiency may be a trade worth making, especially because it's paired with a comfortable ride that's considerably more focused than most sport-utilities. The Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid are also worth checking out for the family sedan-curious.

Benjamin Hunting

Nearly two decades into his career as an automotive journalist, Benjamin has had his hands greasy, his hair blown back, and his heart broken by more than one project car. In addition to his work at Capital One, he has contributed features and reviews to Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Hagerty, Driving Line, Inside Hook, Super Street, European Car, Roadkill Magazine, Motor 1, The Drive, the Toronto Star, the National Post, Business Insider, NAPA, Autoblog, Automotive News Canada, and AutoGuide. He is also cohost of the Unnamed Automotive Podcast and cocreator of the Code 45 and Dead Air graphic novels. In his spare time, he's a friend to vinyl and enjoys keeping the shiny side up during track days.