When something works, you do not want to overthink updating it. You want to refine it but leave what works about it intact.
The Genesis GV70 works. It sits in first place in our list of the Best Compact Luxury SUVs thanks to an elegant design, a reasonable price, and a choice of two engines that each give it performance you’d call sporty but not so over-the-top that it’s not at home on a casual commute.
For 2026, Genesis will give the GV70 and its electric counterpart, the GV70 Electrified, some simple refinements. This is what the auto industry calls a mid-cycle refresh – not a ground-up redesign, but some tweaks at the midpoint of a model’s production.
Genesis hasn’t announced pricing. The 2025 model starts at $47,050, including $1,350 for shipping and handling. The electrified version starts at $68,300 delivered.
Larger Battery for Electric Version
The gas-powered GV70 will get no mechanical updates. That’s a good thing. The 300-horsepower turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and 375-hp twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 already found on the order sheet are each outstanding.
The all-electric version will have a larger battery – 84 kilowatt-hours instead of 77.4 kWh. Genesis promises “more range, providing customers with greater flexibility.” It doesn’t explain how much more. With the old battery, it had a maximum of 236 miles.
On the outside, gas-powered models get a new grille and headlights, but neither look radically different than those found on the 2025 edition. The headlights, Genesis says, use the brand’s Multi-Lens Array technique to shape their beams more effectively than separate high beams and low beams.
The electrified version also gets a new grille, this one with a Tesla-style charging port behind a hidden door. Its central location should make using most public chargers easier. Buyers will get a complimentary adapter, allowing them to use non-Tesla chargers as well.
“In the rear, the turn signals have been redesigned to align with the front headlamps’ two-line concept.”
The biggest change to the interior comes in the form of new screens. Rather than a separate driver’s display and central touchscreen, the 2026 edition gets them mounted together into a single 27-inch unit.
None of the updates amount to major changes. That’s great news – we didn’t want to see major changes.
