Is there a reason to buy a luxury car in a world where the 2026 Toyota Camry XSE all-wheel drive (AWD) exists?
A few. But you might need to explain yourself.
Toyota’s classic midsize car was redesigned from tip to tail for 2025, so it enters the 2026 model year mostly unchanged. The big news last year, when it was new, was that you could no longer get a Camry that wasn’t hybrid.
Toyota, long the company best known for hybrid vehicles, has been slowly going all-hybrid. The Camry and the RAV4 are no longer available without hybrid power.
Little changes for 2026, with just the option of a dark trim Nightshade Edition and some new color options. Otherwise, the 2026 Camry is the 2025 Camry. I spent a week driving it around Washington, D.C., and its suburbs, and walked away thinking that, sure, there are a few reasons to spend more on a luxury car.
But my test model of Toyota’s midsize sedan had AWD, leather seats, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, stylish aluminum pedals, and many other features you might associate with luxury brands – all at a price more than $5,000 less than the final sale price of the average new car.
You can fall in love with something else. I’d accept that. But this is a fantastic choice for almost anyone at a price that’s hard to believe. It’s also our Best Buy winner in its class.
Which Trim Level
Toyota will sell you a 2026 Camry in five trim levels – LE, SE, Nightshade, XLE, and XSE. The company loaned me the top-of-the-line XSE version with the optional Premium Plus package, which adds seat ventilation, a traffic jam assist system that eases fatigue in bumper-to-bumper driving, and a few other niceties. At KBB, we’re often frustrated that automakers prefer to loan us their most well-equipped cars when we ask to test the best-sellers. But this time, I couldn’t get over how this one cost less than the average new car and had nearly every feature you might want.
New 2026 Toyota Camry Prices
|
Retail Price
|
Fair Purchase Price (18603)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
$30,295 |
$29,400 |
|||
$32,795 |
$31,800 |
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$33,795 |
$32,800 |
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$35,495 |
$34,500 |
|||
$36,695 |
$35,600 |
Favorite Feature
It’s hard to pick a standout feature in a car so well-balanced. So I’ll go with the surprise.
This, the most luxurious version of the 2026 Camry, is rated for 43 mpg and is as efficient on city streets as on the highway. Less well-equipped versions get up to 51 mpg.
There was a time when you traded away some performance or daily livability for fuel economy like that. But this car has plenty of power, nearly every creature comfort, and can bypass the bump pretty often.
This version gets up to 559 miles between fill-ups.
What It’s Like to Drive
Under the hood waits a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine mated to an electric motor, with the combination good for 225 horsepower. That’s enough to pass on the highway without any hesitation. You can find more powerfu l cars, but that power is just for play – this is plenty for most drivers.
The car’s suspension is a genuine surprise. Like most family cars, it’s tuned for comfort. But engineers gave it just a couple shakes of Cholula – it’s a little sportier than I expected, even having driven almost every generation of Camry.
I found the brakes a bit soft on the first day, but I got used to them quickly.
Interior Comfort and Technology
Camry XLE and XSE models get a 12.3-inch driver’s instrument display, and the XSE includes the option of a head-up display. A similar 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen sits in the center, handling climate and infotainment functions as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
It’s similar to the setup you find in most current SUVs and luxury cars. Lower trims get smaller screens for both the driver and the center stack, and I think you’d notice the smaller size.
The front seats are comfortable, though slightly flatter than a well-bolstered sport seat. Three levels of ventilation and three levels of heating help keep them comfortable in extreme weather.
If I had a disappointment, it’s that the most premium sound system available on the Camry is still just good. The optional Premium Plus Package upgrades you from six to nine speakers, which feels a bit outdated in 2026. I’d expect nine in the base package and an upgrade to 12 or 16.
It sounded fine. But it’s one thing that makes this a luxurious mainstream car, not a luxury car.
Rear seat room is comfortable for adults, though you’ll find more in the 2026 Honda Accord.
Limitations
Toyota has begun experimenting with subscription services. Those experiments are light at this point – no BMW-style pay-monthly-for-your-heated-seats surprises here. But if you like the connected app that lets you remotely unlock it with your phone and track where you parked, or the “Hey, Toyota” voice assistant, those are included for only the first year. After that, there’s a fee for each.
Key Considerations
The Camry has been fighting a duel with the Accord for generations. Both remain excellent choices. But the Accord has grown more, and easily wins the rear-seat space battle now. The Camry has driving refinement down slightly better, and we find it slightly sportier.
