2026 Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla is one of the best cars money can buy for someone who just doesn’t want to have to worry about their car. It upholds its decades-old reputation as a safe, reliable, and fuel-efficient car that’s affordable both to buy and to own. A simple model range for 2026 makes it an easy car to shop for, and it gets a couple of tech upgrades this year, like standard blind-spot monitoring and a digital gauge cluster. We’re focusing on the non-hybrid sedan in this review; the Corolla has a thrifty hybrid version, a roomier hatchback variant, and an exhilarating GR model, all of which we review separately.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of compact cars, including the Toyota Corolla.

Toyota simplified the Corolla sedan’s non-hybrid lineup for the 2026 model year. The FX trim introduced last year has migrated exclusively to the hatchback version. This change leaves just the base LE, midrange SE, and premium XSE trims.

Toyota updated the Corolla with some new standard features for 2026. A 7-inch digital gauge cluster and blind-spot monitoring are standard, even on the base trim. The XSE trim gets a bigger 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster (optional on the SE).

The 2026 Toyota Corolla’s base LE trim starts at $23,920, the SE at $26,360, and the top XSE trim at $29,635.

This pricing falls in line with the rest of the compact sedan class. The Corolla stays close to the Kia K4, Nissan Sentra, and Volkswagen Jetta, while the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, and Mazda3 start a little higher.

Before buying a Corolla, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Toyota Corolla resale value is above average for the segment. Recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

The 2026 Toyota Corolla is powered by a 169-horsepower 4-cylinder engine matched with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and front-wheel drive. We’ve found it delivers enough pep to get around town and to cruise comfortably on the highway. Acceleration builds sufficiently quickly for daily driving duties and improves over the weaker base engine, equipping the earlier model years of this generation. Driving with the paddle shifters on the SE and XSE trims gets a little more engaging. Overall, the ride is compliant, the seats are comfortable, and it’s hard to find fault in how it drives.

Fuel Economy

The popular LE trim of the Corolla has an impressive EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of 32 city/41 highway/35 combined mpg. It’s slightly more efficient (and more powerful) than its entry-level counterparts in the compact sedan segment. The upper trims lose one mpg in combined driving. If efficiency is a high priority, the Corolla Hybrid, reviewed separately, earns up to 47 mpg combined.

We found the interior quality of the Corolla to be pretty good for a compact car at this price point. The standard cloth seats are comfortable, and the upper trims get SofTex faux leather seating. As for the 8-inch infotainment screen (and available 10.5-inch touchscreen), we love that it has standard wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. A welcome upgrade this year is a standard 7-inch digital gauge cluster, upgradeable to a 12.3-inch display, making the Corolla a little more high-tech.

The rear seats have 34.8 inches of legroom, which is adequate for most adults but just okay for this class. The trunk has 13.1 cubic feet of volume, which is on the smaller side for this segment. We also found it oddly challenging to fold down the rear seats because of the awkward placement of the latches behind the headrests.

For reference, the roomier Honda Civic sedan boasts 37.4 inches of rear legroom and has a 14.8 cubic-foot trunk. If you want more cargo room and flexibility, consider the Corolla Hatchback.

The aesthetics of the Toyota Corolla are humble yet stylish. The SE and XSE trims look a little sportier than the base LE model, with revised front and rear fascias and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Smartphone connectivity
We love to see wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity come standard in affordable cars. These features make it easy to bring your maps, music, and more from your phone to the screen in your car without fussing with wires.

Toyota Safety Sense 3.0
The standard safety tech suite in the Corolla bundles many desirable features. It has automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, lane-tracing assist, road sign assist, and automatic high beams.

Adaptive Cruise Control
Another technology included with Safety Sense 3.0 is this set-it-and-forget-it cruise control. Once set, it maintains a safe distance from the car ahead, automatically slowing and speeding up as needed.

Smart Key
Toyota’s version of proximity keyless entry automatically unlocks the Corolla as long as the key fob is on your person. We truly miss this convenience feature when testing a car without it. It’s standard beginning with the SE trim.

8-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia
The standard 8-inch touchscreen in the Corolla houses features like wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, dual Bluetooth phone connectivity, and over-the-air updates. If you want a larger touchscreen, a 10.5-inch screen comes standard in the XSE trim and as an option in the SE.

Intelligent Assistant
This optional feature on the Corolla adds a cool piece of modern tech to this compact. Just say, “Hey, Toyota,” the infotainment system acts like a smart speaker responding to voice commands. We used it to get directions, control the audio, change the cabin temperature, and more.

The Toyota Corolla is powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine rated at 169 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. Within the compact sedan class, only the Mazda3 boasts higher horsepower and torque numbers in a base engine. Output is sent to the Corolla’s front wheels via an automatic transmission (of the continuously variable variety). All-wheel drive is only available in the hybrid version of the Corolla.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

The Toyota Corolla is backed by a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. Toyota also throws in a 2-year/25,000-mile complimentary maintenance plan.

Safety

Although the current generation of the Toyota Corolla is still in testing, historically, it has a strong track record for safety as a repeat winner of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award. Additionally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the Corolla its highest overall score: 5-Star. On top of the Corolla’s good crash-test ratings, it’s well-equipped with standard safety features like automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and much more.