2026 Hyundai Tucson review

2026 Hyundai Tucson Review: 

The Tucson is a compact SUV with comfortable seating for five, generous cargo space, and tons of standard driver aids. Its standard fuel economy is fine, but the available hybrid improves your miles per gallon and makes the Tucson a lot more pleasant to drive. The Tucson competes with the likes of the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, and in many ways beats them at their own game. While the 2026 Tucson is largely the same as the previous year, several trim names have changed. On gas-only models, the SEL Convenience is now the SEL Premium. On the hybrid side, the Blue SE is now just Blue, and the previous Blue is now the SEL. The N-Line hybrid has been dropped. 

There are some drawbacks to the Tucson. Most notably, fuel economy for the standard engine tends to trail that of its competitors, and even the Tucson Hybrid comes up short against the likes of the RAV4 Hybrid and others. The regular engine is also sluggish, which makes the Tucson slow to get up to speed when you're trying to merge onto a highway. Otherwise, the Tucson gives you a lot for the money and is worth a look.

• Technology

• Comfort

• Cargo and storage

• Ease of use

• Driving
  

What tech does the 2026 Hyundai Tucson have?

Connectivity

Starting in 2025, and continuing for this year, every Hyundai Tucson comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™. The system works well, with a responsive screen that's easy to see thanks to the large size. The wireless charging also works well and quickly charges your phone if it supports wireless charging

That wasn't always the case, though, because in 2022-2024 Tucsons, upgrading to the larger touchscreen meant losing wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™. You can still plug your phone into the car to integrate your smartphone, but it was a drag because it made your upgrade feel, well, less upgrade-y. 

Infotainment

2025 and newer Tucsons come standard with a 12.3-inch touchscreen that looks great and is easy to use. Limited trims with the Bose® audio system benefit from excellent sound quality as well. Notably, even though there is no sunshade or hood over the screen, it's still easy to read in direct sunlight, a testament to the system's overall screen quality. 

Driver-Assist Tech

The Tucson comes loaded up with useful driver aids. Even the base trim Tucson got lane-keeping assistance and forward collision mitigation back in 2022; but the Tucson got a big upgrade a year later. Starting in 2023, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and blind-spot intervention were all made standard features. 

How comfortable is the 2026 Hyundai Tucson? 

Front Seating

The Tucson's front seats are plenty comfortable, especially on the top-tier Limited trim. They're supportive enough that you'll feel comfortable over a long drive without feeling confined. Both heated and ventilated seats are available, and so is a heated steering wheel. Edmunds' editors found it easy to adjust the seats to find a comfortable driving position, too.

Rear Seating

There's plenty of room in the second row of the Hyundai Tucson, with legroom and headroom to spare for all but the very tallest adults. The rear seats also provide a small amount of recline, which is nice for passengers on long road trips. Heated rear seats are available, which is a useful feature if you live in a colder climate. 

Ride Quality and Interior Noise

Edmunds' editors were very happy with the Hyundai Tucson's ride quality, noting that it did a fine job of absorbing most bumps in the road. There is noticeable wind noise when driving on the highway, but it's not significantly worse than in most non-luxury SUVs you'll drive. 

Does the 2026 Hyundai Tucson have good storage?

Cargo 

The Hyundai Tucson has one of the largest storage areas of any compact SUV. The hybrid in particular is a standout, offering 38.7 cubic feet of storage, the best of any hybrid compact SUV. That storage area is also very easy to use thanks to the accessible height of the trunk; the rear seats fold down flat, creating an even wider storage area. 

Storage

Hyundai improved interior storage on the Tucson in 2025, creating wider and deeper cupholders that can now handle all but the bulkiest water bottles. There's a big glovebox and the center console is deep, but it's worth noting that some competitors like the Honda CR-V have even more small-item storage space there. The main center space in front of the center console is uncovered, which may limit its utility for some drivers. 

How easy is the 2026 Hyundai Tucson to use?

Entry, Exit, and Car Seats

Both the front and rear doors open nice and wide on the Tucson, making getting in and out of the vehicle very easy. That also makes installing car seats easy, with even the bulkiest of car seats fitting through the rear door without it turning into a stressful game of Tetris. There's also enough room in the second row for installing rear-facing car seats. Lower anchors are hidden in the cushions but easy enough to locate. 

Interior Layout and Visibility

There's great visibility in all directions in the Hyundai Tucson. That's helped out by excellent quality on the rear backup camera; and the overhead view is very helpful for navigating tight parking lots on higher Tucson trims. The climate controls are a mixture of knobs for changing temperature, but with touch-sensitive controls for things like airflow. It's an improvement over models before 2025, which were all touch-sensitive, but it would be better if they were physical buttons. The rest of the cabin is easy enough to use, though. 

What’s the 2026 Hyundai Tucson like to drive?

Driving

This is, in some ways, a tale of two Tucsons. The hybrid Tucson gets up to speed quickly and is generally very pleasant to drive. That's not the case on the standard Tucson. Its engine is sluggish compared to the engines in other compact SUVs, and it can be pretty noisy when you have to really step on the gas. Thankfully, both Tucsons are otherwise pleasant to drive; the steering is not too twitchy, nor does it make driving the Tucson feel ponderous, and the Tucson stopped in an average distance in Edmunds' emergency braking tests. 

Towing

This is a strength for the Tucson. Gas-only models can tow up to 2,500 pounds when properly equipped. That's good enough to tow a small boat or trailer. Considering that the Tucson is largely focused on in-city driving instead of off-road adventures, that's not bad. The hybrids can tow up to 2,000 pounds, which is still respectable.

Fuel Economy/Electric Efficiency

The Tucson Hybrid can get up to an EPA-estimated 38 mpg in combined driving. That's good, but the Limited trim failed to hit its 36 mpg estimate in Edmunds' testing, though it was close at 34 mpg. The regular Tucson gets 28 mpg in combined driving, which is about average among compact SUVs.^†

EPA Fuel Economy Estimates^†