2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid: What's It Like to Live With?

We're putting our Edmunds Top Rated SUV through a one-year, 20,000-mile test

written by Steven Ewing
edited by Greg Migliore
7/14/2026
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What's new: We're putting a Hyundai Palisade Hybrid through a 12-month, 20,000-mile test.
Why it matters: The Palisade Hybrid was our Edmunds Top Rated SUV and Best of the Best award winner for 2026.
Edmunds says: Will we still feel the same about our award winner after a year? Read on to find out.

The Hyundai Palisade Hybrid was the big winner in the 2026 Edmunds Top Rated awards, taking home the honor of Top Rated SUV and being named our Best of the Best. It's a vehicle we recommend without hesitation, so we're putting our money where our mouth is — figuratively, at least — and living with a 2026 Palisade Hybrid for a one-year, 20,000-mile in-depth test.

Curious about what else we're living with in our One-Year Road Test garage? Check out the whole fleet here.

Jump to:

What we got and why
Tested: Here's how the Palisade Hybrid performed
How's the Palisade's real-world fuel economy?

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2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Limited exterior

What we got and why

Hyundai offers the 2026 Palisade Hybrid in four trim levels: SEL, SEL Premium, Limited and Calligraphy. (There's a new top-level Calligraphy Black Ink trim for 2027.) All of 'em come with the same 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, and while front-wheel drive is standard, all-wheel drive is available across the board for an extra $2,000. In its most efficient SEL guise, the Palisade Hybrid is expected to return 33 mpg city, 35 mpg highway and 34 mpg combined. We opted for the Limited with all-wheel drive. This reduces the fuel economy estimates to 29 mpg city, 30 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined, which still isn't too bad for a three-row SUV.

Hyundai offers the Palisade Hybrid in some neat colors — Galaxy Maroon and Titan Green are some staff favorites — but ours is done up in Ecotronic Gray, which is a no-cost option. (Only the horribly named Creamy White is a $500 upcharge.) As tested, our Palisade Hybrid costs $55,590, including the mandatory $1,600 destination fee.

(Full disclosure: While we often purchase the vehicles in our One-Year Road Test fleet, Hyundai loaned Edmunds this Palisade Hybrid for the purposes of evaluation.)

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2026 Hyundai Palisade pricing in Ashburn, VA

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2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Limited dashboard

We've spent lots of time with the Palisade Calligraphy, and while it's super-duper nice, we don't think we're missing out on too much by sticking with the less expensive Limited. We still have features like a robust infotainment system, leather upholstery, heated/cooled front seats, second-row captain's chairs, power-folding third-row seats and so much more.

What are we missing by not getting the Calligraphy? Nothing crucial. The Limited doesn't get Hyundai's remote parking assist, UV-C sterilization lighting in the center console, digital rearview mirror, head-up display, built-in dashcam, rain-sensing wipers, front-seat leg cushion extenders, second-row power-adjustable seats with the nifty relaxation mode, a few extra-advanced driver assistance features, etc. The Limited also rolls on 20-inch wheels rather than the Calligraphy's 21s, though this might actually end up being a boon for ride comfort. We'll find out over the next 12 months.

2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Limited on track

Tested: Here's how the Palisade performed


2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Limited AWD	Edmunds test results
Engine	2.5-liter turbo I4 hybrid
Battery	1.6 kWh
Power	258 hp
Torque	260 lb-ft
Transmission	six-speed automatic
Driveline	all-wheel drive
Fuel economy (city/hwy/combined)	29/30/29 mpg
Weight	4,937 pounds
0-30 mph	2.8 seconds
0-45 mph	4.5 seconds
0-60 mph	7.0 seconds
0-75 mph	10.2 seconds
Quarter mile	15.2 seconds @ 92.7 mph
60-0 mph braking	0.83 g
Lateral grip (200-foot skidpad)	125 feet
Sound level at idle	32.5 dB
Sound level at 70 mph	64.5 dB
Price as tested	$55,590

2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Limited rear badge

How's the Palisade's real-world fuel economy?

EPA-estimated fuel economy: 29 mpg combined (29 city/30 hwy)
Edmunds observed fuel economy: 26.9 mpg
Odometer: 1,726 miles

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by Steven Ewing

Steven Ewing is Edmunds' director of editorial content. An automotive journalist for more than half of his life, Ewing's been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and he was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. He's also contributed to publications like Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and more. Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. From testing prototype cars in the Arctic Circle to spilling a beer on a Formula 1 driver at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (oops), he's always got an interesting story to tell.

edited by Greg Migliore

Greg Migliore is an accomplished journalist with more than two decades covering the auto industry. He was the editor-in-chief of Autoblog for more than seven years and also served as the editorial director of AutoGuide. He's also been an editor at Automobile and Autoweek magazines. A widely quoted industry expert, he has contributed commentary to Autoline After Hours, NPR, Yahoo Finance and America on the Road. He's a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University and the Yale Publishing Course. He is a member of the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards jury. When not writing, editing or driving the latest new vehicles, Greg can be seen driving around in his extremely low-mileage 2006 Dodge Charger.

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