2026 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Hybrid Sedans Get Screentastic and Safety Updates
Toyota gifts its compact sedan fresher equipment, building on recent previous improvements.
Justin BannerWriterManufacturerPhotographerJul 25, 2025
2026 Toyota Corolla Corolla Hybrid Sedan FWD AWD 20
Toyota is in the thick of launching 2026-model-year updates across its lineup, and next up for the annual changeover is the compact Corolla and Corolla Hybrid sedans. Though both carry over without major mechanical updates or a styling refresh, the Corollas receive meaningful updates that build on comprehensive upgrades that landed only two years ago and more than justify their modest price increases.
AI Quick Summary
The 2026 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Hybrid receive updates with new digital gauge clusters and enhanced safety features. Prices increase slightly, with the Corolla LE starting at $23,920 and the Hybrid LE at $25,770. Both models maintain their existing engines and high fuel efficiency.
This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article.
As before, the Corolla is available in two flavors: Corolla, which comes with a 169-hp 2.0-liter I-4 engine and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and the Corolla Hybrid, which uses an electrified 1.8-liter I-4 borrowed from the last-generation Prius. The regular Corolla is fairly fuel-efficient, posting estimated figures of up to 32 mpg city, 41 mpg highway, and 35 mpg combined; the Hybrid is mega-fuel-efficient, delivering up to 53 mpg city, 46 mpg highway, and 50 mpg combined. Corolla Hybrid buyers even have the option of all-wheel drive, delivered via a separate electric motor added to the rear axle, though that drops the fuel economy somewhat to a 51 mpg city, 44 mpg highway, and 48 mpg combined best. Those top mpg numbers belong to the LE and XLE trim levels; spec the Hybrid in sportier SE or XSE trim, with their bigger wheels and tires, and the efficiency figures drop a few mpg.
2026 Toyota Corolla Corolla Hybrid Sedan FWD AWD 18
So, What’s New, Corolla?
Every 2026 Corolla now comes with a digital gauge cluster. Previously optional on lower-level models, the digital cluster comes in two sizes to maintain some desirability for the pricier Corollas. A seven-inch digital gauge cluster is now standard on all SE and LE trims, including the hybrids. This gives the Corolla an upscale, modern feel without adding too much to its cost (previously, lower-level Corollas made do with a smaller driver information display flanked by—gasp—large analog tachometer and speedometer gauges). This screen (which, again, was offered last year as an option) is flanked by segmented LEDs for the engine temperature and fuel level gauge.
The non-hybrid Corolla XSE and Corolla XLE Hybrid both get the larger 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster standard, and it’s an option over the 7.0-inch unit on SE trims of both. The major difference—other than the listed size—is that the whole cluster is a single screen with no segmented LED gauges flanking it. Everything is displayed digitally including fuel, engine temperature, gear selection, and other important vehicle information.
Sign up for Print Magazine Subscriptions today!
Sponsored Content
Sign up for Print Magazine Subscriptions today!
Motor Trend Group | Sep 5, 2024
The next new feature for all 2026 Corollas is the inclusion of blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert on every model. These features were previously optional on lower-tier Corollas, and they the rest of the standard Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 system that includes automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, full-speed adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering and lane tracing assist, and automatic high beams.
2026 Toyota Corolla Corolla Hybrid Sedan FWD AWD 27
These updates come at a cost, but Toyota has appeared to make them rather soft on your wallet. At $23,9200, the 2026 Corolla LE will only take $610 more out of your wallet that it did in 2025. In fact, that is the total increase across all three trims. And, yes, the ICE-only Corolla will only come in the LE, SE, and XSE trims with the FX Edition dropped for 2026. The 2026 Corolla Hybrid is $1,010 more than it was in 2025 across all five of its trims (LE, LE AWD, SE, SE AWD, and XLE) with a starting price of $25,770 for the LE FWD. The LE AWD will get you into a Corolla Hybrid driving all four wheels for just $27,170 and is the cheapest AWD Hybrid vehicle you can buy right now. The only AWD vehicle that beats it is the 2025 Nissan Kicks S AWD at $24,720 but isn’t a hybrid. Matching apples to apples, we stay in the Toyota family with the 2026 Toyota Prius LE AWD at $31,145. It looks like the 2026 Toyota Corolla Hybrid will continue to offer a lot of value among its class.
