Should You Buy a 2026 Toyota Camry?

The 2026 Toyota Camry continues to dominate the midsize sedan segment in the Canadian market, to the point where it has almost no more rivals to do battle with.

In Canada, during the 2025 calendar year, automakers sold about 22,800 mainstream-brand midsize sedans, and 38% of them were Camry units. If we exclude the two fully electric sedans, namely the Hyundai IONIQ 6 and Tesla Model 3, Toyota’s midsizer represents 50.5% of those remaining 16,363 sales. The 2026 Toyota Camry will continue to trample whoever’s left in its path.

And there aren’t many left, to be honest. There’s the Honda Accord, the Hyundai Sonata, the Tesla Model 3, and the Camry.

The Chevrolet Malibu was fleet-only for the 2025 model year in Canada before production ended. The Nissan Altima was dropped after 2025 like the Chevy. The Kia K5 and Subaru Legacy were discontinued in Canada after the 2024 model year. There will be no 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 6 in the country save for the high-performance IONIQ 6 N. Sales of the Model 3 took an 86% nosedive during the 2025 calendar year, and its base price currently starts at $80k, as if the company isn’t interested in selling any more.

So there’s the situation. Midsize sedan buyers can choose between the Accord, the Sonata and the Camry. It’s as simple as that. Since its 2025 model-year redesign, the Camry is available with a hybrid powertrain and nothing else. No more base four-cylinder engine, no more V6. The choice is now even simpler. Or too limited, depending on what midsize sedan shoppers are looking for.

The 2026 Toyota Camry is available in SE, SE Upgrade, SE Upgrade AWD, Nightshade AWD, XSE AWD and XLE AWD. They’re all equipped with a 2.5L four-cylinder engine, one or two electric motors, a 1.01 kWh battery and an electronically controlled continuously variable automatic transmission. Combined output is rated at 225 horsepower in front-wheel drive variants and 232 horsepower with AWD. Toyota doesn’t provide an overall torque rating, but the gasoline engine itself boasts a peak torque of 163 pound-feet while the front-mounted electric motor generates 153 pound-feet.

And yes, the Camry is now available with a hybrid powertrain AND all-wheel drive, a combination the Sonata and the Accord don’t offer. During our winter test, we managed an average of 6.0 L/100 km. Here are the Camry’s fuel economy figures:

Standard features aboard the 2026 Toyota Camry include LED exterior lighting, heated mirrors, 16-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, a seven-inch digital driver instrument cluster, an eight-way power driver’s seat, a height-adjustable front passenger seat, heated front seats, fabric and SofTex seat upholstery, a heated steering wheel, a six-speaker sound system, an infotainment system with eight-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, connected services with trial subscription, wireless phone charging as well as blind-spot monitoring as part of the usual suite of advanced safety features. The SE Upgrade adds a power sunroof, 18-inch wheels and an intelligent key with remote engine start, while the Nightshade edition provides a blacked-out exterior appearance with 19-inch wheels.

Meanwhile, the XLE also benefits from a panoramic sunroof, 18-inch wheels, driver seat position memory, an eight-way power front passenger seat, ventilated front seats, leather upholstery, digital key compatibility, a surround view camera system, a 12.3-inch digital driving instrument cluster, a nine-speaker JBL stereo, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, head-up display and additional advanced safety features such as Traffic Jam Assist, Lane Change Assist and Front Cross Traffic Alert. The XSE rounds up these items in addition to 19-inch wheels and a sport-tuned suspension.

In Canada, 2026 Toyota Camry pricing ranges from $37,934 to $49,594, which includes the $1,860 freight delivery charges, the $100 A/C tax and the $899 dealer fees. In the U.S., the Camry is priced from $30,495 to $44,155.

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Why You Should Buy a 2026 Toyota Camry

• The Sonata and the Accord both offer hybrid powertrains, the Sonata offers AWD, but only the Toyota combines both. In addition, the all-weather sure-footedness comes with a barely perceptible fuel consumption increase. The Toyota’s 5.0 L/100 km combined rating is matched by the Sonata’s, and slightly better than the Accord’s 5.3 L/100 km. There’s plenty of power as well, which is also much appreciated.
• Subjectively, the Camry’s design strikes a good balance to please a wide consumer base. Younger buyers might be pleased with the modern styling that fits very well with the brand’s family resemblance, while older folks—repeat Camry buyers, perhaps—probably won’t be offended by the sedan’s still familiar shape and appearance. In other words, its design isn’t too polarising like that of the Sonata and the IONIQ 6.

• With a row of physical climate system buttons on the center stack, in addition to a relatively easy-to-use infotainment system interface, and a bunch of wheel-mounted controls, the layout is ergonomic and with little distraction while driving. The only faux pas could be the camera view button awkwardly placed to the left of the steering wheel.
• Toyota’s reputation for reliability, even for more complex hybrid powertrains, allows the Camry to be a rationally desirable sedan. That also translates into strong resale value when comes the time to trade the vehicle in for a newer one.

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Why You Shouldn’t Buy a 2026 Toyota Camry

• There’s good power, there’s good fuel economy. However, the gasoline engine can get a little noisy under acceleration, something many Toyota models seem to suffer from these past few years. It’s not a big deal, but the hybrid powertrain lacks the smoothness and refinement of the V6 engine that’s no longer available.
• As with the previous-generation Camry, this latest one boasts a low roofline, meaning it’s a little difficult to get in and out of. As a family member said to yours truly after a one-hour commute, who also happens to be the previous owner of two Camrys before adopting a crossover, “I don’t understand why car companies still sell sedans.”

• Shoppers looking for a performance-minded midsize sedan will no longer have an option here. The V6 engine is gone and so is the TRD variant, while the XSE is mostly sporty in appearance. Meanwhile, the Sonata is available in an N Line variant with a 290-horsepower turbo engine and sportier handling characteristics, and the Tesla Model 3 is powerful and fast—though fully electric and very costly.
• There are some low-budget plastic components in the cabin, but few, and the textured light gray fabric accenting on the dash and door panels of our XLE AWD tester will likely get dirty in no time—though that can be avoided by choosing the black interior instead of the gray one. We’re really nitpicking here.

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Should You Buy a 2026 Toyota Camry?

If we’re in the market for a midsize sedan, there aren’t many choices left. Three to be exact, if we’re not interested in a BEV. The Camry is the most popular choice by merit, by reputation and by simply still existing. It’s got an edge compared to the Hyundai Sonata and the Honda Accord by offering AWD and hybrid efficiency together, in the same price range as the others.

There’s isn’t much to criticize here, aside from a noisy engine when prodded, cabin ingress/egress that’s somewhat difficult due to the car’s low stance, and the lack of a true sporty variant for driving enthusiasts. The Camry is the sedan to beat, so much so that almost all of its competitors have thrown in the towel. Can’t dominate much more than that.

Specifications
	2026 Toyota Camry	2026 Honda Accord	2026 Hyundai Sonata
Price Range ($CAD)	$37,934 to $49,594	$41,629 to $49,879	$38,973 to $43,573
Engines	- 2.5L I4 HEV	- Turbo 1.5L I4 - 2.0L L4 HEV	- 2.0L I4 HEV - 2.5L I4 - Turbo 2.5L I4
Output (hp)	225 to 232	192 to 204	191 to 290
Torque (lb-ft)	163 (gas engine only)	247	181 to 311
Combined Fuel Economy (L/100 km)	5.0 to 5.5	5.3 to 7.3	5.0 to 8.8
Wheelbase (mm)	2,825	2,830	2,840
Length (mm)	4,915	4,971	4,910
Width (mm)	1,840	1,862	1,860
Height (mm)	1,445	1,449	1,445
Headroom Front/Rear (mm)	953 / 955	953 / 944	975 / 950
Legroom Front/Rear (mm)	1,070 / 965	1,074 / 1,037	1,170 / 885
Shoulder Room Front/Rear (mm)	1,466 / 1,415	1,470 / 1,436	1,470 / 1,425
Trunk Volume (L)	428	473	441