Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Fuel Economy Quietly Revealed

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade is quickly picking up where the previous model left off as one of the finest three-row crossovers on the market. But it’s not perfect. The new 3.5-liter V6 engine is less powerful than the 3.8-liter engine it replaces, and the fuel economy is slightly worse across the board. Customers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first-ever Palisade Hybrid, which was not available at launch, and will be more powerful and more efficient.

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Hyundai and the EPA have not shared official fuel economy ratings for the Palisade Hybrid, but the former has claimed the vehicle should average at least 30 miles per gasoline and be good for over 600 miles on a single tank. While we still await official numbers from the EPA, Hyundai has actually published estimates on its website with the following disclaimer.

A Frugal Three-Row

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Naturally, fuel mileage depends on the powertrain. As expected, sticking with front-wheel drive yields the best figures, and going even deeper, the lower-spec SEL has the best of them all at 34 mpg combined. All-wheel drive knocks it down to 29 combined mpg, still not bad for a beefy three-row.

These numbers stack up well against the gas-only Palisade, representing up to a 61% mile-per-gallon improvement in the case of the ultra-efficient Blue trim level. Not only is the hybrid more frugal on fuel, but it also delivers significantly higher output. The V6 Palisade only produces 287 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque compared to the hybrid, which makes 329 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque from its 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and electric motors.

Close To The Competition

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If the official EPA numbers don’t stray far from these estimates, the Palisade Hybrid will be in a strong position to rival the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid. The Grand Highlander Hybrid rules the segment with up to 36 mpg combined, but it’s far less peppy than the Palisade with only 245 hp. Toyota offers a more comparable Hybrid Max model with a turbocharger that ups the output to 362 hp, which is more than the Palisade, but fuel economy is lower at just 27 mpg combined.

The Palisade falls exactly where we expected: below the highly efficient Grand Highlander Hybrid but comfortably above the Grand Highlander Hybrid Max. Pricing for the Hybrid Blue SEL FWD trim starts at $43,660, which is a hefty increase over the cheapest SE FWD trim at $38,935. Elsewhere in the lineup, that price gap shrinks to around $2,220. But as we’ve now seen, that premium could be worth it for the added power and efficiency. It should be a hot seller when it arrives.

Source: Hyundai USA