As the average amount Americans pay for a new car continues to flirt with $50,000, affordable vehicles play an increasingly important role in the market. For the second straight year, the Chevrolet Trailblazer holds the line on affordability, with the 2026 model starting at the same $24,395 base price (including $1,395 destination charge) as the 2024 and 2025 models. Even fully loaded, the Trailblazer barely crests $35,000. For 2026, the Trailblazer gets a couple of new color choices and a standard tire inflator kit.
Related: 2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer Review: In the Shadow of Its Sibling
While Chevrolet’s own Trax provides much of the same subcompact SUV goodness for even less, the Trailblazer offers all-wheel drive and the Trax doesn’t, securing itself a demographic the Trax can’t touch.
Release Date and Pricing
The 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer is on sale now. Full pricing is as follows:
- LS: $24,395
- LT: $25,595
- RS: $28,995
- Activ: $28,995
What Are the 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer’s Trim Levels?
The base Trailblazer LS rides on 17-inch wheels and features LED headlights and keyless start. Inside you’ll find cloth seats, manually adjustable front seats, automatic climate control, four speakers, an 8-inch digital gauge cluster, and an 11-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The LT gets two-tone 17-inch wheels, heated side mirrors, roof rails and remote start. Its stereo gains two additional speakers, bringing the tally to six.
The RS and Activ feature much the same content (LED taillights, synthetic leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power-adjustable driver’s seat and a heated steering wheel) in different styles. The RS rides on black 19-inch wheels and is dressed up with black exterior trim and badging. The Activ gets 17-inch wheels wearing tires meant for rougher roads, an off-road suspension tune, a front skid plate and darker chrome trim on the lower bumpers. Both offer a contrasting-color roof, red or black on the RS and white on the Activ.
Standard and Available Safety Features
The 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer’s safety suite is basic but befitting a vehicle at its price point. Chevy Safety Assist is standard and includes forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane departure steering assist, a following distance indicator, automatic high beams and Teen Driver, which allows parents to limit certain vehicle functions when a particular key fob is used to start the vehicle.
The Driver Confidence Package adds blind spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert and rear parking sensors for $395 on every trim level. Adaptive cruise control is also available on every trim but the base LS, though it is bundled with other options.
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What Are the 2026 Chevrolet Trailblazer’s Powertrain Specs and MPG?
The Trailblazer’s powertrain lineup is rather convoluted. A 137-horsepower, turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine with 162 pounds-feet of torque is standard on the LS and LT. A 155-hp, turbo 1.3-liter three making 174 pounds-feet costs an additional $395 on the LS and LT and is standard in the RS and Activ. With standard front-wheel drive, either engine is paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is available for $2,000 on the LS and LT and $1,600 on the RS and Activ. AWD Trailblazers include the 1.3-liter engine and a nine-speed automatic.
The 1.2-liter returns an EPA-rated 30/31/30 mpg city/highway/combined; the 1.3 is good for 29/33/31 with FWD and 26/29/27 with AWD.
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