The 2026 Cadillac Optiq is the smallest electric vehicle (EV) in Cadillac’s lineup. It was all-new for 2025, and yet it still gets some serious upgrades for the 2026 model year, including a V-Series performance model. The Optiq competes in the compact luxury EV SUV segment and takes aim at the Volvo EX40, the Audi Q4 e-tron, and the Genesis GV60. For 2026, it has five trims: Luxury, Sport, Premium Luxury, Premium Sport and V-Series.
2026 Cadillac OPTIQ Pricing, Specs, and Release Date
- What’s New for the 2026 Cadillac OPTIQ
- Design
- Powertrain
- Interior
- Technology
- Safety
- Pricing and Release Date
- Further Research
What’s New for the 2026 Cadillac OPTIQ
Though there are no styling changes, the 2026 Cadillac Optiq gets big enhancements under the skin. For 2025, Optiq was all-wheel drive (AWD) only. Now, it gets a new base rear-wheel-drive (RWD) option. Another big change: The previous standard CCS charge port has been replaced with a native North American Charging Standard (NACS) port, which means Optiq can now use Tesla Superchargers. The Super Cruise highway hands-free driving system has also been enhanced to better integrate Google Maps to better navigate to the correct lane for your route. The biggest change, however, is the addition of the top-tier V-Series trim with dual-motor AWD and a significant power boost.
Design
The 2026 Cadillac Optiq falls in line with the brand’s EV family design language, and with its fastback design, it looks like a smaller version of the Lyriq. It features a fixed-glass roof, a black crystal grille, vertically stacked headlights and taillights, and a choreographed welcome lighting sequence. The Optiq comes standard with 20-inch wheels, but up-level 21-inch wheels are available in gloss black, bronze, “Dark Android” gloss, “After Midnight” painted, or satin graphite finishes depending on trim. Though there aren’t any appearance packages, you can opt for a black roof in the lower trims. It becomes standard in the V-Series trim.
Powertrain
For 2026, the Cadillac Optiq is now available with RWD and AWD drivetrains. The base powertrain delivers 315 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque while getting up to 300 miles of range. The next option is a dual-motor AWD powertrain that delivers 440 hp and 498 lb-ft of torque while getting up to 280 miles of range. The top-tier V-Series model with the dual-motor AWD system gets a significant power boost with 519 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. Range decreases to an estimated 275 miles in this model. Only the non-V-Series models are rated to tow and have a max capacity of 1,500 pounds.
Interior
The 2026 Cadillac Optiq will seat five passengers, and the interior features a smart blend of accents and materials with metals, cloth, and synthetic leather working together to create an attractive picture. The minimalist dash is topped by a large curved display, which blends well with the overall modern interior design. Leatherette seats are standard across the board with no leather option available. There are light and dark interior color options in all trims, with some trims offering brown and blue alternatives. A fixed-glass roof is standard. This compact SUV offers decent cargo space with 26 cubic-feet behind the back seat and a total of 57 cubic-feet behind the first.
Technology
When the first thing you notice about the interior is the 33-inch curved OLED display that stretches from gauge cluster to infotainment, you know the 2026 Cadillac Optic is going to be a tech-heavy vehicle. It comes standard with the Google built-in operating system, which features Google Maps and the voice-activated Google Assistant. It also has a standard 19-speaker AKG Audio System and standard Super Cruise (three years of connected service are included). Other available features include a head-up display, massaging seats, wireless phone charging, Wi-Fi hot spot,and ambient lighting. What it doesn’t have: Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Safety
Along with a lot of technology, the 2026 Cadillac Optiq has a lot of standard safety features. It includes things like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic reverse braking, enhanced park assist, driver-attention assist, traffic-sign recognition, Teen Driver, intersection automatic emergency braking, front and rear pedestrian alerts, enhanced automatic emergency braking, and 360-degree camera views. Neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) nor the National Traffic Highway Administration (NHTSA) had crash-tested the Optiq at the time of writing, so there are no safety ratings currently available.
Pricing and Release Date
Production for the 2026 Cadillac Optiq begins in late 2025. The 2026 Optiq-V is expected to arrive at dealers first in the fall of 2025 with the regular Optiq models following in early 2026. At the time of this writing, Cadillac lists the base price for the 2026 Optiq Luxury RWD trim at $52,395. Leveling up, you see prices increase to $52,995, $54,595, and $55,095 for the Sport, the Premium Luxury, and the Premium Sport RWD trims, respectively. AWD is a $3,500 premium. The V-Series starts at $68,795.
