Introduced for the 2020 model year, the Jeep Gladiator is built on the same platform as the rugged Wrangler SUV. It sits in the midsize pickup truck segment alongside the Ford Ranger, the Chevrolet Colorado, the GMC Canyon, the Toyota Tacoma, the Nissan Frontier and the Honda Ridgeline. Due to its trail-rated nature, it competes with the off-road trims of these trucks. For 2026, Gladiator will have five trims: Sport, Sport S, Willys, Mojave, and Rubicon.
2026 Jeep Gladiator Pricing, Specs, and Release Date
- What’s New for the 2026 Jeep Gladiator
- Design
- Powertrain
- Interior
- Technology
- Safety
- Pricing and Release Date
- Further Research
What’s New for the 2026 Jeep Gladiator
Even though this is largely a carryover, there are some notable changes for the 2026 Jeep Gladiator. First, it gets an enhanced door hinge system that will make door removal quicker and easier. Next, the Sport S trim will get optional aggressive all-terrain tires. Then, there are two new limited edition colors: Reign and Goldilocks. But the biggest news for 2026 is the addition of the Willys ’41 buzz model, which is a tribute to the Kaiser Jeep M715 military truck. It will include 17-inch Olive Drab painted wheels, a Mojave hood, retro decals, tan seat inserts and Mantis Green cloth-wrapped mid-bolster, steel front and rear bumpers, a Mopar triple hoop grille guard, and mud-terrain tires.
Design
The 2026 Jeep Gladiator is kind of like a mullet haircut: business in the front, party in the back. It has the unmistakable styling cues of a Wrangler from the front, yet it adds a truck bed for additional flexibility. The Dark Sky Appearance Package is the only appearance package available on Gladiator, and it includes body-color fender flares, daytime running lights (DRLs), a premium front bumper with gloss-black accents, and a performance hood. There are also a number of stripes and decals you can add to help personalize your Jeep. Standard wheels are 17 inches, with 18-inch wheels offered on the Sport S trim only.
Powertrain
For 2026, the four-wheel-drive (4WD) Jeep Gladiator has a single powertrain option: a 3.6-liter V6 that delivers 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. While the Gladiator had previously had a manual transmission option, it was dropped for the 2025 model year, so in 2026, the only transmission is an eight-speed automatic. The Gladiator can tow up to 7,700 pounds, and it has a 1,720-pound max payload. It has advanced 4X4 systems, including Command-Trac, Rock-Trac, and Selec-Trac. In terms of off-road specs, the Gladiator can ford up to 31.5 inches of water and has a ground clearance of 11.6 inches. Approach, departure, and breakover angles are 44.7, 26.0, and 20.9 degrees, respectively. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 17 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway.
Interior
The 2026 Jeep Gladiator technically seats five, but the back seat–especially that center middle seat–will be a tight fit for anyone other than a child. Standard seating surfaces are a rugged, easy-to-clean black cloth, but synthetic leather and leather surfaces are available as you level up in trims. Because it's a Jeep, the Gladiator comes standard with a wash-out interior with removable carpet and drain plugs. The Gladiator also comes with a manually folding canvas top, but a Sunrider for Hardtop and a three-piece Black Freedom Top are available on base models. A hard top becomes standard if you opt for the Mojave X or Rubicon X models, but you can opt to get a canvas top as well. While you can always stow things in the back seat sans rear passengers, the truck bed offers 35.5 cubic feet of cargo volume, with the box measuring 60.3 inches by 56.8 inches.
Technology
Even as a rugged off-roader, the 2026 Jeep Gladiator has some decent tech. The Uconnect 5 infotainment system is standard as are the 12.3-inch touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Gladiator also has access to the Jeep Adventure Guides, which delivers off-road trail guides directly into the Uconnect 5 navigation system (available on Sport S trims and above). Other available tech features include passive entry, 12-way power adjustable front seats, a nine-speaker Alpine audio system, a removable Bluetooth wireless speaker, LED headlights and fog lights, dual automatic climate controls, and rear USB charge ports.
Safety
The 2026 Jeep Gladiator comes with more than 85 available advanced safety features. Standard features include multistage front airbags, hill-start assist, a backup camera with dynamic gridlines, and a tire-pressure monitoring system. Available features include blind-spot monitoring, rear park assist, automatic high beams, and a front off-road trail camera. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) does not offer an overall safety rating of the Gladiator, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has incomplete ratings for the truck. The updated side crash test was performed on the 2025 model, and it got a Good rating in that test. However, it gets Marginal or Poor ratings for headlights and front crash prevention.
Pricing and Release Date
The 2026 Jeep Gladiator is available in dealerships now. At the time of this writing, Jeep lists the base price for the Sport trim is $40,825, including the $1,995 destination fee. Sport S and Willys trims stay below $50,000 at $44,020 and $47,225, respectively, but the more rugged, off-road-ready trims start at $55,990 with the Mojave. Rubicon, Mojave X, and Rubicon X ring in at $53,995, $61,990, and $61,990, respectively. If you have your sights set on the Willys ’41 buzz model, it starts at $49,835. While it wasn’t at dealers when we published this, it is available to order, and it is built off of the Willys trim.
