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Five trims, one powertrain. Every 2026 Camry is a hybrid, and all-wheel drive is on the options sheet for every single one of them. Here is what actually separates the five.
Starting MSRP shown is front-wheel drive. Electronic On-Demand AWD adds roughly $1,525 to any of the five.
Prices shown are Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), front-wheel drive, and exclude tax, title, license, registration, destination and dealer documentation fees. Fuel economy figures are EPA estimates and will vary with driving habits and conditions. See Tuscaloosa Toyota for current pricing and complete details.
Toyota made this easier than it used to be. There is no gas-versus-hybrid decision on the 2026 Camry, because there is no gas Camry. Every trim runs the same 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid and an electronically controlled CVT. What you are actually choosing between is suspension tune, seat material, screen size and how the car looks parked outside Bryant-Denny.
The other thing worth knowing before you shop: every Camry on our lot can be ordered with all-wheel drive. Toyota does not gate it behind the top trims the way most of this class does. For an Alabama spring, when a Gulf storm can put an inch of water across McFarland Boulevard in twenty minutes, that is worth more than a badge.
If you want the full efficiency story, our guide to buying a hybrid covers how the system behaves in stop-and-go traffic, and the Toyota hybrid FAQ hub answers the battery questions everyone asks second.
Skip the spec sheet for a second. Almost every Camry buyer lands on one of these three questions.
The LE is the only trim rated up to 51 mpg combined. Move to any other trim and you settle around 46, or 43 on an XSE with AWD. That is the single biggest trade in the lineup, and it is the first one to make.
AWD costs about $1,525 and a few mpg, and it is available on all five trims. If you commute up I-20 and I-59 to Birmingham in the rain, or you park on a slope in Northport, it earns its keep. If you mostly drive dry pavement, it does not.
SE, Nightshade and XSE ride on the sport suspension. LE and XLE are tuned softer. Alabama county roads are not always smooth, so drive both before you assume you want the firmer one.
Tap a category to switch the table.
| Feature | LE | SE | Nightshade | XLE | XSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting MSRP (FWD) | $29,000 | $31,300 | $32,300 | $34,000 | $35,200 |
| Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 | |||||
| Sport-tuned suspension | |||||
| Blacked-out exterior trim | |||||
| Leather-trimmed seating | |||||
| AWD available |
| Powertrain | LE | SE | Nightshade | XLE | XSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.5L hybrid | 2.5L hybrid | 2.5L hybrid | 2.5L hybrid | 2.5L hybrid |
| Transmission | eCVT | eCVT | eCVT | eCVT | eCVT |
| Net combined hp (FWD) | 225 | 225 | 225 | 225 | 225 |
| Net combined hp (AWD) | 232 | 232 | 232 | 232 | 232 |
| MPG combined, FWD (EPA est.) | 51 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 44 |
| MPG combined, AWD (EPA est.) | 50 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 43 |
| Comfort | LE | SE | Nightshade | XLE | XSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heated front seats | Available | Available | |||
| Ventilated front seats | Available | ||||
| Leather-trimmed seating | |||||
| Wheel size | 17-inch | 18-inch | 18-inch | 18-inch | 19-inch |
| Seating capacity | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Tech and Audio | LE | SE | Nightshade | XLE | XSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard touchscreen | 8-inch | 8-inch | 8-inch | 12.3-inch | 12.3-inch |
| 12.3-inch screen available | Standard | Standard | |||
| Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto | |||||
| JBL premium audio available |
Specifications compiled from Toyota's published 2026 Camry data. Confirm exact equipment on the specific vehicle you are considering. See Toyota's official Camry trim comparison or check fueleconomy.gov for EPA ratings.
The LE runs an 8-inch touchscreen. Move to XLE or XSE and you get 12.3 inches as standard, with SE and Nightshade able to option it. On paper that is four inches. In practice it changes how you use the car, because the map and the media split the screen instead of taking turns.
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the lineup, so the LE is not left out of the phone integration. It just shows you less of it at once.
Heated seats show up on four of the five trims one way or another. Ventilated front seats are XLE standard and XSE optional, and nothing else in the lineup offers them. In a Tuscaloosa August, sitting on a black leather seat that has been baking in a Skyland Boulevard parking lot, that fan matters more than the leather does.
The XLE is also the comfort-tuned trim. If your commute includes the rougher stretches of county road west of Northport, it rides better than the sport trims.
The Nightshade sits about a thousand dollars above the SE and blacks out the badges, mirror caps, window trim and wheels. Underneath it is an SE. Same suspension, same powertrain, same screen options.
That is not a criticism. It is the cleanest-looking Camry in the lineup and plenty of people buy it for exactly that reason. Just go in knowing you are buying the look, not extra equipment, so you are not hunting for features that were never part of the package.
The LE gets the same safety suite as the XSE. You do not have to trade up for it.
Detects a vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist ahead and can apply the brakes if you do not react in time.
Warns you when the car drifts out of its lane and can nudge the steering to bring it back.
Full-speed range. Holds a set gap to the car ahead, which is the whole point on I-20 between here and Birmingham.
Reads speed limit and stop signs and shows them in the driver display.
Switches between high and low beams on its own. Useful on the unlit stretches of AL-69 south of town.
Provides gentle braking into curves or toward a vehicle ahead during normal driving.
Sorted by how Tuscaloosa and Birmingham-area drivers actually use the car.
You drive I-20 and I-59 to Birmingham, or you run between campus and Northport all day. Up to 51 mpg combined is the highest number in the lineup and nothing else gets close. Take the base screen and bank the difference in fuel.
You want the car to feel like something, not just move you. The sport suspension and 18-inch wheels change the drive, the bigger screen is on the table, and you are still comfortably under the top trims on price.
You know exactly which one you want and it is the black one. Fair enough. Mechanically it is an SE, so everything above applies, and it is the Camry people actually turn around for in the Bryant-Denny lots.
You want leather, a softer ride and seats that blow cold air in July. The XLE is the only trim where ventilated fronts are standard, and the 12.3-inch screen comes with it rather than costing extra.
Sport suspension and leather in the same car, plus 232 net combined horsepower when you add AWD. You give up mileage for it, at 43 mpg combined with AWD, but it is the most complete Camry in the lineup.
This is the one people miss. AWD is not locked to the expensive trims. Add it to an LE and you still get 50 mpg combined with wet-weather footing for the drive down US-82 when the sky opens up.
We are at 3325 Skyland Blvd E in Tuscaloosa, just off I-20 and I-59. Most people who come in certain about a trim leave having picked a different one, which is exactly why we would rather you drove two than read about five.
Sales is open 9 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday and until 5:30 PM on Saturday. If you are coming from Birmingham, Hoover or Bessemer, call ahead at (205) 553-3325 and we will have the trims you want to compare pulled up front and ready.
Already have a car to trade? Start with our trade-in valuation tool, or get the financing conversation out of the way first with our online credit application.
The SE is the value pick for most Tuscaloosa buyers. It adds the sport-tuned suspension and 18-inch wheels over the LE, and it opens up the 12.3-inch touchscreen that the LE cannot get. If fuel economy is the only thing you care about, stay on the LE. It is the only trim rated up to 51 mpg combined.
Yes. Every 2026 Camry uses the 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid system paired with an electronically controlled CVT. There is no gas-only Camry for 2026. You do not plug it in, and there is no separate hybrid trim to shop for, because the whole lineup is hybrid.
Yes. Electronic On-Demand AWD is available on all five trims for about $1,525. That is unusual in this class, and it matters on the spring storm mornings when US-82 and McFarland Boulevard are running water. AWD trims make 232 net combined horsepower instead of 225.
The LE with front-wheel drive is EPA-estimated at up to 51 mpg combined, 52 city and 49 highway. LE AWD comes in at 50 mpg combined. SE, Nightshade and XLE land around 46 mpg combined. XSE AWD is the thirstiest at 43 mpg. All figures are EPA estimates and your actual mileage will vary.
Mechanically they are the same car. The Nightshade takes the SE and blacks out the exterior trim, badges and wheels. You are paying roughly a thousand dollars for the appearance package, not for extra equipment. Drive both on the lot before you decide, because it is purely a looks call.
The LE, and it is not close. The run up I-20 and I-59 to Birmingham is roughly 60 miles each way, and the LE FWD returns up to 51 mpg combined against the XSE AWD's 43. Over a five-day week that gap is real money. Add AWD only if you genuinely want the wet-weather footing.
Heated front seats are standard on XLE and XSE. They are available on SE and Nightshade as part of a package and are not offered on the LE. The XLE also adds ventilated front seats, which are the ones you will actually appreciate in an Alabama August.
Yes, and you should. The LE and the XSE are genuinely different cars to sit in and drive, and most people change their mind after driving both back to back. Call us at (205) 553-3325 and we will have both waiting when you get to Skyland Boulevard.
Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 is standard on every trim, including the LE. That covers the pre-collision system, lane departure alert with steering assist, full-speed dynamic radar cruise control, road sign assist and automatic high beams. You do not have to move up a trim to get the safety kit.
Most people walk in sure and walk out with something else. We will line them up for you.
Tuscaloosa Toyota | 3325 Skyland Blvd E, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405
