Fast Facts | 2026 Toyota Camry Nightshade Edition
⚡ Power: 225 horsepower with front-wheel drive and 232 horsepower with available all-wheel drive
⛽ Fuel Economy: EPA-rated at 47 mpg city, 45 mpg highway, and 46 mpg combined for the FWD Nightshade
🚘 AWD Option: All-wheel drive is available for $1,525 more
💰 Base Price: Entry-level front-wheel-drive Camry LE starts under $31,000
🏷️ Tested Price: $38,646 including $1,195 destination and minor options
🧳 Cargo Space: 15.1 cubic feet of trunk space
📱 Tech: 8.0-inch touchscreen, 7-inch digital cluster, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, and five USB ports
The Toyota Camry has been the bestselling sedan in the U.S. for decades. Even though drivers are crazy about SUVs these days, Toyota still sells hundreds of thousands of these family-friendly four-doors each year, and for good reason. It's safe, spacious, reliable, and incredibly efficient. But the ninth-generation model, especially in Nightshade Edition trim, offers a lot more excitement than you might expect.
You Get a Hybrid, and You Get a Hybrid!
When Toyota redesigned the Camry for 2025, it made a bold move: it ditched the conventional four-cylinder and V6 engine options and went all-in on hybrid powertrains. This was a shrewd, impactful decision.
Toyota’s mainstream hybrid system delivers good performance and exceptional fuel economy, so you can save big bucks at the pump without sacrificing anything behind the wheel. The Camry’s fifth-generation hybrid drivetrain cranks out an impressive 225 horsepower with front-wheel drive. You can get this sedan with all-wheel drive for $1,525 more — a rarity in this vehicle segment — bumping output to 232 ponies.
Even more impressive is the fuel economy. The front-wheel-drive Nightshade Edition I tested is rated by the EPA at 47 mpg city, 45 highway, and 46 mpg combined, and in mixed, real-world driving, I’ve been getting more than 47 mpg. The entry-level Camry LE model is even more efficient than that, delivering an estimated 51 mpg in mixed driving, a phenomenal showing for a car of this size.
Another benefit of the Camry's fifth-generation hybrid system is refinement. It's noticeably smoother and quieter than those used in other Toyota models, which are still highly efficient, but often sound grumbly and unpleasant.
A Fun-to-Drive Camry?
On paper, 225 horsepower isn’t astronomical, but it's actually a good bit more than you get in hybrid versions of the Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata. This Camry moves with authority when you step on the gas, zipping along with more enthusiasm than you’d ever expect for a hybrid family sedan.
The chassis is just as lively and willing as the powertrain. The Nightshade Edition features a sport-tuned suspension with a larger front stabilizer bar that does a superb job keeping the body flat in corners while also preventing roadway noise and harshness from sneaking into the cabin. Overall, this Toyota’s ride feels expensive, like what you’d get from a luxury car, not “just” a Camry.
The steering ratio is quick enough to be dynamic but not so aggressive that it feels jittery. This is just about perfect for a mainstream family sedan, and again, more engaging than you might expect.
From the acceleration and steering to the fuel economy and ride quality, I’m impressed by how well this Camry drives, but there's one area that could be improved: the brake pedal. It’s super squishy, and when stopping, it feels like the pedal sinks all the way to the floor, which isn't very confidence-inspiring.
For shoppers cross-shopping efficient sedans for family duty, see which fuel-saving cars still make the case against SUVs ➜
The 2026 Camry comes with plenty of great safety and convenience technology. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are standard equipment across the model range, and so is Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. This suite of advanced driver-assistance technologies includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, road-sign recognition, automatic high beams, and more. Upper trims can even be equipped with front cross-traffic alert, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and a useful 360-degree camera.
Tastefully Subtle Styling
Setting the Nightshade Edition apart from other models in the Camry lineup are a few unique styling elements. For starters, the grille, door handles, mirror caps, trunk lid spoiler, and other exterior components are blacked out. You also get special badges and unique 19-inch wheels that are, you guessed it, blacked out as well.
Keeping things from being too dark, the Nightshade Edition is offered in three exterior colors. Yes, Midnight Black Metallic is an option, but you can also get Ice Cap and Supersonic Red, which is what my test model is painted. The interior is also pretty much all black, though you do get standard aluminum pedal covers, plus the shift knob and heated steering wheel are wrapped in leather.
The materials Toyota used inside the cabin are nice, with a blend of hard and soft plastics, though the grooved trim on the passenger side of the dashboard looks a bit odd. The Accord’s interior is a little better.
The front seats are plenty comfortable, and with the $500 Cold Weather package, both are heated here. Plus, the driver’s chair is power-adjustable in eight ways. The backseat is spacious enough for adults, though at about 6 feet tall, headroom is just adequate for me.
Trunk space checks in at 15.1 cubic feet, not as much as a crossover, but it’s still plenty generous. Watch out for those gooseneck hinges, though, because they can crush your stuff when closing the trunk lid. Pack accordingly.
Up on the dashboard, this Nightshade Edition Camry has an 8.0-inch touchscreen that's home to a familiar Toyota infotainment system, which works as expected, plus there’s a 7-inch digital instrument cluster. Upper-trim Camrys are available with two 12.3-inch panels, and even an optional head-up display.
Standard equipment includes a wireless charging pad as well as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. You also get five USB ports: three up front, including one Type-A and two Type-Cs and one Type-A and one Type-C at the rear of the center console, so passengers in the backseat can keep their phones charged.
Automotive Excellence That Won’t Bust Your Budget
From solid comfort and good performance to generous standard equipment and superb fuel economy, there are a lot of great reasons to consider a new Toyota Camry. But beyond all that, you’re probably also getting industry-leading quality, reliability, and resale value with this car, plus it won’t cost you a fortune.
The entry-level front-wheel-drive Camry LE has an MSRP of less than $31,000, which is highly affordable these days, but the Nightshade Edition, which sits squarely in the middle of the model lineup, is still plenty reasonable. The car tested here has an MSRP of $38,646 with $1,195 in destination charges and a smattering of minor options, and that's more than fair for everything you get with the latest-generation Camry.
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