Hybrid push for cheaper Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage rival: 2026 Hyundai Tucson line-up culled with turbo-petrol engine axed, big price cuts

Details for the upcoming model year 2026 (MY26) Hyundai Tucson line-up have arisen online ahead of deliveries commencing in September.

Pricing for the 2026 Hyundai Tucson line-up is down by as much as $2500 for carryover variants.

It now starts at $38,100 before on-roads for the base Tucson petrol automatic, and extends to $59,600 before on-roads for the Premium Hybrid N Line all-wheel drive. A full pricing table is at the bottom of this story.

A highlight of this MY26 update is the discontinuation of the 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine. This follows the smaller Hyundai Kona ditching the same engine also for MY26.

According to sales figures provided by Hyundai Australia, the 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine was the slowest-selling Tucson engine option. From June 2024 to July 2025 it only accounted for 17 per cent of Tucson sales.

For context, the 1.6-litre hybrid engine accounted for 51 per cent of sales and the 2.0-litre petrol engine accounted for the remaining 32 per cent of sales over the same period.

Beyond the axing of the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine, Hyundai has also discontinued the N Line package for the base Tucson and Tucson Hybrid. This package is now only offered on Elite Hybrid and Premium Hybrid trims.

As a result of these changes, the 2026 Hyundai Tucson is only being offered in nine variants. This is down from 17 variants for MY25.

The 1.6-litre hybrid engine now also accounts for almost 80 per cent of the variants on offer locally. It’s still offered in front- and all-wheel drive guises, depending on the trim level.

Another change for MY26 includes Digital Key 2 functionality now coming as standard across the line-up. This allows you to use your smartphone as a key for the car.

The entry-level Tucson variants now also receive 17-inch alloy wheels, instead of the 18-inch units that are currently fitted. Hyundai hasn’t published any imagery for this new wheel option yet.

There’s a new Ecotronic Grey Pearl exterior paint colour option available across the line-up, as well as a new Ecotronic Grey Matte finish that’s exclusive to the N Line variants. These paint finishes cost an additional $750 and $1000, respectively.

2026 Hyundai Tucson pricing:
 

Variant	Pricing (before on-road costs)
Tucson petrol	$38,100 (-$1000)
Tucson Hybrid	$42,600 (-$2500)
Tucson Elite petrol	$43,100 (-$1000)
Tucson Elite Hybrid	$48,100 (-$2000)
Tucson Elite Hybrid N Line	$50,600 (-$2000)
Tucson Elite Hybrid AWD	$50,600 (-$2000)
Tucson Elite Hybrid N Line AWD	$53,100 (-$2000)
Tucson Premium Hybrid AWD	$58,100 (-$1500)
Tucson Premium Hybrid N Line AWD	$59,600 (-$1500)