The 2026 GMC Acadia rolls into the third model year of the third generation for the 3-row crossover. Although there have been no powertrain changes since this version of the Acadia came out in 2024, the 2026 model has slightly different fuel economy ratings from the 2025 model.
The 2026 GMC Acadia with FWD is rated at 20 city/26 highway/22 combined mpg. These numbers are slightly worse than the 2025 model with FWD, which got 20 city/27 highway/23 combined mpg.
The AWD model's fuel economy ratings saw an improvement in city mpg, but highway mpg got slightly worse. It gets 20 city/23 highway/21 combined mpg. Now, for the 2026 Acadia, the difference in fuel economy between the FWD and AWD models is almost negligible.
Even when a car is mechanically unchanged from one model year to the next, it can sometimes have slightly different fuel economy ratings for a few reasons. Sometimes the EPA will perform an audit and get a slightly different result than it did when it originally tested a given car. Equipment changes, like adding weight or using different wheels and tires, can also yield different results.
In real-world driving, there's unlikely to be a significant difference between the fuel economy of a 2025 and 2026 GMC Acadia. By extension, they won't have a dramatic difference in fuel costs.
Production of the 2026 GMC Acadia has been underway since July 14, 2025, and is again taking place at the Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant in Michigan. Dealers have been able to start configuring the 2026 GMC Acadia online and save orders on June 12, 2025.
A couple of model year updates for the 2026 GMC Acadia include the introduction of the Key Card feature, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start the vehicle with a card instead of needing the traditional keyfob, and two new paint options: Glacier White Tricoat (G4J) and Riverstone Metallic (GFR). This year also debuts the new Acadia Denali Ultimate as the new top tier of the model range.
The turbocharged 2.5L I4 LK0 remains the Acadia's sole engine option. The crossover continues to ride on the GM C1 platform shared with the Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave.