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Though the glory days of the American muscle car boom are 60 years back in the rearview mirror, by some stroke of luck, we find ourselves in another golden age of horsepower. Though there are far less muscle cars on sale today than in the 1960s, the few that remain pack a punch that would have been unfathomable to their ancestors.
Take the Dodge Charger, for instance: this is a brawny two-door coupe with plenty of horsepower, now available as an electric vehicle (EV) and, for 2026, also as an internal-combustion-powered car. If that were not enough, the Charger lineup now includes a four-door model.
With the 2026 Dodge Charger offering more ways to access its muscle, it is now better positioned to win over more enthusiasts seeking smiles behind the wheel. OK, so it does not offer a monster V8 ... yet, but the new twin-turbocharged inline-six still oozes enough character to keep a purist happy. On top of that, the new Charger offers a level of practicality not yet seen in muscle cars, making it a great daily commuter and a welcome addition to your automotive toy box.
Photo: Manuel Carrillo III
Dodge redesigned the Charger into its current form for the 2024 model year, but it was initially offered only as a two-door EV, called the Charger Daytona, for its first two model years. For 2026, it adds a gasoline-powered twin-turbo inline-six sibling—the Charger Sixpack—offered in standard- and high-output versions. All 2026 Charger models—gas or electric—can be configured with two or four doors.
The gas-powered Charger is offered in R/T, R/T Plus, Scat Pack, and Scat Pack Plus trim levels. The R/T is the standard output version with 420 horsepower, while the Scat Pack delivers 550 hp. Base prices range from roughly $52,000 to just under $64,000, including the destination charge.
For this 2026 Charger review, Dodge provided a test vehicle equipped with Scat Pack Plus trim and the following options:
The test vehicle’s manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) was $70,455, including the $1,995 destination charge to ship the coupe from the Windsor, Ontario, Canada, assembly plant to a local dealership. The price does not reflect any current rebates, incentives, or price adjustments since Dodge manufactured the test vehicle.
Photo: Manuel Carrillo III
Every time I walked up to the Charger to drive it, I would get excited. In my view, this is the best looking muscle car on sale today, and that is coming from a Mustang owner. Built on a multi-energy platform, one that can accommodate gas, hybrid, and electric drivetrains, the Charger’s floor is high to make room for the Daytona EV variant’s battery. This makes it easier to get in and out of the car: a feature my 76-year-old mother appreciated. The high floor also elevates the driving position, which is nice for outward visibility. Sizing up my surroundings, I was nearly at eye level with drivers in compact crossover SUVs such as the Mazda CX-50.
Photo: Manuel Carrillo III
It is unlikely you will want more space in the 2026 Dodge Charger. It is 206.6 inches long with a 121-inch wheelbase, measurements that are competitive with a Lincoln Navigator. From behind the wheel in the cavernous cabin, it did not feel like I was driving my living room, but there are living-room levels of comfort, even in the back. I typically feel guilty about stuffing my older brother into a back seat, but he had so much room he should have been thanking me. If you are taller than 6 feet, your hairdo might brush the headliner, but this back seat can reasonably fit three 6-footers for an hour-long journey.
The Charger's interior design and material quality is a leap ahead of the previous generation's. The handsome cabin matches the alluring exterior, unlike the Mustang’s interior, which appears to be derived from a pickup truck.
Photo: Manuel Carrillo III
Behind the passenger compartment is another treasure trove: 22.8 cubic feet of cargo space. Fold down the back seat, and that figure expands to 37.4 cubic feet. Small item storage was fine for me, but I am a minimalist. Those who love to push a vehicle’s trinket-gobbling abilities might want more space in the door panels and might also gripe about the small glovebox.
Photo: Manuel Carrillo III
The 2026 Charger uses Dodge’s UConnect 5 infotainment system. The standard driver information display measures 10.3 inches, but my test example had the upgraded 16-inch unit, which looks good and functions well. However, the steering wheel obscures the upper-left and upper-right edges, where the time and temperature readouts appear. I had to peer around the wheel to read that information, which did not feel safe.
My Charger Scat Pack test example also had a sharp head-up display that changes views based on your selected drive mode. A 12.3-inch infotainment display is standard in the center of the dashboard. Other standard infotainment features include:
Dodge optioned my Scat Pack test example with the $1,795 Alpine 18-speaker audio system. It delivers a clear, enveloping soundstage with adequate bass that becomes more evident when you crank up the volume. It is a fine audio system, but for almost $2,000, I want better than fine. The Charger’s Alpine lacks the emotional impact I am seeking at that price point, and I have been more impressed by Alpine systems in the Jeep Wrangler and Ram 1500.
The 2026 Charger has the best wireless smartphone charger I have experienced in a new car yet. During my week with the Dodge, the charging pad never glitched or scorched my device. I fried minimal brain cells pairing my iPhone 17 Pro Max with Uconnect 5, and the system reliably connected each time I got into the car.
The 12.3-inch touchscreen is easy to navigate and looks great whether you are using smartphone projection or the native Uconnect interface. But if you are into voice controls, you are better off with smartphone mirroring. The Dodge Charger’s native voice recognition worked just fine when I told it, “Find me the nearest hospital,” but telling it, “I’m hungry,” changed the climate temperature. I may as well have been speaking Njerep when I wanted it to navigate me to an address.
Photo: Manuel Carrillo III
The 2026 Dodge Charger is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six that sends power to an eight-speed automatic transmission, which distributes torque to all four wheels. In R/T trims, that translates to 420 horsepower and 468 pound-feet of torque. The Scat Pack bumps those figures to 550 horsepower and 531 pound-feet. As of this writing, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not yet provided fuel economy estimates for the gas-powered 2026 Charger.
Even as someone who worships the almighty V8 engine and laments its absence from the 2026 Charger, the Hurricane straight-six is still a charmer. Though it does not sound as good as a V8, every cold start still made me smile.
Cruising around town, the Hurricane’s low-end twin-turbo torque makes for a relaxing experience. The ride is firm yet comfortable. At higher speeds, the cabin does a good job of attenuating wind noise, but a little more road noise permeates than I prefer.
I conducted most of my testing on the ribbons of twisty, mountainous driving nirvana that is Angeles Crest Highway. Though the Charger is no canyon carver, it can still rise to the occasion and deliver plenty of fun at a 7/10s pace. At roughly 4,800 pounds, the Charger’s portliness does it no favors on the Crest, but the chassis still feels confident, controlled, and well directed, with tight steering that even offers a hint of road feel and feedback.
All internal combustion powered Chargers ride on all-season tires, and they feel like the weakest dynamic link. My Scat Pack test example’s Brembo brakes were always eager to bite, but when shoving deeper into the left pedal, the all-seasons gave up grip past 7/10ths, even though the Brembos felt like they had more bite left. Stay below the tire grip threshold, though, and the Charger’s stopping and slowing behavior is bursting with confidence.
Photo: Manuel Carrillo III
The story is similar with the Charger’s handling. The all-season tires feel more at home in the corners, so you can push a little beyond 7/10ths in the turns before the tread starts to misbehave.
As a muscle car, the Charger Scat Pack’s party piece is its acceleration. Dodge claims a zero-to-60-mph time of 3.9 seconds. At roughly 6,000 feet of elevation, I managed a 4.0-second run to 60 on my first attempt, according to the acceleration timer in the instrument display. With launch control engaged, the Charger snaps off the line with the kind of violence that inspires warning labels. In this muscle car’s case, it should read, “Place head against headrest before launch control takeoff to minimize discomfort.”
In Sport mode at full throttle, the eight-speed automatic angrily slams through gears, adding a sense of gravity to the acceleration. At a relaxed pace in the default Auto drive mode, however, the transmission is velvety. The Charger also offers a spectacular rear-wheel-drive mode, which is great for tire-smoke shenanigans. The Dodge’s extra long wheelbase makes the chassis super forgiving and controllable past the limits of tire adhesion, making this one of the easiest cars I have had the pleasure of drifting.
My 100-plus miles on Angeles Crest tanked my average fuel economy, though. After a week and 249 miles, I saw 13.9 mpg. I suspect my average fuel economy would have dropped into single digits with a V8 under the hood.
Photo: Manuel Carrillo III
Dodge equips the Charger with a generous standard suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including:
My Charger Scat Pack test example included the following ADAS:
The Charger has one of the best lane centering systems I have ever used. I usually deactivate it because lane centering often fights me, ping-ponging in the lane or hugging one edge. The Charger’s lane centering, by contrast, partnered with me, which is especially welcome given how wide this beast is.
I give the adaptive cruise control (ACC) high marks as well. Setting the system to a medium following distance can invite cars to cut in between you and the vehicle ahead, which can cause the ACC to slam on the brakes. Not the case with the Charger. It never abruptly applied the brakes in response to lane jockeys. Instead, it behaved sensibly.
As of this writing, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has crash tested the 2026 Dodge Charger.
Photo: Manuel Carrillo III
The 2026 Dodge Charger adds a new level of practicality to the muscle car segment with its spacious interior and cargo area. That said, chances are the typical muscle car shopper is not asking for strong performance in this area. Even if the Charger could file your income taxes and serve jury duty on your behalf, Mustang die-hards would probably still consider the Mopar product sacrilege. Still, there is a slice of the muscle car buyer pool that could go either way. For those folks, the Charger’s cherry-on-top practicality might be enough to sway them Dodge’s way.
An automotive writer/editor, presenter, and Hollywood actor, Manuel Carrillo III was brought home from the hospital in a 1977 Porsche 911 S. He's been obsessed with cars ever since. Manuel began his media career on the radio nearly 20 years ago and has worked in automotive journalism since 2012, holding editorial roles at CNET and Capital One Auto Navigator. He also co-hosted MotorTrend's Seduced by Speed, and his work has appeared in Motor1, Robb Report, DUB Magazine, and jdpower.com. He still owns and drives that very 911 S.
