The next Jeep Compass will hit North America in 2026.
While a great deal of public focus toward Jeep lands on the Wrangler and the Grand Cherokee, the Compass — now Jeep’s entry-level SUV since the Renegade is currently out of the picture — is one of the brand’s most important models. Why? Because it competes in the same segment as heavyweights like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. In fact, behind its two icons, the Compass is Jeep’s third best-selling model, and picked up 71% greater sales in the last quarter alone. So, it makes sense for the company to keep its compact crossover up-to-date, and we’re getting a glimpse of exactly what the next generation is going to look like here.
That said, there isn’t much in the way of technical information on this new Jeep Compass at the moment. Parent company Stellantis says it will ride on its STLA Medium platform, and will be the first four-wheel-drive Jeep SUV to do so. For some perspective, Jeep’s other STLA-based platforms more or less sandwich this new Compass, with the tiny Europe-only “Avenger” riding on the STLA Small platform, and the electric Wagoneer S using the STLA Large architecture.
Despite what the shift to what was an EV-first platform implies, Stellantis does stress the 2026 Jeep Compass will not strictly arrive as an electric model. Instead, the company says that “it will offer various multi-energy propulsion systems delivering affordable capability, top performance, and advanced technology.” TL;DR version — we’ll still get gas-powered models in a similar price band to what you can buy right now (around $27,500 to $40,000). If you want the best performance, at least on paper, then it sounds like you’ll have an electric variant to choose, if you want to pay the premium.
For what it’s worth, the second-generation Compass is already a multi-energy platform, strictly speaking. While it’s not available in the U.S., other markets have been able to buy a Compass 4xe plug-in hybrid since 2021.
Unsurprisingly, given the buying public’s general reluctance to make the EV plunge, automakers including Stellantis are shifting production and marketing strategy away from the headlong rush toward full electric transformations they pitched a few years ago. With some models like the new Fiat 500 being particularly slow sellers, to the point where the company actually paused production for a month due to low demand, we’re seeing a more holistic approach to new launches in the coming months and years. It’s the same sort of strategy we’re seeing with the new Dodge Charger: Instead of just going for an EV, the company revised its “electric muscle car” strategy to include the Sixpack, powered by the automaker’s new 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six gas engine.
The 2026 Jeep Compass, as we’ll know it, will actually launch in Europe next year, followed by its North American arrival. Stellantis says it will build this new model in Melfi, Italy, where it produces the current, second-generation Compass.
