Were you saving up for that 2026 Dodge Durango 392 (R/T) or Hellcat? You may want to hold up a sec.
Last month, Dodge announced the 392’s return and the Hellcat’s continuation with an all-V8 2026 Dodge Durango lineup. It’s a move squarely aimed at enthusiasts, raging against the dying of the light as emissions regulations strangle large-displacement engines out of existence. And while plenty of folks are keen to see the iconic Hemi return across the range, there’s a wrench in proceedings: buyers in ‘CARB states’ — 17 states that follow California Air Resources Board emissions regulations — will not be able to buy the Durango R/T or the SRT Hellcat.
To be clear, per a Stellantis spokesperson’s statement to The Drive, “The Dodge Durango GT with the 5.7-liter HEMI will be available in all states.” However, the 6.4-liter R/T model and the 6.2-liter supercharged SRT Hellcat will not be available in CARB-compliant states. You’ll only be able to buy them in states that do not follow California’s lead on emissions regulations.
As a result, the 17 states where you won’t be able to buy the more powerful Durango models includes California (naturally), Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington — and the District of Columbia.
Rather than take on the extra effort (and cost) to try and bring these engines into CARB compliance, Dodge just decided to stick with selling the Durango GT nationwide, and restricting where it sells the R/T and SRT Hellcat, at least for now. The company also said it will “continue to work with CARB on opportunities to sell these two powertrains in all states alongside the Durango GT”.
For those who will be able to buy it, the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat is open to order now, and will reach dealers in the fourth quarter (alongside the GT). The R/T order books will open up later this year, with deliveries in early 2026. Pricing for the 2026 Dodge Durango GT, with the 5.7-liter Hemi, starts at $44,490. As for the R/T, you’ll have to spend $51,990 (but get the bigger engine as a trade-off), while the Hellcat is actually $5K cheaper this year, starting at $81,990. Again, assuming you live in a state where you can purchase and register it.
There is one wild card in the mix, and that’s the US Justice Department’s pending litigation against the California Air Resources Board, which seeks to end enforcement of the Board’s standards for heavy-duty trucks, as well as a parallel complaint to do the same for light-duty vehicles, like the Durango. The government argues federal law preempts state authority on such issues. If the administration’s legal actions are successful, that could then open the door for automakers to sell non-CARB-compliant vehicles, as the emissions standards currently blocking them could be invalidated by a federal court ruling.
