Compare the2026 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2026 Lexus GX

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Palisade are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Lexus GX doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

Both the Palisade and GX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Palisade has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The GX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Palisade has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The GX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Palisade achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Lexus GX has not been tested.

To deliver safety and visibility under dusty conditions the Hyundai Palisade’s backup monitor has a standard rear washer to keep the view clear. A camera washer system costs extra on the Lexus GX.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Palisade uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The GX uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Palisade and the GX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Hyundai Palisade achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The GX has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

The Palisade comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The GX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Palisade 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the GX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the GX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Palisade’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the GX’s (7 vs. 6 years).

There are over 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Palisade’s warranty.

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid is faster than the Lexus GX:

On the EPA test cycle the Palisade gets better mileage than the GX:

Regenerative brakes improve the Palisade Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The GX doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Palisade’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The GX doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Palisade uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GX requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Palisade higher (6 out of 10) than the Lexus GX (5). This means the Palisade produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GX every 15,000 miles.

The Palisade stops shorter than the GX:

The Palisade’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the GX 550 Overtrail’s standard 70 series tires. The Palisade Calligraphy’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the GX’s optional 50 series tires.

The Palisade has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The GX doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Palisade’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The GX doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Palisade’s wheelbase is 4.7 inches longer than on the GX (116.9 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Palisade is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the GX.

The Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC handles at .83 G’s, while the GX 550 Overtrail+ pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the GX 550 Luxury+ (27.2 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.9 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

The Hyundai Palisade may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 850 to 1150 pounds less than the Lexus GX.

Unibody construction lowers the Palisade’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The GX doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Palisade uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The GX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC is quieter than the GX 550 Overtrail+:

The Palisade offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the GX can only carry up to 7.

The Palisade’s cargo area provides more volume than the GX.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Palisade’s second and third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The GX doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has standard heated front seats and second and third row heated seats also available, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Lexus doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the GX.

The Palisade SEL Premium/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has standard front air conditioned seats and the Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The GX doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Palisade Calligraphy’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The GX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Palisade is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The GX doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Palisade as the 2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The GX has never been chosen.

The Hyundai Palisade outsold the Lexus GX by almost four to one during 2024.