Screens, Driver Aids, Ratings
A 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen is standard on every trim, and Jeep says no other vehicle in its class comes with a larger standard screen. The scope fact most shoppers get wrong: adaptive cruise control is not fitted on Sport, Sport S or Willys. Both IIHS and NHTSA publish results for this truck, and they are all below, including the ones that are not flattering.
Fog off the water, unlit two-lane roads once the season ends, and a bridge approach that stops without warning are the conditions that decide whether a driver-assistance suite is a feature list or a daily habit. This page covers what the 2026 Gladiator actually comes with, which trims get what, and what the two rating bodies publish. For prices see trims compared; the numbers themselves live on the specifications page.
Every trim gets the same screen, which is unusual in this class and means the base Sport is not a penalty box for technology. The 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 display is standard from the $39,820 Sport upward, and Jeep's position is that no rival ships a larger screen as standard.
Standard alongside it: wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto, so the phone pairs without a cable getting sandy in the console, plus an eight-speaker audio system, SiriusXM capability, voice-activated audio control and a 120-volt outlet in the cabin. Two 12-volt outlets and a full floor console round it out.
The practical note for an open-air truck: everything on that screen lives under a roof you can remove. If you take the panels off regularly, plan for where the truck parks in the rain and consider how you store the hardware, because salt air is not kind to anything left on a driveway.
This is the scope fact worth the most money on this page, and it is the one most commonly reported wrong. Jeep fits distance-pacing cruise control with the stop-and-go function as standard equipment to Rubicon and Mojave only. On Sport, Sport S and Willys as configured from the factory it is absent.
Aggregator listings frequently show adaptive cruise as standard across the Gladiator line. Jeep's own per-trim specification pages disagree, and where they disagree we publish Jeep's answer. When adaptive cruise is the deciding feature, verify it against the truck's own build sheet instead of a third-party listing.
Why it matters here more than most places: an August queue at the Bourne Bridge is exactly the stop-and-go duty cycle that makes traffic-following cruise worth more than most option-sheet items, and the Route 6 run in either direction is long enough to notice its absence. Come off the Cape and up Route 3 toward the South Shore and it stops being a luxury altogether.
On hands-free driving, the answer is short: the Gladiator does not offer a hands-free highway driving system on any trim. It is a hands-on truck. If that capability is on your list, adaptive cruise with stop-and-go on a Rubicon or Mojave is as far as this model goes, and it is worth knowing that before you shop rather than after.
Standard on every 2026 Gladiator, from the base Sport:
None of the five trims Jeep details individually ship blind spot monitoring as base equipment. IIHS separately notes it as optional equipment on this truck, so it is available; which package carries it varies, and it is a build-sheet question rather than a trim question.
The two off-road-oriented systems, the TrailCam Off-Road Camera and Off-Road+, are available rather than standard and are covered on the off-road page. On the lighting side, LED headlights with LED daytime running and fog lamps are standard on Rubicon and Mojave; Sport, Sport S and Willys run halogen headlights. That distinction shows up in the IIHS headlight ratings below, so it is worth reading the two sections together.
| Feature | Sport | Sport S | Willys | Rubicon | Mojave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen | Standard, every trim | ||||
| Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto | Standard, every trim | ||||
| Eight speakers | Standard, every trim | ||||
| Forward collision mitigation | Standard, every trim | ||||
| Trailer Sway Control | Standard, every trim | ||||
| Adaptive cruise with stop-and-go | – | – | – | Standard | Standard |
| LED headlights | – | – | – | Standard | Standard |
| Automatic dual-zone climate | – | Standard | – | Standard | Standard |
| Blind spot monitoring | Not standard on these base configurations; available equipment | ||||
An en dash means the feature is not standard equipment on that trim, which is not the same as saying it cannot be had at all.
Both bodies publish results for the 2026 Gladiator. Below are their own words, in their own vocabulary, with nothing added and nothing left out.
| Test | Rating |
|---|---|
| Small overlap front, driver side | Good |
| Small overlap front, passenger side | Acceptable |
| Moderate overlap front, updated test | Good |
| Side, updated test | Good |
| Headlights | Marginal to Poor, varies by trim and equipment |
| Front crash prevention, vehicle-to-pedestrian | Poor |
| Seat belt reminders | Marginal |
| LATCH ease of use | Acceptable |
No TOP SAFETY PICK award is shown for this vehicle. Two notes IIHS attaches to those results, which travel with the table: the small overlap rating derives from a tested 2026 Jeep Wrangler 4-door and applies to 2026 models built after October 2025, and the moderate overlap rating derives from a tested 2025 Jeep Gladiator Sport and applies to 2024 through 2026 models.
The headlight and pedestrian-detection results are the two worth reading closely rather than skipping. Headlight performance varies by trim and equipment, which is another reason the LED-versus-halogen split above is a real decision and not trim garnish.
| Test | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall | Not Rated |
| Frontal crash, overall | 4 stars |
| Frontal crash, driver | 4 stars |
| Frontal crash, passenger | 4 stars |
| Side crash, barrier and pole | Not Rated |
| Rollover | 3 stars, rollover possibility 26.7 percent |
Where to read these yourself: IIHS publishes at iihs.org and NHTSA at nhtsa.gov, both searchable by year and model. NHTSA also lists zero open recalls on the 2026 Gladiator as of this writing, which is covered on the maintenance page.
You want the big screen and nothing else. Sport, $39,820. The 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 display and wireless phone mirroring are standard from the bottom of the range. See Sport inventory.
You commute in summer traffic. Rubicon at $52,520 or Mojave at $53,215, the two trims with adaptive cruise and stop-and-go. This is the single biggest technology gap in the lineup.
You drive unlit roads after the season ends. Rubicon or Mojave again, for the LED headlights. IIHS rates headlight performance by trim and equipment, and the halogen configurations do not fare well.
You want the off-road cameras. TrailCam and Off-Road+ are available rather than trim-locked. Ask us to check the build sheet on a specific truck. Book a test drive and we will show you both on the screen.
You will find us at 556 Yarmouth Rd in Hyannis. When a particular driver aid is the reason for the purchase, say so before you start shopping rather than afterwards, because on this truck several of them are trim-locked and one of them is commonly listed wrong on third-party sites. We will read the build sheet with you.
Call (508) 815-5000, schedule a test drive, or get pre-approved before you come in.
Here is what the two rating bodies publish. IIHS rates it Good for moderate overlap front and side, Good on the driver side and Acceptable on the passenger side for small overlap front, Marginal to Poor for headlights depending on trim and equipment, Poor for vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention, Marginal for seat belt reminders and Acceptable for LATCH ease of use, with no TOP SAFETY PICK award shown. NHTSA rates frontal crash 4 stars, rollover 3 stars, and lists overall and side crash as Not Rated. Read them at iihs.org and nhtsa.gov and decide against your own priorities.
Yes on Rubicon and Mojave, where it is standard and includes the traffic stop-and-go function. No on Sport, Sport S and Willys as they are configured from the factory. Third-party listings often show it as standard across the line; Jeep's own per-trim specification pages do not, so confirm it on the build sheet of the truck you are looking at.
12.3 inches, standard on every trim including the base Sport. Jeep states that no other vehicle in its class comes with a larger standard touchscreen. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and an eight-speaker audio system are standard alongside it.
Not as standard equipment on the base configurations of Sport, Sport S, Willys, Rubicon or Mojave. IIHS notes it as optional on this vehicle, so it is available; which package carries it varies by build, which makes it a build-sheet question rather than a trim question.
Rubicon and Mojave, standard, with LED daytime running lamps and LED fog lamps. Sport, Sport S and Willys use halogen headlights. IIHS rates headlight performance by trim and equipment on this vehicle and the ratings range from Marginal to Poor, so it is worth looking at the specific configuration.
No. The Gladiator is a hands-on vehicle and no trim offers a hands-free highway driving system. The most advanced driver aid available is adaptive cruise control with traffic stop-and-go, standard on Rubicon and Mojave.
Four-wheel antilock disc brakes with predictive brake assist, traction control, electronic stability control with anti-rollover, forward collision mitigation, Trailer Sway Control, front and front-side and curtain airbags, front and rear seatbelt pre-tensioners, side impact beams, tire pressure monitoring and a rear-view camera. All of it from the base Sport up.
We will pull up the build sheet and confirm exactly what a specific truck has.
* The advertised price does not include sales tax, vehicle registration fees, other fees required by law, finance charges and any documentation charges. A negotiable administration fee, up to $115, may be added to the price of the vehicle.
* Images, prices, and options shown, including vehicle color, trim, options, pricing and other specifications are subject to availability, incentive offerings, current pricing and credit worthiness.