The V8 Dodge Durango is back, replacing the standard V6, but its return will look different depending on where you reside. While every 2026 Durango will start with a 5.7-liter Hemi making 360 horsepower, Stellantis has confirmed that SUVs incorporating the more powerful 392 and Hellcat engines will only be sold in states that don’t follow California Air Resources Board (CARB) emissions regulations.
“The Dodge Durango GT with the 5.7-liter HEMI will be available in all states,” a Stellantis spokesperson said in a statement to The Drive. “The Dodge Durango R/T 392 and Durango SRT Hellcat are available in non-CARB states. As we prepare to begin production of the Durango SRT Hellcat Jailbreak later in Q4 and open for orders of the Durango R/T 392 by the end of the year, we continue to work with CARB on opportunities to sell these two powertrains in all states alongside the 5.7-liter Durango GT.”
The news began making the rounds on Thursday when MoparInsiders reported guidelines issued to dealers about 392 and Hellcat availability.
It’s not very surprising that Stellantis isn’t selling these more powerful Durangos in the 17 states that follow California’s lead. The company has a precedent for this, previously stocking only electrified versions of certain Jeep models on dealer lots in CARB-adhering states like Delaware, Colorado, and Oregon back in 2023, and requiring gas-only vehicles to be special-ordered.
That episode also led Stellantis to challenge how CARB measured the company’s compliance with regulations, versus how the board treated certain other manufacturers. It was a whole can of worms, and ultimately, the two parties worked out a deal a little more than a year ago where Stellantis vowed to abide by California’s rules, supposedly regardless of what the federal government decides to do in the future.
Still, all that seems to have resulted in a familiar situation: Dodge’s least efficient SUVs won’t be available in states that follow the strictest emissions rules, at least until the company can figure something out with CARB. Order books opened for the 2026 Durango Hellcat and its have-it-your-way Jailbreak version last month.
Updated 6:05 p.m. ET: Added an official statement from a Stellantis spokesperson confirming that Durango 392 and Hellcat models will not be available in CARB states for the foreseeable future.
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Backed by a decade of covering cars and consumer tech, Adam Ismail is a Senior Editor at The Drive, focused on curating and producing the site’s slate of daily stories.