Compare the2026 Cadillac EscaladeVS 2026 GMC Yukon

The Cadillac Escalade has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Yukon doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the Escalade and the Yukon have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and night vision systems.

The Escalade comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Yukon’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the Escalade 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than GMC covers the Yukon. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Yukon ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Escalade’s 6 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Yukon runs out after 100,000 miles.

The Escalade has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Yukon doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Escalade has a 800-amp battery. The Yukon only offers a standard 730-amp battery.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in long-term dependability. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, GMC is rated lower.

The Escalade’s 6.2 V8 produces 65 more horsepower (420 vs. 355) and 77 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 383) than the Yukon’s standard 5.3 V8.

As tested in Motor Trend the Cadillac Escalade is faster than the GMC Yukon 5.3 V8:

The Escalade has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Yukon. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The Escalade stops much shorter than the Yukon:

The Escalade’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Yukon’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escalade has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the Yukon.

The Escalade has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Escalade flat and controlled during cornering. The Yukon’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Escalade Platinum Sport 4WD handles at .71 G’s, while the Yukon AT4 pulls only .66 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Escalade Platinum Sport 4WD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Yukon AT4 (29.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s vs. 30.6 seconds @ .51 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Escalade has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Yukon Denali Ultimate (8 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Escalade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Escalade (except Base) offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Yukon doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Escalade’s cargo area provides more volume than the Yukon.

The Escalade’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Yukon’s (7900 vs. 7700 pounds).

The Escalade has a higher standard payload capacity than the Yukon (1570 vs. 1510 lbs.).

The Escalade has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Yukon (1580 vs. 1540 lbs.).

The Escalade’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Yukon’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Escalade the driver can close all of them from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Yukon can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Escalade’s available power side swing out doors make it much easier to load and unload kids and cargo. One touch opens the door, before you even get to the sport utility. The Yukon doesn’t offer a power rear door.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Escalade has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Yukon doesn’t offer cornering lights.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Escalade is less expensive to operate than the Yukon because typical repairs cost much less on the Escalade than the Yukon, including $113 less for a water pump, $10 less for a starter, $6 less for fuel injection, $53 less for a fuel pump and $246 less for a timing belt/chain.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its December 2020 issue and they ranked the Cadillac Escalade Sport 4WD higher than the GMC Yukon AT4.