Compare the2027 Dodge Charger VS 2026 Cadillac CT5

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Dodge Charger have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Cadillac CT5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the Charger and CT5 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Charger 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 CT5’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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Charger. But it costs extra on the CT5.

Both the Charger and the CT5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and available around view monitors.

The Dodge Charger weighs 914 to 2165 pounds more than the Cadillac CT5. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

There are over 4 times as many Dodge dealers as there are Cadillac dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Charger’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are better in initial quality than Cadillac vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge above average in initial quality. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Cadillac is rated below average.

The Charger has more powerful engines than the CT5:

	Horsepower	Torque
Charger R/T 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder	420 HP	468 lbs.-ft.
Charger Scat Pack 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder	550 HP	531 lbs.-ft.
Charger Super Bee 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder	600 HP	531 lbs.-ft.
Charger Daytona Scat Pack electric motors	670 HP	627 lbs.-ft.
CT5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	237 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
CT5 3.0 turbo V6	335 HP	405 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Car and Driver the Dodge Charger is faster than the Cadillac CT5 turbo V6:

	Charger R/T	Charger Scat Pack	CT5
Zero to 60 MPH	4.7 sec	3.7 sec	4.8 sec

On the EPA test cycle the Charger running on electricity gets better mileage than the CT5:

			MPGe
Charger
	AWD	Scat Pack 305 Tires Electric Motors	93 city/79 hwy
		Scat Pack All Season 325 Tires Electric Motors	82 city/73 hwy
		Scat Pack Performance 325 Tires Electric Motors	80 city/70 hwy
CT5
			MPG
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6	19 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/30 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6	18 city/27 hwy

The Charger can travel with zero emissions for 223 to 267 miles (dependent on model). The CT5 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Charger Daytona’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The CT5 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Charger has a standard locking charge port which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the CT5. A locking charge port prevents tampering and damage; a locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Dodge Charger higher (6 to 10 out of 10) than the Cadillac CT5 (4 to 6). This means the Charger produces up to 25 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the CT5 every 15,000 miles.

The Charger’s optional launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The CT5 doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Charger’s brake rotors are larger than those on the CT5:

	Charger R/T	Charger Super Bee	CT5	CT5 Sport
Front Rotors	13.9 inches	16 inches	12.6 inches	13.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	16 inches	12.4 inches	12.4 inches

The Charger’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the CT5 are solid, not vented.

The Charger stops much shorter than the CT5:

	Charger	CT5
70 to 0 MPH	151 feet	169 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	104 feet	114 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the Charger’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CT5 (F:305/35R20 & R:325/35R20 vs. 255/35R20).

The Charger offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The CT5’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Charger’s wheelbase is 5 inches longer than on the CT5 (121 inches vs. 116 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Charger is 5.3 inches wider in the front and 4.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the CT5.

The Charger Daytona Scat Pack Four-Door handles at .97 G’s, while the CT5 Sport pulls only .88 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Charger Daytona Scat Pack Four-Door executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the CT5 Sport (24.6 seconds @ .84 average G’s vs. 26.2 seconds @ .68 average G’s).

The Charger Six Pack offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The CT5 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Charger Four-Door a Large car, while the CT5 is rated a Mid-size.

The Charger has 4.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CT5 (103.1 vs. 99).

The Charger Four-Door has .1 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 2.6 inches more front hip room, .9 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 4.1 inches more rear hip room and 2.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the CT5.

The Charger Four-Door has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the CT5 (22.7 vs. 11.9 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Charger offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The CT5 doesn’t offer a power trunk.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Charger to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The CT5 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Both the Charger and the CT5 offer available heated front seats. The Charger also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the CT5.

The Dodge Charger comes in coupe and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Cadillac CT5 isn’t available as a coupe.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Charger as the 2026 North American Car of the Year. The CT5 has never been chosen.