Polaris has been wildn out on extreme, near race-ready UTVs and other high-end UTVs, like the Expedition. At the same time, the powersports industry is in disarray, with the likes of BRP selling off its marine brands and even Polaris needing to lay off employees in 2024 and axe its own financial guidance in 2025 amid uncertainties.
But maybe that's the reason the Minnesota-based company has done a complete 180 and given the people exactly what they want in the form of a sub-$10,000 mid-size UTV.
The powersports powerhouse has unveiled a new addition to its UTV lineup in the form of the 2026 Ranger 500. The idea behind the new model is to bring the quality and reliability you associate with Polaris into the value segment. Although the Ranger 500 is a mid-size UTV, it's quite compact thanks to its 58.5" width, making it more suited to first-time UTV owners and people who need to drive through tighter spaces.
"Similar to all our vehicle designs, we start with the question 'what does this customer care about' and 'what do they need from their vehicle,'" said Brandon Kraemer, Vice President of Product Portfolio, Polaris Off-Road Vehicles. "With the new Ranger 500, value is key; but it also needs to deliver the Ranger brand's renowned reliability along with a practicality that is important to this customer. We focused on incorporating the features that a first-time side-by-side owner would find most valuable when working around their yard or property."
With a starting price of $9,999, the Ranger 500 is certainly priced for entry-level drivers, but as you'd imagine, being part of the Ranger lineup, there are plenty of accessories—30 at the time of writing—to cater to the needs of owners, whether they're small-time farmers or first-time homeowners.
In terms of hard numbers, the dump box can haul up to 300 pounds, and it has a 1,500-pound towing capacity with a standard 2" hitch receiver. There's a chassis-integrated plow mount plate, meaning the Ranger 500 is suitable for snow removal or dirt work, and a 2,500-pound winch, which should make tackling fallen trees and stumps, etc, a breeze.
A few features on the Ranger 500 that are pretty unique to this price range are a factory-installed roof that's a part of the main body, and you'll also get factory-installed LED headlights. But similar to the rest of the lineup, interior storage is aplenty, as this model has tons of compartments inside for most of the thing you need when tackling jobs on your property.
Powering this unit is the same 567cc single-cylinder engine found in the Ranger 570 SP, but it has been retuned to produce 28hp, which is 16 hp less than the 570 SP. This detuning should also make the new Ranger 500 quieter than the SP. Polaris maintains that maintenance is "hassle-free", with easy access to oil, air filter, and other components. All new Ranger 500 models will also come with a 1-year warranty.
Has Polaris timed the launch of this model just right?? Let us know in the comments.
