2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is one of the original hybrid midsize SUVs and is still one of our favorites. The standard hybrid has many virtues like 3-row seating and the reliability and resale value that Toyota is famous for. The hybrid version takes those qualities and adds better fuel economy with barely any penalty in performance. It also has standard all-wheel drive and a stylish 25th Edition for this year. Simply put, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is one of the most practical family SUVs money can buy.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of midsize SUVs, including the 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

There are a couple of exciting updates to the Toyota Highlander Hybrid for 2025. For starters, all-wheel drive is now standard across the board. Also, the old LE trim is gone leaving XLE as the new base model.

There’s also a special edition just for 2025 called the 25th Edition, celebrating the Highlander’s silver anniversary. Based on the well-equipped Limited trim, it adds a stylish appearance package with silver accents, “25th Edition” branding inside and out, a Panoramic View Monitor, and your choice of Heavy Metal or Wind Chill Pearl paint.

Speaking of which, Heavy Metal is a new paint option this year.

Toyota is good about not charging too much more for a hybrid compared to its non-hybrid counterpart, but having standard all-wheel drive will likely add a little extra to the starting price compared to the regular Highlander. A fully loaded Platinum model will probably cost around $53,000. The most popular Highlander Hybrid trim — and our preferred pick, by the way — is the entry-level XLE. Toyota has no shortage of hybrid models; therefore, if the Highlander Hybrid doesn’t quite work for you, we suggest the smaller RAV4 Prime or the even smaller Corolla Cross Hybrid. You can go bigger with the Grand Highlander Hybrid or the hulking Sequoia. Heck, you can go totally out of the box with the more car-like Toyota Crown.

The Highlander Hybrid doesn’t face much in the way of direct competition. The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has a considerably lower starting price, as does the Kia Sorento Hybrid. However, neither rival comes standard with all-wheel drive but even adding all-wheel drive leaves the Hyundai and Kia at a lower price point.

Before buying a Highlander Hybrid, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Toyota Highlander Hybrid resale value is above average, and the Toyota brand is a perennial winner of our Best Resale Value Award.

The 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is powered by a 243-horsepower hybrid 4-cylinder engine matched with a CVT automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The all-wheel-drive system was easy to recommend in previous years, and we’re happy to see it come standard on every Highlander Hybrid.

This is a hybrid SUV for families, and we’re not surprised that it drives like one. We’ve found it excels at carrying the squad in comfort and quiet. Although quiet during regular driving duties, we noticed it could be a little noisy under hard acceleration. However, we weren’t tempted to floor it very often in our testing.

The Highlander Hybrid has a little less power than the standard Highlander, which produces 265 hp, but it’s a small tradeoff for the excellent fuel economy. If you like the idea of a hybrid family hauler but crave a gutsier powertrain, the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid and its available 362-hp Hybrid MAX powertrain might be more suitable. For families who prioritize efficiency over performance, the frugal Highlander Hybrid is the way to go.

Fuel Economy

The 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is one of the most efficient (non-electric) 3-row SUVs you can buy. It is rated at 35 mpg combined across the board. This is a significant improvement over rivals with standard gasoline engines, including the regular Toyota Highlander. That model achieves 25 mpg combined with FWD and 24 mpg with AWD. It’s in the ballpark with the all-wheel-drive versions of the Santa Fe Hybrid and Sorento Hybrid.

According to EPA estimates, the monthly fuel cost of the Highlander Hybrid is about $55 less than the non-hybrid Highlander with all-wheel drive.

All Toyota Highlander Highlander models have three rows and can seat at least seven. Seating for eight is optional, exclusively for the base LE trim. All other trims are only available with second-row captain’s chairs, which makes the second row more comfortable and the third row easier to access.

We’ve found plenty of space in the first two rows of the Highlander Hybrid, but legroom is tight in the third, best left to smaller children. For context, the Sorento Hybrid has about the same front-seat legroom, but more second-and third-row legroom, as does the Santa Fe Hybrid. If this is a deal-breaker, we advise checking out the Grand Highlander Hybrid, which has a roomier third row plus more cargo space.

Speaking of cargo space, we respect that the Highlander Hybrid gives up nothing compared to the standard hybrid despite having its innovative powertrain under the chassis. That means the same numbers: 16 cubic feet behind the third row, 48.4 with the third row folded, and 84.3 with the last two rows folded. These measurements are about average for this class, but a few similarly priced rivals, like the Chevy Traverse and Kia Telluride, have more cargo room behind the third row.

Cabin upholstery ranges from fabric in LE trims to Toyota’s SofTex faux leather or genuine leather. A power-adjustable driver’s seat is standard. Top trims have premium amenities like heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, a digital rearview mirror with a built-in garage door opener, and a 10-inch head-up display (HUD).

An 8-inch touchscreen is standard, but if your budget allows it, we recommend upgrading to the dual 12.3-inch displays in the Limited trim and up. We’re grateful that wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard across the board.

Perhaps one of the best things about the Highlander Hybrid is that it doesn’t look like a hybrid. It just looks like a Highlander, and we like that. It has a small “Beyond Zero HEV” emblem, and that’s about the only tell. Otherwise, like the standard Highlander, this hybrid variant conveys a balance of handsomeness and ruggedness but never goes overboard. The 25th Edition adds stylish and subtle silver accents and handsome 20-inch wheels.

Standard all-wheel drive
All-wheel drive is optional on the non-hybrid Highlander, but it’s standard on every hybrid model. This is a nice new perk of the 2025 model.

Hybrid efficiency
If you’re shopping for a hybrid, low fuel costs are probably a priority. The Highlander Hybrid doesn’t disappoint in this department; it returns 35 combined mpg.

Wireless smartphone connectivity
Whether you’re team Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, you can use your phone’s in-vehicle capabilities without connecting a cord.

25th Edition
The 25th Edition is exclusive to the hybrid version of the Highlander and is only available for the 2025 model year. It commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Toyota Highlander with a unique appearance package with silver accents and the premium features of the Limited trim.

Toyota Safety Sense 2.5
We’ve long admired that Toyota doesn’t make you pay extra for active safety and driver-assist features. The 2025 Highlander comes standard with driving aids like adaptive cruise control, lane-tracing assist, and even blind-spot monitoring.

Dual 12.3-inch displays
This high-tech duo of screens is standard on the Limited trim and up. One controls infotainment functions, while the other is a digital driver display that can change with various driving modes. In our testing, we found the large format much easier to use.

The Highlander Hybrid has 243 hp from a 4-cylinder gas engine mated to a pair of electric motors. All-wheel drive is standard on every trim. Every Highlander Hybrid uses a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) with a maximum towing capacity of up to 3,500 pounds.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

The Highlander Hybrid has a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. Additionally, hybrid components are covered by an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty. The battery pack comes with a 10-year/150,000-mile warranty. As a nice bonus, Toyota includes complimentary scheduled maintenance over the first two years or 25,000 miles. Both the Sorento Hybrid and Hyundai Hybrid have longer warranty coverage.

Safety Ratings

The Toyota Highlander has earned the coveted Top Safety Pick honor from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the top 5-Star crash-test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).