The 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is a safe, reliable, and fuel-efficient family SUV. Pricing starts at $40,220. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is hard to beat in the niche category of 3-row hybrid SUVs. The standard Highlander (reviewed separately) is already an excellent family hauler with a comfortable 3-row interior, generous standard features, and the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award. The Highlander Hybrid takes all of those good qualities and adds an efficient hybrid powertrain that returns outstanding fuel economy of 36 city/35 highway mpg. The Highlander Hybrid’s closest rival is the Ford Explorer Hybrid, which is more expensive and less efficient than the Toyota. The Highlander is unquestionably the value choice between the two. Another option is the more affordable and efficient Kia Sorento Hybrid, but that’s smaller and less family-friendly than the Highlander Hybrid.
2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Pricing
The 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid starts at $40,220. The top Platinum trim starts at $50,475, and a few trims make up the difference in between. All-wheel drive is a $1,600 option on most trims, but it costs an extra $1,950 on the top two trims. Its closest rival, the Ford Explorer Hybrid, has a much higher starting price, but it’s comparable to the top trims of the Highlander Hybrid. These are the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) and don’t include the factory-to-dealer $1,335 delivery fee. Before buying a Highlander Hybrid, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid boasts strong resale value, which can save you a lot of money in the long run. The Toyota brand is a consistent winner of our Best Resale Value award for a non-luxury brand. There are a couple of modest changes to the Highlander Hybrid for the 2023 model year. The Bronze Edition gains a 12.3-inch infotainment system, and the top two trims now have power folding mirrors.What’s New?
Driving the 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
In our testing, we found the Toyota Highlander Hybrid to be a pleasant and agreeable SUV to drive. We noticed the engine gets a little noisy under hard acceleration, but that’s a forgivable flaw since you probably won’t be flooring it very often. For better or worse, the Highlander Hybrid is an SUV that feels like a minivan from behind the wheel. If you prioritize comfort over sportiness, that’s not a bad thing. The acceleration is good enough for driving around town and passing on the highway. Adding all-wheel drive (AWD) improves the all-season traction of the Highlander Hybrid. It’s a great upgrade if you live in a snowy climate, especially since it hardly comes with any fuel economy penalty compared to the front-wheel-drive (FWD) model.
Flexible Interior
The inside of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid reflects its personality as a practical and comfortable family SUV. Desirable available features you get in the upper trims include a 12.3-inch infotainment system, a panoramic sunroof, and leather seats. The first two rows of seats are plenty spacious, but the third row is best reserved for the smaller among us. Second-row captain’s chairs are standard on all but the base LE trim, making the second row more comfortable and the third row easier to access. With a second-row bench seat, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid seats a total of 8 passengers. With second-row captain’s seats, it seats 7. The cargo space in the Highlander Hybrid is pretty good when all three rows of seats are in place. However, the more seats you can afford to fold down, the more cargo space you get. With all of the seats behind the first row folded down, this SUV has up to 84.3 cubic feet of cargo space. That’s more cargo space than most hybrid and electric SUVs, but some non-hybrid midsize SUVs this size have more cargo room.
Confident Style
The Toyota Highlander’s subtle exterior is nice to look at. It doesn’t exactly stand out in traffic, but that’s okay for a practical family SUV. The look of the Highlander Hybrid can change a bit depending on which trim you choose. We like the Bronze Edition with its unique exterior accents like bronze-colored wheels, which you can’t get on the non-hybrid Highlander. The size of the Highlander Hybrid is about average for a midsize SUV. Its dimensions are similar to the Kia Telluride and Honda Pilot. A couple of bigger and roomier rivals include the Chevrolet Traverse and Volkswagen Atlas.
Favorite Features
Efficient hybrid powertrain Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ 3-row seating Wireless smartphone connectivity Drive Mode Select Bronze Edition
The hybrid powertrain of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid makes it much more fuel-efficient than the average midsize SUV. It returns up to 36 city/35 highway mpg. Even with AWD, it gets 35 mpg both in the city and on the highway.
This safety tech suite comes standard on every Highlander Hybrid. It bundles desirable driver assistance features like adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, etc.
The family-friendly interior of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid comes standard with 3-row seating for up to eight people. Second-row captain’s chairs are optional, which make the second row more comfortable and the third row easier to access.
The 8-inch infotainment system and the optional 12.3-inch screen both come standard with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Connect your phone to the screen in your car without taking it out of your pocket or purse.
Scrolling through the drive modes of the Highlander Hybrid changes its personality. Normal and Eco modes are good for the daily drive, Sport mode makes it more fun to drive, EV mode allows for electric-only driving at low speeds, and Trail Mode improves the traction of the AWD system, if so equipped.
The stylish Bronze Edition is unique to the Highlander Hybrid; you can’t get the non-hybrid Highlander in this trim. It comes with some premium features like a 12.3-inch infotainment system plus bronze-colored wheels and interior accents.
Engine & Transmission
The Highlander Hybrid’s power comes from a 4-cylinder gas engine mated to an electric motor. Front-wheel drive (FWD) is standard, and all-wheel drive (AWD) is optional. If you opt for AWD, it adds a second electric motor, but it doesn’t change this SUV’s power or torque rating. Every Highlander Hybrid uses a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and it has a maximum towing capacity of up to 3,500 pounds. Compared to its chief rival, the Ford Explorer Hybrid, the Highlander Hybrid is less powerful but more fuel-efficient. 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine + electric motor(s) More Highlander Hybrid fuel economy information is available on the EPA’s website. 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.
243 total horsepower
175 lb-ft of torque
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 36/35 mpg (FWD), 35/35 mpg (AWD), 35/34 mpg (Limited/Platinum AWD)3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty
KBB Vehicle Review and Rating Methodology
Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings. We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology. Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing. Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.) We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.
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