2027 Toyota Highlander: Toyota Reinvents Its Three-Row SUV as All-Electric Vehicle

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• With its clean-sheet redesign for 2027, the Toyota Highlander three-row mid-size SUV switches to an all-electric powertrain and grows larger than its gas-engine predecessor.
• The electric Highlander’s specs, features and interior room look to be competitive with the two mainstream-brand three-row electric SUVs currently on sale: the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Kia EV9.
• The 2027 Highlander is slated to go on sale in late 2026 in two well-equipped trims: XLE and Limited. Pricing will be unveiled closer to launch.

Toyota has just taken the wraps off an all-new, redesigned version of its Highlander three-row mid-size SUV that represents a significant strategic shift for both the vehicle and the company. The reimagined 2027 Highlander drops the previous Highlanders’ gasoline and hybrid powertrains in favor of all-electric propulsion. The Highlander’s larger Grand Highlander sibling will continue with gas and hybrid power, but the 2027 Highlander will be electric-only, joining the automaker’s bZ, bZ Woodland and C-HR models as the fourth electric vehicle in its lineup.

The new fifth-generation Highlander also gets larger dimensions than its fourth-gen predecessor; it’s not quite as big as the Grand Highlander but very close in size to the rival Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Kia EV9 three-row electric SUVs.

Related: The 2027 Toyota Highlander Is Your Bigger bZ: Up Close

The 2027 Highlander will be Toyota’s first three-row all-electric vehicle in the U.S. and its first U.S.-made EV. It will be built at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky plant in Georgetown, Ky., and its battery modules will come from Toyota’s recently opened Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina plant in Liberty, N.C.

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Upsized Dimensions, Respectable Space

• Takeaway: The new Highlander is bigger than its gas-engine predecessor; it’s a bit smaller than its gas-engine Grand Highlander sibling but comparable in size and space to the Ioniq 9 and EV9.

Though the 2027 Highlander is a bit shorter in height than its gas-engine predecessor, its width, length and wheelbase measurements — 78.3 inches, 198.8 inches and 120.1 inches, respectively — are all notably larger and within a couple of inches or so of the dimensions of the Ioniq 9 and EV9.

Toyota lists the new Highlander’s cargo volume at 15.9 cubic feet behind the third row and 45.6 cubic feet with the third row folded. Compared to the respective factory measurements of the Ioniq 9 (21.9 and 46.7 cubic feet) and EV9 (20.2 and 43.5 cubic feet), the Highlander looks to be competitive when its third row is folded, but it isn’t quite as cargo-spacious when the third row is in use. Toyota hasn’t listed any passenger-seating measurements yet, but the overall passenger space looks to be competitive in photos (see our Up Close article above for firsthand impressions).

Two Well-Equipped Trims, Competitive Specs

• Takeaway: The 2027 Highlander launches in two nicely equipped trims. The XLE offers front- or all-wheel drive, while the line-topping Limited is AWD-only. The Highlander’s specs are generally on par with comparable versions of the Ioniq 9 and EV9.

At launch, the new Highlander will be available in just two well-equipped trims: XLE and Limited. The XLE is available with FWD and a 77-kilowatt-hour battery or AWD with the choice of a 77-kWh or 95.8-kWh battery. The Limited comes standard with AWD and the 95.8-kWh battery.

The front-drive XLE makes 221 horsepower and 198 pounds-feet of torque and has a manufacturer-estimated driving range of 287 miles. The AWD versions make 338 hp and 323 pounds-feet of torque and have a manufacturer-estimated driving range of 270 miles with the 77-kWh battery and 320 miles with the 95.8-kWh battery.

A Tesla-style North American Charging System charging port is standard. Toyota says the Highlander can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes in ideal conditions on a DC fast charger, which is around five minutes longer than Hyundai’s and Kia’s estimated charging times for the Ioniq 9 and EV9.

A Generous List of Standard and Available Features

• Takeaway: The 2027 Highlander boasts an extensive range of standard and available equipment.

All 2027 Highlanders come standard with the latest Toyota Audio Multimedia system and Toyota Safety Sense 4.0 suite of active-safety features. Also standard are second-row captain’s chairs for six-occupant seating; the AWD XLE can be equipped with a second-row bench seat for seven-occupant capacity. AWD trims get Multi-Terrain Select drive modes and Crawl Control (essentially low-speed off-road cruise control) for off-road driving.

The XLE comes standard with amenities like a 12.3-inch digital gauge display, 14-inch infotainment touchscreen, customizable ambient lighting with 64 color choices, dual Qi wireless charging pads, heated front seats and a hands-free power liftgate. Also standard are 18 cupholders, USB-C charging ports for all three seating rows and a built-in Drive Recorder dashcam feature that can use the vehicle’s cameras to record 20-second video clips.

Limiteds add a head-up display, rear window shades, ventilated front seats (in addition to heated), heated second-row seats, a 360-degree camera system, automated parking assist, Traffic Jam Assist stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, lane change assist and front cross-traffic alert.

Stand-alone optional features include a fixed panoramic moonroof and JBL premium audio system, and Limiteds can be upgraded with two-tone paint and 22-inch wheels in place of the standard 19s. With the purchase of separate vehicle-to-load charging accessories, the Highlander can power external appliances or serve as a backup home power source in the event of an outage.

More on the Toyota Highlander From Cars.com:

• Toyota Makes AWD Standard on 2026 Highlander Lineup
• What Would We Like to See Out of a Toyota 3-Row Electric SUV?
• Read the Latest on the Toyota Highlander
• Research the Toyota Highlander
• Add Cars.com as a Preferred Source on Google

Pricing and On-Sale Date

• Takeaway: The 2027 Highlander is slated to go on sale by the end of the 2026 calendar year; pricing will be announced closer to its on-sale date.

Toyota expects sales of the 2027 Highlander to begin in late 2026 and continue into early 2027, so it should be less than a year away from arriving in showrooms at the time of this writing. Pricing will be announced closer to its on-sale date, and we’re very curious to see where those MSRPs land. The 2026 EV9 starts at $56,495 and runs to around $80,000, and the 2026 Ioniq 9 starts at $61,055 and tops out around $79,000 to start (all prices include destination fee). The new electric Highlander looks to be competitive overall with those established rivals, but aggressive pricing would certainly make it a more compelling option. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see a more affordable, lower-line Highlander trim launch in the near future, perhaps for the 2028 model year.

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