All About the 2027 Toyota Highlander

The Highlander name is about to mean something different. For 2027, Toyota didn’t just refresh its popular three-row SUV, it reinvented it. The fifth-generation Highlander drops gas and hybrid power entirely, arriving as Toyota’s fourth battery-electric vehicle for the U.S. market and the first BEV assembled on American soil.

A Genuinely New Chapter

Toyota calls this shift building a “Best Experience Vehicle,” designed from the ground up around efficient, safe, and comfortable family travel. It’s a meaningful departure from the Highlander you know. The third generation, revealed in 2013, brought Toyota Safety Sense to the model for the first time. The fourth generation, arriving in 2019, focused on interior space and hybrid efficiency. The 2027 model kicks off generation five with its boldest change yet: going all-electric.

Range and Powertrain Options

The 2027 Highlander comes in two grades: the well-appointed XLE and the top-of-the-line Limited. The XLE offers real flexibility, available with front-wheel drive or electronic all-wheel drive. Every XLE FWD model runs a 77.0-kWh battery, while XLE AWD buyers can choose between that same 77.0-kWh pack or an extended-range 95.8-kWh battery. The Limited grade comes exclusively with AWD and the larger 95.8-kWh battery as standard.

Models equipped with the 95.8-kWh battery, whether XLE AWD or Limited, deliver a manufacturer-estimated 320 miles of range on a single charge, plenty for daily driving and most road trips without a fuel stop turned charging stop.

Off-Road Confidence, Electric Style

AWD-equipped Highlanders don’t just add traction. They bring genuine capability with Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control, features you’d expect on a body-on-frame off-roader, not a family electric SUV. It’s Toyota’s way of saying this Highlander still goes where families actually need to go, camping trips and ski weekends included.

A First for Toyota: Vehicle-to-Load Technology

Here’s a genuinely new trick: the 2027 Highlander introduces vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology, a first for any Toyota sold in the United States. With the purchase of bi-directional accessories, your Highlander can power appliances at a tailgate, run tools at a job site, or serve as backup power for your home during an outage. Paired with Toyota’s Charge Assist and ECO Charge features in the Toyota app, your SUV becomes a mobile power source, not just transportation.

Striking New Design, Inside and Out

The exterior trades the outgoing Highlander’s softer lines for something bolder: broad fenders, full-length LED daytime running lights, and flush door handles that improve aerodynamics while giving the SUV a distinctly modern presence.

Inside, the change is just as dramatic. A 14-inch touchscreen dominates the dash, paired with a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display and fully customizable ambient lighting that lets you set the cabin’s mood. Standard SofTex-trimmed seating and soft-touch materials on the dash and doors elevate the feel throughout. An available fixed glass panoramic roof, the largest Toyota has ever offered, floods the cabin with natural light.

Space the Whole Crew Can Use

Three-row seating for up to seven comes standard, with an available bench seat configuration. Heated front seats come standard, with ventilated front seats and heated second-row seats available for buyers who want extra comfort. Fold the third row flat and you’ll find more than 45 cubic feet of rear cargo space, ready for luggage, gear, or a Costco run.

Safety Technology Gets an Upgrade Too

Both XLE and Limited grades come standard with Toyota Safety Sense 4.0, the automaker’s most advanced driver-assist suite yet, including Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection and a full range of active safety features designed for confident driving whether you’re navigating a busy commute or a backcountry road.

What This Means for Highlander Buyers

If you’ve loved the Highlander for its practicality but never considered an EV, 2027 is the year that decision gets made for you. Toyota is betting that families ready to go electric will find everything they valued about the Highlander, space, comfort, and safety, intact in this new form, plus capabilities the gas model never offered.

Curious how the all-electric 2027 Highlander fits your family’s driving habits? Visit Toyota of West County to see this reimagined three-row SUV in person and explore what 320 miles of range and vehicle-to-load power can do for your lifestyle.