Toyota skips hybrid to out first battery-powered Highlander family SUV with up to 320-mile range

While Toyota's leadership got vindicated for its wait-and-see approach to vehicle electrification, it isn't resting on its hybrid sales laurels and is launching new all-electric vehicles, including iconic models.

Toyota announced its first 3-row electric SUV, the 2027 Highlander. In the US, the 2027 Highlander is powered by relatively modest for its family size 77 kWh and 96 kWh batteries, which helped Toyota keep its starting price under $50,000.

The legendary Highlander was in dire need of a refresh, and, besides a contemporary redesign, Toyota kept all the safety and comfort features that its buyers appreciate, adding a few from the EV era, such as vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities to power home appliances in the case of an emergency.

The 2027 Toyota Highlander can go for up to 320 miles on a charge with the larger battery and sports a NACS charging port, allowing it to top up at any Tesla Supercharger in the US. The third row of seats offers USB-C charging ports and can fold to open 45 cubic feet of space for cargo, too.

Toyota equipped the electric Highlander with all the Safety Sense 4.0 features like pedestrian detection, dynamic cruise control, lane tracing, and road sign or proactive driving assists. Unlike Tesla, which nixed its Autopilot driver-assist option to push buyers into an FSD subscription model, Toyota gives all those safety systems with the new electric Highlander for free.

Get the Tesla Universal Wall Connector with 24' Cable on Amazon