I 2025 Toyota Highlander Hybrid The three-row crossover gets standard all-wheel drive and a new special edition as its only significant update.
Based on the Highlander Hybrid Limited range, the 25th edition marks twenty and a half years since the launch of the first generation Highlander. Introduced at the 2000 New York auto show as a 2001 model, the Highlander was one of the original crossovers that set the template for the type of vehicle that now dominates new car sales.
Although the 25th Edition is also a hybrid, that version of the Highlander is not celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The first Highlander Hybrid was introduced in 2005 as a 2006 model. It was Toyota's second hybrid, after the first Prius.
Befitting a special edition to commemorate the silver anniversary, the 25th Edition features 20-inch silver-finished wheels and silver exterior trim. It also includes a collision of “25th Edition” logos, a surround-view camera system, and leather upholstery.
2025 Toyota Highlander hybrid
In addition to the 25th Edition, Toyota will offer XLE, XLE Nightshade, Limited, and Platinum grades for 2025. All have the same powertrain, consisting of a 2.5-liter inline-4 mated to Toyota's standard hybrid system. produces 243 hp. The 2.4-liter turbo-4 continues on non-hybrid models.
If it comes with front wheel drive then the Highlander Hybrid sees a slightly dipping into EPA-estimated fuel economy. The best 35 mpg combined (35 mpg city, 35 mpg highway) ratings for all-wheel-drive models are unchanged, as is the 34-mpg highway rating for all-wheel-drive Limited and Platinum models. But 2024 models with front-wheel drive are rated at 36 mpg combined (36 mpg city, 35 mpg highway).
Toyota plans to start delivering Highlander models in 2025 in November. The automaker has confirmed a base price of $39,520 (before destination) for the non-hybrid front-wheel drive LE grade, but will announce combined pricing closer to the on-sale date.
Competing crossovers like the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento hybrids have been updated more recently than the Highlander, and now there's a larger Grand Highlander Hybrid that shares the name. It is reported that Toyota may turn the Highlander into an EV, giving it a new name with three rows that will be built in the US.