February 11, 2026 - Toyota Highlander Goes Electric for 2027

This is the Telemetry Transportation Daily for February 11, 2026, and I'm Sam Abuelsamid, Vice President of Market Research for Telemetry.  

Despite being famously skeptical about battery electric vehicles, Toyota is continuing to press ahead with adding new models to its lineup. Last year, Toyota launched a major upgrade of its first EV for the North American market, the bZ, which increased range, improved charging, and redesigned the interior. This week in California, Toyota is conducting media drives for the new bZ Woodland wagon and C-HR crossover coupe that will start arriving at dealers in March. 

Toyota also revealed the 2027 Highlander midsize crossover that will now be exclusively available as an EV. The Highlander was Toyota's first midsize crossover when it debuted in 2000, the first crossover from the brand to get a hybrid powertrain in 2005, and hit peak sales of over 280,000 in the U.S. prior to the introduction of the larger Grand Highlander, which will continue to be sold with gas and hybrid powertrains. 

The three-row 2027 Highlander will use many of the same powertrain components as the smaller two-row bZ in a more family-friendly package. It will be available in front-wheel drive with 221 horsepower or dual motor all-wheel drive with 338 horsepower and a choice of two battery sizes, 77 or 95.8 kWh. All-wheel-drive models with the larger battery are expected to go a very respectable 320 miles on a charge. As with its other new EVs, Toyota is installing a J3400/NACS charging port on the right front fender, which will allow drivers to nose into Tesla Supercharger stalls and reach the short cables on those chargers. According to Toyota, the Highlander will charge from 10-80% in about 30 minutes. 

Inside, it has seating for six with the standard second row captain's chairs or seven with the optional bench seat. The Highlander also gets the new infotainment software based on the company's Arene software platform that debuted on the 2026 RAV4.  Production starts in the fourth quarter, and Highlanders should start arriving at dealers in the U.S. before the end of the year. Toyota isn't revealing prices yet, but in conversations, there are hints that it will be priced aggressively against the competition from Hyundai and Kia, which should mean a starting price in the low $50,000 range.

Thanks for listening.