The 2027 Toyota Highlander represents a number of firsts for the company. The redesigned crossover will be its first electric vehicle manufactured in the United States, and it’ll also be the automaker’s first electric vehicle with three rows of seats. But those milestones rely on the Highlander actually making it to dealers, which may not be for another few months. Nikkei Asia reports that the EV has been delayed, with sales beginning in early 2027.
Does that portend bad things for the edgy new SUV? Perhaps not, because Toyota’s EV sales are stronger than they’ve ever been.
The New Highlander Has Some New Ideas
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Instead of introducing a completely new nameplate for its seven-seat electric crossover, Toyota decided to fold full electrification into the popular Highlander’s fifth-generation redesign. But that bold move comes with a few risks. For starters, the electric market isn’t picking up as much ground with new-car shoppers as originally intended.
The Highlander will also be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, marking the first time that the automaker has assembled an electric vehicle in the US. Furthermore, the Highlander’s battery modules will come from an entirely new Toyota facility in North Carolina, meaning the automaker has two big assembly lines to prepare for series production.
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Those circumstances may have conspired to delay the new Highlander’s arrival in US dealerships, which was supposed to begin in fall 2026. But per Nikkei, the company may hold off the start of production until January 2027, a move that would allow the company a chance to perform final quality checks before the Kentucky and North Carolina facilities start building Highlanders and components thereof.
We’ve asked Toyota for independent confirmation of Nikkei‘s reporting, but haven’t received a reply. Nikkei does claim that it spoke to a representative of the company who acknowledged the delay. However, Carscoops reports the delay was denied. Technically speaking, one might say a delay of several weeks still keeps the overall production target within the same general time period, thus creating some plausible deniability. In any case, we will update this story if and when Toyota responds.
What Will The Highlander Do Well?
Although final specifications for the electric Toyota Highlander haven’t been fully revealed, the automaker’s newest EV looks like it could appeal to customers pretty well. Its shortest-range model can still go around 270 miles with each charge of its 77.0-kilowatt-hour battery, while a larger 95.8-kWh unit is available and raises the bar all the way up to 320 miles. A NACS charge port is standard, allowing the Highlander to juice up at one of America’s many, many Tesla Superchargers.
2027 Toyota Highlander Comparison
Output
Range
DC Charge Rate
2027 Toyota Highlander
221 hp (FWD) / 338 hp (AWD)
270–320 miles
150 kW (est.)
2027 Hyundai Ioniq 9
215 hp (FWD) / 303–422 hp (AWD)
311–335 miles
230 kW (est.)
2026 Kia EV9
201–215 hp (FWD) / 379 hp (AWD)
230–305 miles
230 kW (est.)
Compared to its primary rivals, the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Kia EV9, those are solid, middle-of-the-pack numbers, and what’s more, none seem bad enough to turn a potential buyer completely off to the idea of an EV. And combined with Toyota’s electric vehicle sales momentum and reputation for quality, the new Highlander could prove quite popular with the automaker’s loyal customers who are ready to go gas-free. For everyone else, the larger Grand Highlander will continue to offer pure combustion and hybrid powertrains.
2027 Toyota Highlander EVToyota
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
The 2027 Toyota Highlander (and its largely identical Subaru Getaway platform-mate) is a good litmus test for the viability of family-friendly EVs. The company’s customers are legendarily loyal, and now that it’s actually building decent EVs, more and more people are willing to trade gasoline and hybrid flexibility for purely electric efficiency.
Base Trim Engine
Electric
Base Trim Transmission
Single-speed Automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
Front-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
221 hp
Base Trim Torque
198 lb-ft
Segment
Midsize SUV
We hope we won’t have to wait much longer for the Highlander to show up in American dealers. We already like the bZ and the C-HR, and their three-row sibling seems like it’ll just be more of a good thing.
Source: Nikkei Asia
