2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Review: Great Fuel Economy But So Much Cheap Plastic

If your No. 1 priority in a new three-row SUV is fuel efficiency, the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander is your ride. This family hauler successfully fends off the competition without tricks or gimmicks, just great fuel economy, proven reliability, and a huge cabin.

There’s a reason Toyota can’t build these things quickly enough, and it isn’t soft-touch materials or best-in-class technology (sarcasm) keeping them off dealer lots.

The Basics

Obviously, the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid is the grander Highlander. It has overshadowed its smaller Highlander sibling since day one thanks to its adult-sized third row and exterior design that doesn’t look like it’s melting.

It’s sharp and doesn’t rely on visual tricks or eye-catching LEDs. It’s square, blunt, upright, and looks like someone super-sized a 4Runner, with extra-long proportions, hilariously long rear doors, and sad off-road angles. It’s understated and timeless. However, the $799 running boards on the Grand Highlander Hybrid I tested seemed like a joke—it doesn’t ride high enough to need them, so they are just in the way.

Inside, the Grand Highlander is a mixed bag for families, and its shortcomings show both its age and Toyota’s design choices, both good and bad. 

Parents will note that the third row is adult-sized, with enough room for my 5-foot-10 build to sit comfortably around town with the second row positioned for me. Toyota has three seat belts in the back, but I can’t imagine three people of meaningful size fitting in the third row. It has ceiling vents for those seated in the back two rows, my kids appreciated the sun shades in the rear doors, and the second-row seat cup holder assembly between the captain’s chairs is removable, which is clutch for accessing the third row. The second row doesn’t tilt and slide like the Volkswagen Atlas; instead, it’s a fold-and-slide operation, unfortunately, which means it can’t be moved with car seats attached. The second-row seat is mounted on rails, so it can slide fore and aft to create legroom for those in the second or third row. The front seats are fine but a bit narrow, and some consumers might not find them wide enough. The cargo space is voluminous, but it isn’t flat. With the third row folded, the cargo floor slopes toward the rear hatch, and there’s no apple-catcher-like lip to keep things from rolling out in a parking lot.

The dashboard features a huge 12.3-inch touchscreen that looks like a tablet slapped onto the dash and rising out of it as a “we have to do this” rather than “we cared about this.” It runs the standard Toyota interface, which means if you use Apple CarPlay, the system can’t split-screen, and boy, that’s a lot of CarPlay. At least it worked flawlessly every time. The materials throughout the cabin are cheap, hard, and can even scratch. Run your fingernail across the hard plastic atop the dashboard, and it’ll leave a mark. But I appreciated the soft-touch material on the center armrest during hours of road tripping. My wife and kids loved all the storage cubbies, and I watched without saying a word as my wife constantly used her phone and then put it on the front passenger shelf. Perhaps the biggest win is a real volume knob, plus buttons and knobs for the climate control system, in an easy-to-use layout.

Driving the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid

The Grand Highlander Hybrid is powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with two planetary gearsets that act as the transmission, along with an electric motor on the rear axle for all-wheel drive. Combined, the system is rated at 245 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque.

The proven powertrain is smooth, delivers instant thrust off the line thanks to the electric motors’ torque, and on the highway the gas-powered engine fades into the background during cruising. At neighborhood speeds, the gas engine turns off and stays off a surprising amount of the time, and when it comes back to life and clutches in the transition, it sets the bar for the segment.

Thin A-pillars and tall glass provide terrific visibility, but the obnoxiously huge emergency system, with buttons to call for assistance, mounted on the driver-side of the windshield next to the rearview mirror, gets in the way. I also found myself accidentally changing drive modes because the buttons are placed next to the cup holders.

Fuel economy is standout-worthy and sets the bar in the class. With all-wheel drive, EPA ratings check in as high as 36 mpg city, 32 highway, and 34 combined. Over 631 miles of highway driving at over 70 mph, the Grand Highlander Hybrid averaged 30.6 mpg, according to the onboard trip computer. That’s impressive, and no competitor matches it.

Quick Verdict

The 2026 Grand Highlander Hybrid costs $47,205 including a $1,595 destination fee. The rugged, butch good looks are standard, as is all-wheel drive, but so are those cheap, hard plastics. That base price is about $1,000 less than a base 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid with all-wheel drive, which is a nicer place to spend one’s time. The Nightshade Hybrid model tested with various options, including the $1,350 panoramic roof, cost $60,071. While a $60,000 Hyundai Palisade almost feels underpriced, the Grand Highlander didn’t deliver that feeling.

If you prioritize fuel economy, proven reliability, and space, it’s hard not to choose the Grand Highlander. If you want a swanky interior, look to Korea.

2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Nightshade Hybrid Specs

Quick Take

When fuel economy and proven reliability are the objective, the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander sets the bar.