View PhotosToyota
- Toyota is adjusting the Highlander’s lineup for 2026, making all-wheel drive standard and dropping the base LE model.
- The base price for the XLE AWD is $46,765, which is nearly $5000 higher than last year’s LE FWD trim.
- Prices for equivalent trim levels are only up by a few hundred dollars compared with last year.
Toyota is offering far fewer configurations of the Highlander for 2026. The mid-size three-row SUV now comes standard with all-wheel drive on all models, and the base LE trim is no more. That means the price of entry starts at $46,765 for the XLE AWD, compared with the 2025 Highlander LE FWD trim’s $41,815 base price. Though the XLE obviously comes with more equipment than the LE did, that’s still a jump of nearly $5000 year over year.The Nightshade and 25th Anniversary special-edition models also don’t make it to 2026, leaving only the XLE, XSE, Limited, and Platinum trims with either the standard turbo 2.4-liter inline-four or the optional hybrid powertrain, which already was AWD only.View PhotosToyotaPrices for the nonhybrid models range up to $54,420 for the fully loaded Platinum AWD trim. Comparative prices for equivalent trim levels are only up by a few hundred dollars. The hybrid model starts at $48,515, just $200 more than last year’s model, and it ranges up to $56,170 for the top Hybrid Platinum AWD. Sales of the Highlander have declined significantly this year, as the larger Grand Highlander is outselling its smaller sibling by a wide margin. Toyota sold 38,594 units of the Highlander through August, a 47 percent decline compared with last year, and 89,339 units of the Grand Highlander through the same time period.More on Toyota SUVs
- Toyota Highlander: Review, Pricing, and Specs
- Long-Term Toyota Grand Highlander: 40K-Mile Wrap-Up
- 2025 Toyota 4Runner, Highlander: How They Compare
Source: caranddriver.com
