Toyota Highlander Used Buying Guide

• If you’re looking for the most safety, then the best year for the Toyota Highlander is in 2021 as it comes with the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+.
• Both recent generations come with hybrid options that make them the best bet for those who are environmentally friendly.
• If you’re wanting some extra creature comforts, you can look for a later fourth generation model as these will come with a power liftgate.

Being that this generation is a few years old, you will be likely to find some on the market, making it the generation to look out for. For now, you can find six different trim levels: the L, LE, XLE, XSE, Limited, and Platinum trims.

This model comes in a handful of engine options, earlier models were equipped with the 2.5L I4 hybrid, and the 3.5L V6 gas engine. Of these two, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the hybrid option is the most efficient one, with an EPA rated 36 MPG combined, with the V6 coming with a 24 MPG combined rating.

For most trims, you’ll find that it comes with an 8-inch screen, but on the higher-end trims, you’ll find a much larger 12.3-inch display. For the L and LE trims come standard with 8 passenger seating, but higher trims come with 7 passenger configurations, making them much more comfortable.

In 2021, the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ was added to all trims, making it one of the safest models on the road. The features that keep you safe are automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear-cross-traffic alert, and lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist. Thanks to this, in 2021, the model received the Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS.

If you’re wanting the most options, then you’ll want something that is before 2024, this is because the L trim was dropped in this year, meaning the most budget friendly option has locked to the early generation, but they did add a power liftgate for most trims, making it a tradeoff for budget or creature comforts.

When this generation hit the roads, it came in 5 trims. The trims that you can find are the LE, Hybrid, XLE, SE, and Limited. Of these trims, the Limited came with the best features around, featuring an 8.0-inch screen, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, and even integrated navigation.

Much like the most recent generation, this one comes with a few engine options. The options are the 3.5L V6, 2.7L I4, and the hybrid version of the V6. For the most efficient option, there’s the hybrid that is able to get 28 MPG combined, while the least efficient one is the base 3.5L V6 coming with 20 MPG combined.

Despite this generation being around for a few years, it didn’t really change all that much, but if you’re looking for something that will come at a decent price, then this is the generation you’re looking for.