The Last Gas Highlander Costs More Than the Bigger Grand Highlander

The 2026 Toyota Highlander starts at $45,270, which is more than the larger Grand Highlander costs to start.

That price is the result of Toyota thinning out the final year of the gas and hybrid Highlander. The base price jumped $4,950 for 2026 because the front-drive LE, which started at $40,320, is gone. Every 2026 Highlander has all-wheel drive, and the lineup has shrunk to four gas grades and three hybrids, with the hybrid XLE Nightshade and Limited 25th Edition also cut.

Toyota’s 2026 Highlander pricing, as listed by Carscoops when it was announced, is below. The gas models keep the 265-horsepower turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder and eight-speed automatic, while the hybrids use a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with a rear electric motor for 243 horsepower and an EPA rating of 35 mpg combined.

2026 Highlander (all AWD)	MSRP
XLE	$45,270
XSE	$47,340
Limited	$49,725
Platinum	$52,925
Hybrid XLE	$47,020
Hybrid Limited	$51,475
Hybrid Platinum	$54,675

The bigger Grand Highlander undercuts it at almost every entry point. The 2027 Grand Highlander starts at $42,560 with front-wheel drive, and the LE with all-wheel drive is $44,160, which is $1,110 less than the cheapest Highlander. The Grand Highlander Hybrid LE AWD is $45,910, also $1,110 below the Highlander Hybrid XLE. Moving up to matching grades, the Grand Highlander XLE AWD costs $47,030 and the Hybrid XLE AWD $48,780, so a buyer pays about $1,760 more to get the larger SUV with the same trim name.

The pricing makes more sense now that Toyota has said what comes next. The Highlander nameplate is going electric-only, and InsideEVs reported that the 2026 model would stay in production through the end of this year and could remain on dealer lots into 2027. The electric replacement, now a 2028 model, is due in early 2027, and Toyota hasn’t priced it yet.

The Toyota Report Take

Carscoops said it at the time: it’s as if Toyota is asking shoppers not to buy the smaller model. With the Highlander being replaced by an EV, trimming it to the profitable all-wheel-drive grades and nudging everyone else to the Grand Highlander is a sensible way to run out a nameplate. For shoppers, though, the math is simple. Unless you need the Highlander’s smaller footprint or its sportier XSE, the Grand Highlander gives you more room for less money, and remaining 2026 Highlanders should be bought only with a real discount.