The Hybrid Is Taking Over the Grand Highlander

Grand Highlander Hybrid sales nearly tripled in 2025, and the hybrid has kept gaining this year, so it now outsells the gas version by a wide margin.

Toyota sold 69,210 Grand Highlander hybrids last year, up 165 percent from 26,119 in 2024. That made the hybrid about half of the Grand Highlander’s 136,801 total, which itself rose 90.7 percent, up from roughly 36 percent of sales the year before. The hybrid finished the year strongest, with December sales up 134.4 percent to 7,031, more than 60 percent of the month’s Grand Highlanders.

The trend has continued in 2026. Through September, Grand Highlander Hybrid sales were 65,201, up 34.3 percent, according to Toyota’s third-quarter sales release, while total Grand Highlander sales grew a more modest 8.7 percent to 108,511. That puts the hybrid at about 60 percent of the model’s sales this year, and in September it reached about two thirds, with 7,798 of 11,594. The hybrid needs about 4,000 more sales to pass its full 2025 total, which it would do in less than a typical month.

Grand Highlander Hybrid	Sales	Share of Grand Highlander
2024	26,119	36%
2025	69,210	51%
Jan-Sep 2026	65,201	60%
September 2026	7,798	67%

Buyers have two hybrids to choose from. The regular hybrid pairs a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor for 245 combined horsepower, while the Hybrid Max uses a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder, a six-speed automatic and a rear electric motor for 362 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, according to Carscoops. The premium for the regular hybrid is modest. For 2027, the Hybrid LE AWD is $45,910 against $44,160 for the gas LE AWD, and the Hybrid XLE is $47,180 against $45,430 for the gas XLE, a $1,750 difference in both cases. Toyota is adding to the hybrid side of the lineup, too, with a new Hybrid Woodland Edition for 2027.

The Grand Highlander’s growth stands out even inside a strong year for Toyota. The Toyota brand grew 8.1 percent in 2025, and Toyota Motor North America’s electrified sales rose 17.6 percent to 1,183,248, or 47 percent of its volume, according to the company’s 2025 sales release, which listed the Grand Highlander among the models that had their best year ever.

The Toyota Report Take

Toyota has priced the Grand Highlander Hybrid the way hybrids should be priced, at a premium small enough that families who drive a lot make it back at the pump, and buyers have noticed. The shift also says something about Toyota’s strategy. While the smaller Highlander is betting on full electrification, the Grand Highlander is proving that a big, affordable hybrid is what most three-row buyers are ready for today. If the gas Grand Highlander keeps losing share at this rate, Toyota should consider whether it needs a gas version at all.