Minor Price Bumps Across The Range
The RAV4 is the world’s best-selling car, as well as America’s most popular Toyota, but in second place is the Grand Highlander, a spacious three-row SUV that will soon be joined by an all-electric Highlander little brother. In the meantime, Toyota is ensuring that the 2026 Grand Highlander will sell as strongly as its predecessor by applying a nominal price increase for the new model year. Most trims get a price bump of $500, with one excpetion now $580 pricier. With this, the Grand Highlander starts at $41,360 before the obligatory destination charge of $1,495.
2026 Grand Highlander Pricing In Detail
Toyota
The entry-level trim is the LE, and as with the 2025 model, adding AWD to any trim (unless it’s already equipped as standard) costs $1,600. The only change to the lineup is that the Hybrid Nightshade now gets a black badge overlay, and it seems that this alteration doesn’t come free, as this is the only trim to get a slightly higher price increase of $580 to start at $53,190. As above, all pricing in the table below excludes the $1,495 destination charge for either model year.
| Trim | MY2025 | MY2026 | AWD | Difference |
| LE | $40,860 | $41,360 | +$1,600 | +$500 |
| Hybrid LE | $44,210 | $44,710 | Std. | +$500 |
| XLE | $43,630 | $44,130 | +$1,600 | +$500 |
| Hybrid XLE | $45,380 | $45,880 | +$1,600 | +$500 |
| Limited | $48,360 | $48,860 | +$1,600 (Limited XLE) | +$500 |
| Hybrid Limited | $51,710 | $52,210 | Std. | +$500 |
| Hybrid MAX Limited | $54,690 | $55,190 | Std. | +$500 |
| Hybrid Nightshade | $52,610 | $53,190 | Std. | +$580 |
| Platinum | $54,045 | $54,545 | Std. | +$500 |
| Hybrid MAX Platinum | $58,775 | $59,275 | Std. | +$500 |
The standard engine on offer is a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder generating 265 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, while the Hybrid gets a 2.5-liter four-cylinder paired with an electric motor to produce 245 hp. At the top of the range is the Hybrid MAX powertrain, featuring a combination of the 2.4-liter turbo-four and rear-mounted electric motor that together produce a total of 362 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque.
Chevy Will Like The New Pricing
While the price increases are nominal, as they should be for a carryover model that is produced within the borders of the United States, they do make the Grand Highlander slightly more expensive than its Chevrolet Traverse competition, which carries a base MSRP of $40,800 for 2026 (excluding $1,895 for destination and delivery). Moreover, base model for base model, the SUV with a bowtie badge is more powerful, offering 328 hp and 326 lb-ft of torque from its 2.5-liter turbo. Meanwhile, the 2025 Kia Telluride starts at $36,390, and the 2025 Mazda CX-90 costs $38,045. With price increases likely for the 2026 variants of both these SUVs, the gap to Toyota will surely close, and we expect the Grand Highlander to continue racking strong sales for Toyota before a more significantly refreshed model arrives in the next year or so.
About the author
Sebastian Cenizo
Senior Editor, Autoblog