Toyota Delays Its 3-Row Electric Highlander Again, Now Pushed to 2027 or Later

If you've been holding out for a three-row electric SUV from Toyota, clear your calendar for a while longer. Toyota is delaying the all-electric Highlander again, and this time the target has slipped to "2027 or later," according to a Nikkei report published Wednesday.

The Highlander BEV was originally supposed to arrive by the end of this year as the fourth electric SUV in Toyota's U.S. lineup, joining the updated 2027 bZ, the C-HR, and the bZ Woodland. Now it's on the back burner.

What Actually Changed

This isn't the first slip. A Toyota spokesperson told Cars.com back in July that the holdup was to allow for "additional adjustments," and framed it as at least eight weeks, landing the launch in early 2027. The new Nikkei report suggests the wait could stretch considerably further than that.

Here's where things stand:

  • Launch timing: pushed to "2027 or later," with no confirmed date from Toyota.
  • Production: expected to be delayed by several months at Toyota's Georgetown, Kentucky plant, which was originally slated to start building the SUV in the second half of 2026.
  • Scope: the delay only affects the EV. Gas and hybrid Highlanders keep rolling, and Toyota expects them on dealer lots well into 2027.
  • Collateral damage: the Subaru Getaway, built on the same TNGA-K EV platform and assembled alongside the Highlander EV in Kentucky, has also been delayed.

The Specs You'd Be Waiting For

When the 2027 Highlander EV does arrive, Toyota plans two trims, XLE and Limited, with front- and all-wheel-drive options and two battery packs.

  • XLE FWD, 77 kWh: 287 miles of range
  • XLE AWD, 77 kWh: 270 miles
  • XLE AWD, 95.8 kWh: 320 miles
  • Limited AWD, 95.8 kWh: 320 miles

Inside, it gets Toyota's new Audio Multimedia System with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, and a 14-inch center touchscreen.

Why This Matters for Three-Row Shoppers

The frustrating part is that Toyota appears to have figured out the formula. The updated bZ, launched in late 2025, has quietly become one of America's best-selling EVs, finishing the first half of 2026 as the fourth most popular electric vehicle in the U.S. on sales up 90% year over year. Apply those same improvements to a three-row family hauler and you'd have a genuinely compelling product.

Every month the Highlander EV sits on the shelf is a month Hyundai, Kia, and Tesla get to own the three-row electric SUV shopper.

That's the practical read here. If your household needs a third row and you were waiting on Toyota, the realistic options right now are the ones already on sale, and for a lot of buyers that means a Model Y L or Model X.

If You're Not Waiting Around

Plenty of shoppers won't sit on a "2027 or later" timeline, especially when a three-row EV is already in the driveway or on order. A few things worth sorting out either way:

  • Home charging comes first. A 77 kWh or 95.8 kWh pack, or a Model Y L's battery for that matter, is a long overnight on a standard outlet. A Level 2 setup, or at minimum a quality portable Level 1/2 charger, turns a three-row EV into an everyday vehicle instead of a planning exercise.
  • Adapters matter more with a big family car. Road trips with a full cabin mean using whatever charger is available. A J1772 adapter and the right NACS or CCS hardware for your vehicle keeps you off the "this stall doesn't fit" detour.
  • Third rows are hard on interiors. All-weather floor mats, seat back protectors, and a trunk organizer for the cargo area behind row three are the accessories owners buy twice: once too late, once properly.
  • More seats, more devices. Rear USB-C hubs and second- and third-row charging solutions stop the cable tangle before it starts.
  • Keep roadside gear onboard. A tire repair kit, jump pack, and reflective triangles are worth the trunk space in any family EV, gas or electric.

Toyota still hasn't confirmed a new launch or production start date for the electric Highlander, so treat any timeline you see as a moving target. In the meantime, the three-row EV market keeps filling in around it, and the buyers Toyota was hoping to catch are making other plans.

Back to blog