Compare the2026 Toyota HighlanderVS 2025 Hyundai Palisade

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Suspension and Handling
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Highlander have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Palisade doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Highlander has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Palisade doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Highlander. But it costs extra on the Palisade.

The Toyota Highlander’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Hyundai Palisade does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the Highlander and the Palisade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the Hyundai Palisade:

	Highlander	Palisade
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.3 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	79 lbs.	113 lbs.
Hip Force	300 lbs.	303 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	114	189
Hip Force	152 lbs.	189 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	664 lbs.	724 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the Palisade:

	Highlander	Palisade
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.51 in	.55 in
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.46 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	201 lbs.	491 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

There are over 45 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Highlander’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 60 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 25th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota third in overall reliability. Hyundai is ranked 10th.

Engine

The Highlander’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 48 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 262) than the Palisade’s 3.8 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Highlander gets better mileage than the Palisade:

			MPG
Highlander
	AWD	2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
Palisade
	FWD	3.8 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.8 DOHC V6	19 city/24 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Highlander higher (6 out of 10) than the Hyundai Palisade (5). This means the Highlander produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Palisade every 15,000 miles.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Highlander’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Palisade’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Highlander has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Palisade (8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Highlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Cargo Capacity

The Highlander’s cargo area provides more volume than the Palisade.

	Highlander	Palisade
Third Seat Folded	48.4 cubic feet	45.8 cubic feet

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Highlander. The Palisade doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Ergonomics

The Highlander’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Palisade’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Highlander the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Palisade can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Highlander Platinum has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Palisade doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Both the Toyota Highlander and Hyundai Palisade offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Highlander offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Palisade’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The Toyota Highlander has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Hyundai charges extra for Homelink® on the Palisade.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Highlander has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Night offers wireless charging.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 Toyota Highlander retains 58.21% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 52.47% resale value of the 2025 Hyundai Palisade after five years, which can save the Toyota’s owner up to $1041.35334 in depreciation.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Highlander and the Hyundai Palisade, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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