The Family Road Trip Is About to Go Electric

Key Takeaways

The 2027 Toyota Highlander ditches its combustion engine entirely, becoming an all-electric three-row SUV with up to 320 miles of range.
A Vehicle-to-Load feature lets the Highlander power external devices — or even a home — directly from its battery during a trip.
DC fast charging brings the battery from 10 to 80 percent in roughly 30 minutes, making long-haul stops shorter than a sit-down lunch.
The redesigned cabin prioritizes multi-generational comfort, with configurable seating and 45 cubic feet of cargo space when the third row folds flat.

Most families have a mental picture of the Toyota Highlander: reliable, sensible, parked in a driveway somewhere in the suburbs, doing school pickups and grocery runs. It was never really the car you thought about when planning a week-long drive across four states. That picture is changing fast. The 2027 Highlander arrives as a full battery-electric vehicle with a range that can handle a Chicago-to-St. Louis run without a charge stop — and a cabin redesigned with the long haul in mind. For families who still believe the American road trip is worth doing right, this one is worth a closer look.

The Highlander's Road-Trip Reinvention for 2027

Toyota made a bold bet — and scrapped the gas engine entirely.

For most of its two-decade run, the Highlander was a dependable middle-of-the-road choice: not flashy, not particularly exciting, but deeply trusted. Toyota leaned into that reputation and then, for 2027, threw a curveball. The entire powertrain lineup — combustion and hybrid alike — was replaced with an all-electric setup. Mark Vaughn, Senior Editor at Autoweek, put it plainly: Toyota "swapped out the internal combustion and hybrid powertrains for an all-EV lineup for the 2027 model year" and delivered what he called "the BEV Highlander, due out later this year." That's not a minor update — that's a full-category shift. The result is a three-row SUV rated at up to 320 miles of range on a full charge, which puts a Chicago-to-Kansas City run well within a single charge. For families who have been waiting for an electric vehicle that doesn't force a compromise on space or practicality, the 2027 Highlander is Toyota's answer.

“The Highlander SUV was once a major player in the crossover utility vehicle market... So the company swapped out the internal combustion and hybrid powertrains for an all-EV lineup for the 2027 model year and—voila—here you have the BEV Highlander, due out later this year.”

— Mark Vaughn, Senior Editor, Autoweek

Interior Space That Actually Fits Real Families

Three rows, seven passengers, and room for everyone's gear.

Road trips have a way of exposing every flaw in a vehicle's interior. The bag that won't fit. The third-row passenger who can't straighten their knees. The grandkid who needs a snack from the cooler but can't reach it. Toyota appears to have thought through exactly these scenarios for the 2027 Highlander. The cabin seats up to seven, with a choice between second-row captain's chairs or a bench seat depending on how you configure it. Buyers who frequently travel with older passengers may find the captain's chair layout more practical — easier entry and exit without climbing over anyone. When the third row folds flat, the cargo area opens up to 45 cubic feet, which is enough room for a week's worth of luggage for four people with space left over for a soft cooler and a folding camp chair. For multi-generational families — the kind doing a summer drive with grandparents in row two and teenagers in row three — the layout feels genuinely thought through rather than just adequate. That's a distinction worth making.

Tech Features That Reduce Driver Fatigue Significantly

Driver-assist tech that earns its keep on a 400-mile interstate stretch.

There's a common assumption that driver-assistance technology is most useful in stop-and-go city traffic. The 2027 Highlander challenges that idea. Its standard Toyota Safety Sense 4.0 suite — which includes adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist — is tuned with highway travel in mind, not just urban commutes. On a long interstate haul, the difference between a system that constantly nudges you back into your lane and one that holds it smoothly is the difference between arriving refreshed and arriving exhausted. The Highlander's lane-centering function is designed to handle gradual curves rather than just straight-line correction, which matters on routes like I-70 through the Rockies or I-40 across the Texas Panhandle. Inside, a 14.0-inch touchscreen paired with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster keeps navigation, charging status, and media controls within easy reach. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mean no fumbling with cables at a rest stop. The system is reportedly intuitive enough that passengers — including those less comfortable with new technology — can handle music and navigation without needing a tutorial from the driver.

Fuel Economy Numbers That Reward Long Hauls

No gas stops — and a 30-minute fast charge beats a sit-down lunch.

The math on electric vehicles shifts in your favor the more miles you put on them, and a road trip is where that advantage shows up most clearly. With no fuel costs at all, the 2027 Highlander turns every charging stop into the main cost consideration — and those stops are getting shorter. DC fast charging brings the battery from 10 to 80 percent in approximately 30 minutes, according to MotorTrend. On a long drive, that lines up naturally with a lunch stop or a restroom break — the kind of pause most families are taking anyway. Caleb Miller of Car and Driver notes that the 2027 Highlander enters a three-row electric SUV market that currently has only two other mainstream competitors: the Kia EV9 and the Hyundai Ioniq 9. For families already comparing those options, the Highlander's Toyota reliability reputation and dealer network give it a practical edge — particularly for those who want service access in smaller towns along a cross-country route rather than only in major metro areas.

“The new electric Highlander will challenge the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9, the only other two mainstream three-row electric SUVs currently available, when sales kick off later this year.”

— Caleb Miller, Staff Writer, Car and Driver

What Veteran Road-Trippers Are Saying About It

Early impressions from people who actually put miles on it.

Among the features drawing the most attention from experienced long-distance drivers is the Vehicle-to-Load capability — something most three-row SUVs have never offered. Bob Hernandez, Senior Editor at MotorTrend, described it directly: "The Highlander will offer V2L (Vehicle to Load), meaning you can use the battery to power other things, up to and including your house." For road-trippers, the practical applications are immediate. A V2L-equipped Highlander can run a portable air compressor at a trailhead, keep a CPAP machine running at a campsite without a hookup, or power a small electric grill at a rest stop. These aren't hypothetical conveniences — they're exactly the kind of things families on week-long drives actually need. Early impressions from automotive press who have spent time with the vehicle consistently highlight the cabin's noise insulation as a standout quality. Long-haul driving fatigue is partly acoustic — road noise and wind noise accumulate over hours. Reviewers note the Highlander's cabin stays noticeably quieter than its predecessor on highway speeds, which makes a meaningful difference by hour four of a drive.

“The Highlander will offer V2L (Vehicle to Load), meaning you can use the battery to power other things, up to and including your house.”

— Bob Hernandez, Senior Editor, MotorTrend

Why This Highlander Earns Its Place in Family History

Every generation has its road-trip vehicle — this one may be next.

There's a through-line in American family travel. The station wagon ruled the 1960s and 70s — wood paneling, rear-facing seats, kids sprawled out in the back. The minivan took over in the 80s and 90s, offering sliding doors and enough room for a baseball team. Then the three-row SUV became the default, trading some practicality for a more upright, capable feel. The 2027 Highlander doesn't just fit into that lineage — it repositions it. An all-electric three-row SUV with 320 miles of range, V2L capability, a quiet cabin, and a charging network that's expanding every year is a genuinely different kind of family vehicle. It's built for families who still want to drive from Texas to Montana to see the grandkids, but who are ready to do it without stopping at a gas station. For active retirees and multi-generational families who treat the road trip as a tradition worth keeping, the 2027 Highlander makes a compelling case that the electric era doesn't mean the end of the long American drive — it might just be the next chapter of it.

Practical Strategies

Map Chargers Before You Leave

Use PlugShare or Toyota's built-in navigation to identify fast-charging stations along your planned route before departure day. On a cross-country drive, knowing where your 30-minute stops fall lets you plan meals and restroom breaks around them rather than scrambling mid-trip.:

Choose Captain's Chairs for Older Passengers

If your road trips regularly include grandparents or passengers with limited mobility, opt for the second-row captain's chair configuration. The easier entry and exit — without climbing over a bench seat — makes a real difference on a trip with multiple daily stops.:

Pack a V2L Power Strip

The 2027 Highlander's Vehicle-to-Load capability opens up options at campsites and trailheads that gas-powered SUVs simply don't offer. A compact power strip lets you run multiple devices from a single V2L outlet — CPAP machines, phone chargers, a small fan — without needing a campground hookup.:

Test the Safety Sense System First

Spend 30 minutes on a quiet highway before your trip to get comfortable with Toyota Safety Sense 4.0's adaptive cruise and lane-centering settings. Each driver in the family should know how to adjust the following distance and turn lane-keeping on or off — those preferences vary, and figuring it out at 70 mph on I-80 is not the time.:

Compare Total Trip Cost to Gas Vehicles

Run the numbers on your specific route before assuming the Highlander saves money over a gas-powered competitor. Charging costs vary by state and network, but on a 1,500-mile round trip, the difference between electricity and premium gasoline is often substantial — especially compared to a larger V6 SUV averaging 22 MPG highway.:

The 2027 Toyota Highlander arrives at an interesting moment — when a lot of families are wondering whether an electric vehicle can really handle the kind of driving that actually matters to them. Based on what's known so far, Toyota's answer is built around range, space, and the kind of quiet, capable confidence the Highlander has always traded on. For families who treat the annual road trip as something worth doing properly, this generation of the Highlander is worth watching closely as it rolls into dealerships. The long American drive isn't going anywhere — it's just getting a new set of wheels.