For families and individuals prioritizing safety in their vehicle choice, the Toyota Highlander has consistently been a top contender. The 2024-2025 Toyota Highlander models continue this tradition, boasting impressive safety ratings across various evaluations. Let’s delve into a detailed review of the Highlander’s safety performance, examining critical tests and ratings to help you make an informed decision.
This comprehensive Highlander Toyota Reviews analysis is based on rigorous testing and data, providing an objective look at how this popular SUV holds up in different crash scenarios and safety feature assessments. We will break down the results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a leading authority in vehicle safety evaluations, to give you a clear picture of the Highlander’s safety strengths.
Small Overlap Front Crash Test: A Detailed Look
The small overlap front crash test simulates a challenging real-world scenario where a vehicle impacts a narrow object like a tree or pole on either the driver or passenger side. This test is particularly demanding as it concentrates crash forces on a small area of the vehicle’s front structure. The Toyota Highlander underwent both driver-side and passenger-side small overlap front tests.
Driver-Side Small Overlap Front Test
The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander XLE 4-door 4wd model was put through the driver-side small overlap test. The results are categorized by evaluation criteria and ratings, providing a clear understanding of performance.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall driver-side evaluation | Acceptable |
| Structure and safety cage | Acceptable |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | Good |
| Chest | Good |
| Hip/thigh | Good |
| Lower leg/foot | Good |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics | Acceptable |
The overall driver-side evaluation for the Toyota Highlander in the small overlap front test is rated as “Acceptable”. This rating reflects the vehicle’s performance in maintaining the driver’s survival space and minimizing injury risk.
The structural performance and safety cage integrity are crucial in this test. The Highlander achieved an “Acceptable” rating in structure and safety cage, indicating that the vehicle maintained a reasonable amount of occupant compartment space.
Looking at driver injury measures, the Highlander demonstrated “Good” protection for the head/neck, chest, hip/thigh, and lower leg/foot areas. These “Good” ratings across all body regions indicate a low risk of significant injuries in a driver-side small overlap crash.
However, the driver restraints and dummy kinematics were rated “Acceptable”. This indicates some areas for potential improvement in how the restraints managed the dummy’s movement during the crash. Specifically, as noted in the original report, the dummy’s head contacted the frontal airbag but then slid to the side, moving towards a gap between the frontal and side curtain airbags.
Technical measurements provide further detail. For driver-side intrusion, measurements were taken at various points in the occupant compartment. For instance, the upper dash intrusion measured 10 cm. Driver injury measurements, such as Head Injury Criterion (HIC-15) at 112 and chest maximum compression at 21 mm, are within acceptable limits, reinforcing the “Good” injury ratings.
Passenger-Side Small Overlap Front Test
The passenger-side small overlap front test is equally important for overall vehicle safety. The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander also performed well in this evaluation.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall passenger-side evaluation | Good |
| Structure and safety cage | Acceptable |
| Passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | Good |
| Chest | Good |
| Hip/thigh | Good |
| Lower leg/foot | Good |
| Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics | Good |
The overall passenger-side evaluation for the Toyota Highlander is rated “Good”, a step up from the “Acceptable” driver-side rating. This indicates excellent protection for the passenger in a similar crash scenario.
The structure and safety cage again received an “Acceptable” rating, consistent with the driver-side test. However, passenger injury measures and restraints achieved “Good” ratings across the board. This includes head/neck, chest, hip/thigh, lower leg/foot, and passenger restraints & dummy kinematics. This comprehensive “Good” performance signifies robust passenger protection in a small overlap frontal crash.
Technical measurements for the passenger side test show slightly different intrusion levels compared to the driver side. For example, upper dash intrusion is again 10cm, but lower hinge pillar intrusion is 9cm on the passenger side compared to 6cm on the driver side. Passenger injury measures like HIC-15 at 62 and chest compression at 16 mm are also low, supporting the “Good” injury ratings. Driver injury measures are also recorded in this test and are all rated as “Good” as well.
Moderate Overlap Front Crash Test: Original Test
The moderate overlap front test is another crucial evaluation, simulating a frontal collision between two vehicles of similar weight. In this test, a larger portion of the vehicle’s front end absorbs the impact forces.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | Good |
| Structure and safety cage | Good |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | Good |
| Chest | Good |
| Leg/foot, left | Good |
| Leg/foot, right | Good |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics | Good |
The Toyota Highlander achieved a “Good” rating in the moderate overlap front test across all categories. This includes overall evaluation, structure and safety cage, and all driver injury measures (head/neck, chest, leg/foot for both left and right sides), and driver restraints & dummy kinematics. This perfect score in the moderate overlap test demonstrates the Highlander’s strong frontal crash protection for occupants.
Technical measurements for occupant compartment intrusion and driver injury measures are also excellent, with minimal footwell intrusion and low injury readings across the board.
Side Crash Test: Updated Test
Side impacts are a significant concern in vehicle safety. The updated side crash test is more stringent than previous versions, using a heavier barrier and higher impact speed to better simulate severe side collision scenarios.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | Good |
| Structure and safety cage | Good |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | Good |
| Torso | Good |
| Pelvis | Acceptable |
| Driver head protection | Good |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | Good |
| Torso | Good |
| Pelvis | Good |
| Rear passenger head protection | Good |
The 2024 Toyota Highlander earned a “Good” overall rating in the updated side crash test. The structure and safety cage held up well, also earning a “Good” rating. Driver injury measures for head/neck, torso, and head protection were all “Good”. Pelvis protection for the driver was rated as “Acceptable”, indicating a slight area for improvement. For rear passengers, injury measures were “Good” across all categories (head/neck, torso, pelvis, and head protection).
Technical measurements for side crash testing show minimal B-pillar intrusion. Driver injury measures like HIC-15 for the head at 38 and torso deflection are low, supporting the “Good” ratings. Pelvis combined force at 4.7 kN is slightly higher but still within an “Acceptable” range.
Headlight Performance
Good headlights are crucial for preventing nighttime accidents. The Highlander’s headlight system was evaluated for visibility and glare.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Low-beam headlight type | LED projector |
| High-beam headlight type | LED projector |
| Curve-adaptive? | No |
| High-beam assist? | Yes |
| Overall rating | Acceptable |
The Toyota Highlander’s headlights received an “Acceptable” overall rating. Equipped with LED projector low and high beams and high-beam assist, the system provides good visibility in most scenarios. Low beams offer good visibility on straightaways and curves. High beams are also generally good, with slight limitations on sharp curves. Some glare was noted with the low beams.
Technical measurements detail the average minimum useful illumination distance for both low and high beams in various driving conditions, including straightaways and curves.
Front Crash Prevention: Pedestrian
Automatic emergency braking systems that detect pedestrians are increasingly important safety features. The Highlander’s pedestrian front crash prevention system was tested in various scenarios.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | Good |
| Includes high-beam assist credit | Yes |
The Toyota Highlander’s standard Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 system earned a “Good” rating in pedestrian front crash prevention. The system successfully avoided collisions with a crossing child and adult in daytime tests at both 12 mph and 25 mph. In nighttime tests, the system also avoided collisions with crossing and parallel adults at various speeds, both with low and high beams. Warnings were issued before impact in some higher-speed tests.
Child Seat Anchors (LATCH)
For families with young children, ease of use of child seat anchors is a key safety consideration. The Highlander’s LATCH system was evaluated for its usability.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | Good |
| Vehicle trim | XLE |
| Seat type | leatherette |
The Toyota Highlander’s LATCH system received a “Good” overall rating. It has three rear seating positions with complete LATCH hardware and additional positions with tether anchors. While some lower anchors are deeply set or require more force to attach to in certain positions, overall the system is rated as “Good” for ease of use.
Detailed evaluations for each seating position provide specifics on tether anchor and lower anchor accessibility, force required, and clearance angles.
Conclusion: A Safe and Reliable Choice
Based on these comprehensive Highlander Toyota reviews and safety evaluations, the 2024-2025 Toyota Highlander stands out as a safe and reliable SUV. It achieved top “Good” ratings in many critical crash tests, including moderate overlap front, updated side crash, and pedestrian front crash prevention. While the driver-side small overlap front test and headlight performance were rated “Acceptable,” the overall safety profile of the Highlander is undeniably strong.
For those prioritizing safety for themselves and their families, the Toyota Highlander is a highly recommended vehicle. Its robust crash protection, advanced safety features, and user-friendly child seat anchors make it a top choice in the SUV segment. When considering your next vehicle, the Highlander Toyota reviews clearly indicate a strong commitment to safety, making it a smart and secure option.
For more detailed information on the tests and ratings, you can refer to the original reports from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
