Grand Highlander Hybrid is Edmunds’ Top-Rated SUV for 2025

Toyota plays to win. While it launched its dedicated 3-row crossover, the Grand Highlander, significantly later than many competing brands, it made the wait worthwhile by carefully analyzing the 3-row crossover market and the models designed to address it. It identified the gaps and executed its best ideas and engineering to fill them. This strategy has paid off with strong sales, and as Sharp Automotive is proud to announce, the Grand Highlander Hybrid was named the top-rated SUV for 2025 by the respected automotive resource Edmunds.   

Why did the Grand Highlander top their ratings? Since Edmunds specified the Grand Highlander Hybrid model, let’s begin there. A 3-row SUV serves as the family workhorse. In a two-income household, it is likely to handle commuting duties. It can also be expected to shuttle kids to school activities, local family outings, and cross-country road trips. It will accumulate plenty of miles both in town and on the highway. The hybrid drivetrain of the Grand Highlander is unmatched among competitors from Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Ford, and others.   

The 2.5-liter engine and electric motors produce 245 horsepower while delivering an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 37 / 34 / 36 mpg for city, highway, and combined ratings in the front-wheel drive (FWD) model, and 36 / 32 / 34 mpg for the all-wheel drive (AWD) version. Comparing the combined 36 figure to the 22 for the Honda Pilot, 23 for the Nissan Pathfinder, or 24 for the Ford Explorer (all FWD models) reveals a significant difference. Several individual variables exist, but the EPA estimates an annual fuel cost of $1,950 for the Explorer and just $1,300 for the Grand Highlander Hybrid. While the hybrid drivetrain asks for a higher purchase price, the running costs can balance out quickly, especially during volatile fuel prices. As Edmunds notes in their introduction to the Grand Highlander Hybrid rating: “It’s in a class of one.” 

However, the excellent fuel economy would be unimportant if the Grand Highlander didn’t deliver on its primary mission.  As Edmunds points out after touting the hybrid’s fuel economy, “But its biggest selling point is its third row, which is comfortable enough that adults can sit there without staring daggers into the back of the other passengers’ heads.” 

Toyota realizes that growing families…grow. While grade school kids may happily scramble to the back of any third-row crossover, they quickly become high school kids, and high school kids quickly become adult-sized. Even after getting their driver’s license, they will still ride in the family car.  

Since we are talking families, this is a good time to point out that the Grand Highlander comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, the latest version of its safety and driver assistance technology suite. With more than a half-century dedicated to providing family transportation, Toyota’s Grand Highlander fills its cavernous cabin with family-friendly features, from the user-friendly infotainment system to plenty of cup holders and USB charge points for all three rows.  

“Great efficiency and a cabin full of family-friendly features might not seem exciting but mention them to any parent, and it’ll get their attention.” — Brian Wong, Senior Reviews Editor 

If you are looking for a versatile vehicle for your family, the Grand Highlander in all its forms is a must-shop. And if you live anywhere near Watertown, South Dakota, the place to shop is Sharp Automotive.