2027 Toyota Highlander vs. 2026 Kia EV9: Three-Row Family EVs Compared

• The 2027 Toyota Highlander is bigger and, surprisingly, fully electric. 
• Its increase in size means it moves from a crowded class to a small one, but there's still tough competition.
• We compare the new Highlander to one of its most established rivals, the Kia EV9.

Range and power

The EV9's battery and motor setups come in a few flavors. The base EV9 is the Light RWD, which uses a 76.1-kWh battery pack, makes 215 horsepower & 258 lb-ft of torque from one rear-mounted e-motor, and has just 230 miles of range — this is the true budget pick of the range. One step up from that is the Light Long Range RWD which uses the same motor, but has a larger 99.8-kWh battery pack and 305 miles of EPA-estimated range. 

If you want an all-wheel drive EV9, you'll have to step up to at least the Wind trim (or the slightly pricier Land model). Power for both now comes from two electric motors (one front mounted, one rear), power figures rise to 379 hp & 443 lb-ft, and EPA-estimated range is 283 miles. The big kahuna of the range is the GT-Line, where power stays the same but torque rises to 516 lb-ft, but range dips slightly to 280 miles. AWD models also get a heat pump, but rear-wheel-drive ones do not. 

The new Highlander will come in two trims with multiple drivetrain variations at launch, and though there's always a chance Toyota launches more in the future, here's what buyers will be working with initially. The base Highlander will be the XLE with front-wheel drive thanks to one electric motor at the front and the smaller of two battery packs (77.0 kWh). Power is rated at 198 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque, and range is a Toyota-estimated 287 miles. 

If you want an all-wheel-drive Highlander you have more options. The XLE with AWD can be had with either the smaller battery or a larger one (95.8 kWh). Range for the smaller pack is estimated to be 270 miles, and 320 miles for the larger pack — top-spec Limited models are AWD only and have the same specs as AWD XLE's. Power for all-wheel drive models is set at 338 hp and 323 lb-ft of torque. Even though it's going to be the quickest Highlander, AWD models are still well down on power and torque compared to the EV9.

Both cars have Tesla-style NACS charging ports as standard, so you won't need to use an adapter at any of the many nationwide Tesla Supercharger stations these two can charge at. In ideal conditions, both will be able to charge from 10% to 80% in around half an hour. 

How the EV9 and Highlander compare on space

These are both big, boxy EVs, but just looking at pictures won't really give us a clear picture of how roomy they are. The chart below digs into the nitty-gritty of their key size differences. 

As you can see by the specs above, the two are pretty evenly matched in terms of both overall size and cargo space. The EV9 offers a touch more space with the 3rd row of seats up, but fold them both down, and the Highlander has it beat handily. Toyota hasn't released headroom and legroom specs for the new Highlander yet, but in our hands-on time with Toyota's new SUV, we learned it feels plenty spacious inside. 

What really stands out is just how much the Highlander has ballooned in size. The new car is 4 inches longer overall when compared to the previous-generation Highlander (not to be confused with the Grand Highlander). But the biggest difference is in wheelbase, where the new car has gained 8 inches in total — that puts the Highlander into a different size class entirely. Given one of our major gripes with the old car was space in the back, it seems this is the exact issue Toyota has tried to tackle with this all-new generation. 

Interior tech and safety features 

As you'd expect of a modern car, this duo comes with oodles of tech inside and out. The EV9 makes use of two 12.3-inch displays (one for the instruments and one for the infotainment) and adds a 5-inch climate control display between them. It's all housed underneath a single panel that spans from the driver's door pillar to the edge of the center console area. Top-spec GT-Line models also get a head-up display. 

The new Highlander doesn't thread all the screens under one display, but it does have plenty of screen in its own right. The instrument cluster is 12.3 inches, while the central display measures a vast 14 inches. There's no tiny climate control panel, but top-spec Highlanders can also get a head-up display like in the Kia. Both cars feature a limited number of physical controls nestled under the dashboard for controlling the temperature, but most climate functions are done through the center touchscreen displays in both. 

When it comes to safety tech, both cars are chock full. Blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, lane centering, automatic high beams, road sign recognition, and forward collision warning are all either standard or available on both the EV9 and Highlander. 

When it comes to pricing, we still don't know how much the Highlander will cost. The EV9 starts at around $55,000 and goes all the way up to around $72,000. We wouldn't be surprised if the Toyota very closely matched the Kia's pricing. 

Generally, it looks like it's pretty even between the Toyota and the Kia, but that's mostly because we haven't had the chance to pit the two together back-to-back on the same roads. Once we get our testing gear strapped to the new Highlander, give it a range test, and drive it for weeks to evaluate it fully, we'll know for sure if Toyota's truly outdone the segment leader.