Compare the2022 Toyota HighlanderVS 2021 Land Rover Range Rover Velar

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Highlander are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Highlander are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota Highlander has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Highlander has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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 Range Rover Velar 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Highlander Limited/Platinum has standard Automated Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Compared to metal, the Highlander’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Land Rover Range Rover Velar has a metal gas tank.

Both the Highlander and the Range Rover Velar have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Range Rover Velar has not been tested, yet.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Highlander 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Range Rover Velar. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Range Rover Velar ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Land Rover only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Range Rover Velar.

There are almost 7 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Highlander’s reliability 51 points higher than the Range Rover Velar.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Highlander third among upper midsize suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Range Rover Velar isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 26th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 146 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 33rd.

The Highlander’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 48 more horsepower (295 vs. 247) than the Range Rover Velar P250’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Toyota Highlander is faster than the Range Rover Velar P250 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the Highlander gets better mileage than the Range Rover Velar:

Both the Highlander and the Range Rover Velar have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Highlanders have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The Range Rover Velar P340/P400 doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Highlander uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Range Rover Velar requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Highlander stops much shorter than the Range Rover Velar:

The Highlander XLE AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Range Rover Velar pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Highlander XLE AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Range Rover Velar (27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Highlander’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Range Rover Velar’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

The Highlander has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Range Rover Velar can only carry 5.

The Highlander has 3.1 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front legroom, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 3.8 inches more rear legroom and 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Range Rover Velar.

The Highlander’s cargo area provides more volume than the Range Rover Velar.

The Highlander’s cargo area is larger than the Range Rover Velar’s in every dimension:

The Highlander has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

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 Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Highlander has standard extendable sun visors. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer extendable visors.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Highlander XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Highlander Limited/Platinum has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Highlander is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Highlander, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Land Rover Range Rover Velar isn't recommended.

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Land Rover Range Rover Velar by over 20 to one during the 2021 model year.