Compare the2023 Kia TellurideVS 2023 Toyota Highlander

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Telluride and Highlander have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Telluride has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Highlander’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Telluride has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Telluride has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers rear cross-path warning.

Both the Telluride and the Highlander have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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 and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Telluride is safer than the Toyota Highlander:

	Telluride	Highlander
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	281	292
Neck Injury Risk	27%	38.2%
Neck Stress	275 lbs.	347 lbs.
Neck Compression	32 lbs.	55 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Stress	131 lbs.	179 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	351/369 lbs.	545/323 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Telluride is safer than the Toyota Highlander:

	Telluride	Highlander
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	41	55
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
Hip Force	640 lbs.	664 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Telluride is .9% to 2.6% less likely to roll over than the Highlander.

Warranty

The Telluride comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Highlander’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Highlander. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Highlander ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride second among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Highlander isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 14th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

Engine

The Telluride’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 26 more horsepower (291 vs. 265) than the Highlander’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Telluride has almost a gallon more fuel capacity than the Highlander (18.8 vs. 17.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Telluride has larger tires than the Highlander (245/60R18 vs. 235/65R18).

The Telluride LX/X-Pro’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Highlander L/LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Telluride S/EX/SX’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Highlander XSE/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Telluride has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Highlander doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Telluride’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Highlander (114.2 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Highlander.

For greater off-road capability the Telluride X-Line/X-Pro has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Highlander (8.4 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Telluride to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Telluride has 13.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Highlander (155 vs. 141.8).

The Telluride has 1.7 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 3.7 inches more rear legroom, 1 inch more rear hip room, 2 inches more third row headroom and 3.4 inches more third row legroom than the Highlander.

Cargo Capacity

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the Highlander.

	Telluride	Highlander
Behind Third Seat	21 cubic feet	16 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	87 cubic feet	84.3 cubic feet

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Telluride’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Highlander doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Payload

The Telluride has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Highlander (1662 vs. 1330 lbs.).

The Telluride has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Highlander (1664 vs. 1390 lbs.).

Servicing Ease

The Telluride uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Highlander uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The Telluride EX/SX has standard front air conditioned seats and the Telluride SX Prestige also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Highlander doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

Recommendations

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Kia Telluride as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Telluride was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023 and 3 more times in the last 4 years. The Highlander hasn’t been picked since 2001, and the Highlander has only been chosen once.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The Highlander has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Telluride as the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Highlander has never been chosen.