Compare the2023 Toyota Highlander HybridVS 2022 Tesla Model Y

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model Y doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Highlander Hybrid 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 Model Y doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Highlander Hybrid 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 Model Y 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.

The Highlander Hybrid (except LE/XLE/Bronze) offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model Y only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Highlander Hybrid’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model Y doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Highlander Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Model Y doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

The Highlander Hybrid has standard Safety Connect™, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model Y doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Highlander Hybrid and the Model Y have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

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 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is safer than the Tesla Model Y:

	Highlander Hybrid	Model Y
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.3 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	79 lbs.	145 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	114	358
Spine Acceleration	37 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	152 lbs.	567 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	664 lbs.	682 lbs.

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

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander Hybrid for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Tesla doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Model Y.

There are over 8 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Hybrid’s reliability 68 points higher than the Model Y.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 54 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Tesla is ranked 25th.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Highlander Hybrid’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Model Y:

	Highlander Hybrid	Model Y
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.3 inches	13.2 inches

Tires and Wheels

The Highlander Hybrid has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Model Y; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Highlander Hybrid is .7 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Model Y.

For better maneuverability, the Highlander Hybrid’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the Model Y’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Highlander Hybrid has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Model Y (8 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the Highlander Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Highlander Hybrid has 35.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Model Y (141.3 vs. 106).

The Highlander Hybrid has .2 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 3.4 inches more front hip room, 2.6 inches more front shoulder room, 6.4 inches more rear hip room, 4.7 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.5 inches more third row headroom, 1.5 inches more third row legroom, 9.1 inches more third row hip room and 14 inches more third row shoulder room than the Model Y.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Highlander Hybrid’s middle and third row seats recline. The Model Y’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Highlander Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Model Y.

	Highlander Hybrid	Model Y
Third Seat Folded	48.4 cubic feet	30.7 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.3 cubic feet	76.2 cubic feet

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Highlander Hybrid Bronze/Limited/Platinum’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model Y doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Payload and Towing

The Highlander Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Model Y’s (3500 vs. 0 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control (TSC) on the Highlander Hybrid uses the Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Model Y doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Highlander Hybrid has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Model Y (1495 vs. 954 lbs.).

The Highlander Hybrid has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Model Y (1535 vs. 954 lbs.).

Servicing Ease

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Highlander Hybrid to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes, air filter replacement, tire rotation, radiator flush, brake pad replacement and transmission fluid replacement based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model Y.

Ergonomics

The Highlander Hybrid Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Model Y doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Highlander Hybrid has a standard rear wiper. The Model Y doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Consumer Reports rated the Highlander Hybrid’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Model Y’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Highlander Hybrid Platinum has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Model Y doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Highlander Hybrid’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model Y doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

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

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Highlander Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Model Y doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Highlander Hybrid Limited/Platinum keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Model Y doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Highlander Hybrid Bronze/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 Model Y doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® chose the Toyota Highlander Hybrid as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Tesla Model Y isn't recommended.

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Tesla Model Y by 10% during the 2022 model year.

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