Compare the2024 Toyota Highlander HybridVS 2024 Lexus TX

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 TX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is safer than the TX:

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The TX is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander Hybrid for 1 year and 15000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the TX (2/25000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 5 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander Hybrid’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Lexus is rated lower.

On the EPA test cycle the Highlander Hybrid gets better mileage than the TX running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The TX requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Highlander Hybrid has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the TX 550h+’s standard fuel tank (17.1 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Highlander Hybrid stops shorter than the TX:

For better maneuverability, the Highlander Hybrid’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the TX’s (37.4 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Highlander Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the TX 550h+ Luxury 4dr Sport Utility (8 vs. 7.7 inches), allowing the Highlander Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Highlander Hybrid is 8.2 inches shorter than the TX, making the Highlander Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Highlander Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The TX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Highlander Hybrid offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the TX can only carry up to 7.

The Highlander Hybrid has .3 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room and .2 inches more rear hip room than the TX.

The TX Luxury/F Sport’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Highlander Hybrid Platinum’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

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 Toyota Highlander outsold the Lexus TX by almost 21 to one during 2023.