Compare the2025 Honda PilotVS 2024 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

The Honda Pilot has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Highlander Hybrid doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Highlander Hybrid’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Pilot’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Highlander Hybrid doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Pilot and the Highlander Hybrid 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, 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.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Pilot is safer than the Highlander Hybrid:

The Honda Pilot has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned an “Acceptable” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Highlander Hybrid is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 11 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

The Pilot’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 42 more horsepower (285 vs. 243) than the Highlander Hybrid’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Pilot is faster than the Toyota Highlander Hybrid:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The Highlander Hybrid doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Both the Pilot and Highlander Hybrid have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Pilot has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Pilot has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Highlander Hybrid (18.5 vs. 17.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Pilot has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Highlander Hybrid doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the Pilot’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Highlander Hybrid:

The Pilot stops much shorter than the Highlander Hybrid:

For better traction, the Pilot has larger standard tires than the Highlander Hybrid (255/50R20 vs. 235/65R18). The Pilot TrailSport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Highlander Hybrid (265/60R18 vs. 235/65R18).

The Pilot EX-L’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 Hybrid LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Pilot Sport/Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Highlander Hybrid Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

The Pilot has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Highlander Hybrid doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Pilot TrailSport has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Highlander Hybrid; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Pilot’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Highlander Hybrid (113.8 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pilot is 2 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Highlander Hybrid.

The Pilot TrailSport handles at .81 G’s, while the Highlander Hybrid Platinum AWD pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Pilot Elite executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Highlander Hybrid Platinum AWD (27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Pilot TrailSport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Highlander Hybrid (8.3 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Pilot to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Pilot uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Highlander Hybrid doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Pilot has 16.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Highlander Hybrid (158.4 vs. 141.8).

The Pilot has 1.2 inches more front hip room, 2.9 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 2.1 inches more rear legroom, .4 inches more rear hip room, 3 inches more rear shoulder room, 3.2 inches more third row headroom, 4.5 inches more third row legroom and 4.5 inches more third row shoulder room than the Highlander Hybrid.

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

The Pilot’s cargo area is larger than the Highlander Hybrid’s in almost every dimension:

Maximum trailer towing in the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is limited to 3500 pounds. The Pilot 4WD offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

The Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Highlander Hybrid doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Highlander Hybrid offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Insurance will cost less for the Pilot owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Pilot will cost $570 less than the Highlander Hybrid over a five-year period.