Compare the2025 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2024 Toyota Highlander

Both the Palisade and Highlander have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Palisade 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.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Palisade has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the Highlander Limited/Platinum offers Parking Support Brake.

Both the Palisade 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, 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 Hyundai Palisade is safer than the Toyota Highlander:

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 Hyundai Palisade is safer than the Toyota Highlander:

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

The Palisade 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.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Palisade 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.

The Palisade’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Highlander’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Palisade for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Highlander (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 17th.

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

As tested in Consumer Reports the Hyundai Palisade is faster than the Toyota Highlander:

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

The Palisade stops shorter than the Highlander:

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

The Palisade’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 LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Palisade’s optional tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Highlander XSE/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

The Palisade offers an optional automatic rear 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 Palisade’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 Palisade is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Highlander.

The Palisade has 13.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Highlander (155.3 vs. 141.8).

The Palisade has 2.1 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 3.7 inches more rear legroom, .7 inches more rear hip room, 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.7 inches more third row headroom, 3.4 inches more third row legroom and .2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Highlander.

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

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Palisade’s second row seats and pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Palisade Limited/Calligraphy/Night’s third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Highlander doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Palisade 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.

The Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Night’s standard Easy Access Seat 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 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

Consumer Reports rated the Palisade’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Highlander’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Palisade’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 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Night has standard heated front seats and second and third row heated seats also avaiable, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Toyota doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Highlander.

Standard air conditioned seats in the front and second seat rows keep the Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Night’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Highlander doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Palisade Calligraphy/Night has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Highlander.

The Palisade Calligraphy/Night’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Highlander doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Palisade will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Palisade will retain 56.92% to 57.78% of its original price after five years, while the Highlander only retains 54.44% to 56.71%.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Palisade and the Toyota Highlander, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Palisade third among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Highlander isn’t in the top three.