The 2027 Toyota Highlander Gets An EV Feature Most Teslas Don't Have

Toyota is getting far more serious about EVs, and the Highlander's bidirectional charging proves it.

Highlander

Photo by: Toyota

Tim Levin

By: Tim Levin

Feb 12, at 2:35pm ET

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The 2027 Toyota Highlander is going electric.
It'll offer up to 320 miles of range and an NACS charging port.
It's the first Toyota EV in the U.S. to offer bidirectional charging, for backing up your home or powering other devices.

Toyota's electric-vehicle game hasn't been the strongest to date. The bZ4X arrived a few years ago to less-than-glowing reviews, and company messaging drove home the automaker's faith in hybrids as a better solution than full-on battery power.

In 2026, things are changing. An updated bZ4X, now just dubbed bZ, is on sale with more range and a Tesla-style NACS plug. The C-HR and BZ Woodland are hitting the market soon. And Toyota's making one of its most popular SUVs, the Highlander, all-electric for the 2027 model year. On top of that, the three-row EV will be Toyota's first with bidirectional charging capability.

Also known as vehicle-to-load, or V2L, the feature will allow Highlander owners to power up coffee makers on a camping trip, a TV or induction cooktop while tailgating, or a fridge during a blackout. V2L is becoming more and more popular in the EV market for good reason; if you own a giant, expensive battery, why not take full advantage of it?

2027 Toyota Highlander EV

The 2027 Toyota Highlander is Toyota's first EV for the U.S. with bidirectional charging capability.

Photo by: Toyota

The Highlander offers a smaller, 77-kilowatt-hour pack along with a large 95.8 kWh battery. The latter will be good for 320 miles of range in an AWD SUV, Toyota says.

It joins a growing field of V2L-capable EVs, including the Hyundai Ioniq 9, Kia EV6, Tesla Model Y Performance and Chevrolet Silverado EV.

It's still not ubiquitous, though. The Cybertruck became the first Tesla EV to offer both V2L and V2H (vehicle-to-home). The Tesla Model 3 doesn't have it at all. Neither did the outgoing Model S and Model X. Most trims of Model Y don't have it. It may be catching on more and more, but Toyota is actually ahead of the curve here.

The feature, and especially V2H, has been a lifesaver during extreme weather events across the U.S. in recent years. It's part of a wider push from automakers into home energy products. General Motors, for example, now sells stationary batteries and bidirectional charging setups that work with its EVs.

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The Highlander goes on sale at the end of 2026. We expect to learn more about Toyota's bidirectional charging accessories and the SUV's V2L capability closer to then.

Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com

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