Compare the2025 Honda PilotVS 2025 Toyota Highlander

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2025Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. HMJYX-8VLEF 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2025/06/16

The Honda Pilot has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help 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 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’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Honda Pilot TrailSport/Elite/Black Edition’s Multi-View Camera System is available with washers for its front and rear cameras, ensuring crystal-clear visibility in any weather condition. Conversely, the Toyota Highlander only offers a rear camera washer, which may not provide the same level of all-weather performance.

Both the Pilot and the Highlander 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 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Pilot is safer than the Toyota Highlander:

	Pilot	Highlander
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	28.9%	38.2%
Leg Forces (l/r)	178/233 lbs.	321/243 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	396/388 lbs.	545/323 lbs.

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

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:

	Pilot	Highlander
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh Forces L/R	67/247 pounds	270/315 pounds
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh Forces L/R	67/247 pounds	270/315 pounds
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD

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 Honda Pilot is safer than the Toyota Highlander:

	Pilot	Highlander
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	53	55
Abdominal Force	59 lbs.	79 lbs.
Hip Force	276 lbs.	300 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	100	114
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	10 inches	15 inches
HIC	340	366
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	41 G’s
Hip Force	444 lbs.	664 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Pilot is .9% to 2.6% less likely to roll over than the Highlander.

The Honda Pilot achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Highlander is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

Reliability

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.

Engine

The Pilot’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 20 more horsepower (285 vs. 265) than the Highlander’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

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 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Highlander.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Pilot	Highlander
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	13.3 inches

The Pilot stops shorter than the Highlander:

	Pilot	Highlander
60 to 0 MPH	129 feet	133 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	143 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Pilot has larger standard tires than the Highlander (255/50R20 vs. 235/65R18). The Pilot TrailSport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Highlander (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 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 XSE/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 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; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

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

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

Chassis

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

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 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Pilot has 16.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Highlander (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.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Pilot	Highlander
Behind Third Seat	21.8 cubic feet	16 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	59.5 cubic feet	48.4 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	111.8 cubic feet	84.3 cubic feet

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 23% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 24th.

Ergonomics

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

Recommendations

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

The Honda Pilot outsold the Toyota Highlander by 47% during 2024.

See Available Inventory