2026 Toyota HiLux: Engines, platform, price, release date and everything we know so far

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The Toyota HiLux lost its crown as Australia’s top-selling new vehicle in 2023 amid competition from the newer Ford Ranger.

The Japanese car giant is preparing to fight back with a ‘new’ generation of its long-running ute, which was caught testing for the first time in recent weeks in Thailand, where it is built for Australia.

A full reveal is expected in the coming months, ahead of a launch in Thailand reportedly due by the end of the year, and Australian arrivals to follow.

Here’s everything we know so far about the new Toyota HiLux ute.

Will the 2026 Toyota HiLux be an all-new model?

The current HiLux has fallen behind newer rivals from Ford, Volkswagen, Isuzu and Mazda on interior space, technology, performance, and ride comfort, so an all-new model is desperately needed if it’s to return to the top of the charts.

But Toyota appears to be hedging its bets, as spy photos published by HeadlightMag show the ‘new’ HiLux is just a heavy facelift of the current model on sale since 2015.

Previewed by these illustrations by Pratyush Rout, the 2026 HiLux will wear new front and rear ends inspired by newer Toyota models, with sharper headlights, a smaller grille, reprofiled wheel arches, and Tundra-style tail-lights.

However, the ‘mid-section’ of the vehicle – the doors and cabin – carries over, meaning there will be no more width on offer for passengers, a weakness of the current HiLux.

MORE: 2026 Toyota HiLux caught on camera – first spy photos of next-gen ute

It also means the familiar underpinnings will carry over, rather than adopting the TNGA-F body-on-frame structure of the latest Prado, LandCruiser 300 Series, US-market Tacoma, and other new off-road-focused Toyotas.

Leaving the body structure unchanged allows Toyota to save money at a time when the car industry is moving towards electric cars, and the growth of Chinese brands is threatening established Japanese marques.

It buys Toyota time to decide what to do with the HiLux that follows after this 2026 model, due mid-next decade.

MORE: New Toyota HiLux trademark may be first official hint at next-generation model

Fifteen years ago – during the development of the current HiLux – Toyota faced a similar dilemma, whether to invest in an all-new model or revise the outgoing version.

The HiLux’s chief engineer is said to have presented Toyota CEO and president Akio Toyoda with two prototypes – one a lightly-revised version of the current model, and the other based on a new chassis.

The pair were tested side-by-side in 2011, and it was the latter – the all-new ute – that won out and reached showrooms.

MORE: New 2026 Toyota HiLux: First details, release date for next-generation ute – report

When will the new Toyota HiLux launch?

Reports out of Thailand claim the 2026 Toyota HiLux will be introduced in that market – where it is built for Australia and other countries – in the second half of 2025.

If accurate, the covers could be lifted off the model within the next few months.

Using history as a guide, Australian deliveries would begin about three to six months after its Thai launch, which would suggest local arrivals by the middle of 2026.

MORE: 2026 Toyota HiLux to get powerful 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine – report

What engine will the new Toyota HiLux have?

The carry-over platform is unlikely to see any major changes introduced under the bonnet, so it is likely a choice of 2.4-litre and 2.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engines will remain.

The 2.8-litre ‘1GD’ engine gained a 48-volt electrical system in early 2024, which consolidates the traditional starter motor and alternator into a single integrated motor generator (IMG), and can switch the engine off at the traffic lights to save fuel, or provide a small performance boost under acceleration while the turbocharger spools up.

It is claimed to reduce fuel consumption by seven to 10 per cent, depending on model, alongside lower CO2 – but unlike a Toyota hybrid passenger vehicle, the wheels cannot be driven on electric power alone.

Toyota will likely want to amortise the cost of developing the 48-volt ‘V-Active’ system in the next HiLux, and the system will help the HiLux under NVES emissions rules for new vehicles being introduced in Australia this year.

MORE: Hydrogen-powered Toyota HiLux reaches testing phase, Australia keen

All versions of the current 2.8-litre automatic HiLux develop 150kW/500Nm with the exception of the flagship GR Sport, which produces 165kW/550Nm.

While spreading the higher-output tune across the range would assist performance, the HiLux would remain no match for the 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 in the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok.

It was hoped a new-generation HiLux would be developed to accomodate the 3.3-litre turbo-diesel V6 from the LandCruiser 300 Series, but the carry-over platform is likely to prevent this.

Cheaper models are likely to retain 2.7-litre non-turbo petrol and 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engines, which in their current forms develop 122kW/245Nm and 110kW/400Nm respectively.

MORE: High-performance Toyota GR HiLux not coming, says executive

What will the new Toyota HiLux look like?

The new HiLux will be distinguishable on the road as a new model – provided drivers see one through their rear-view mirror, rather than beside them in traffic.

A new front end is the most significant change, with slimmer LED headlights, a more compact honeycomb-patterned grille, a flatter bonnet, and what is likely to be ‘TOYOTA’ lettering between the headlights, rather than a ‘T’ badge.

Visible in the spy shots are triangular shapes on the edges of the front bumper, below the headlights. It is not clear if these are air intakes, filled-in plastic design elements, or the lower half of a new split headlight design, akin to a Mitsubishi Triton.

Photographers are yet to catch a clear look at the new HiLux’s rear end, but reshaped tail-lights with inspiration drawn from the Tacoma sold in the US are expected.

A new wheel design has also been spotted, plus reshaped wheel-arch panels.

Will the new Toyota HiLux have rear disc brakes?

The HiLux prototype in these photos appears to be a high-grade model for the Thai market, fitted with wheel-arch flares – but not the wider track of the GR Sport and Australia’s Rogue variant.

The wider track debuted on the Rogue in 2022, followed by the GR Sport in 2023, and formed part of a comprehensive engineering upgrade adding rear disc brakes, a rear anti-roll bar, and shock absorbers moved outboard of the chassis rails.

It appears this test vehicle is fitted with rear discs even though it doesn’t appear to carry the wider track of today’s Rogue and GR Sport. It remains to be seen if cheaper HiLux variants continue with drums.

Given the cost of engineering such substantial changes so close to the end of the current model’s life, it is likely some of these improvements will flow into the new model.

How big will the new Toyota HiLux be?

The carry-over passenger cabin means dimensions are unlikely to change much compared to the outgoing HiLux.

The HiLux SR5 dual-cab pick-up – the most expensive version without the wide-track footprint – measures 5320mm long, 1855mm wide and 1865mm tall, on a 3085mm wheelbase, 1535mm front track and 1550mm rear track.

Wider 1670mm front and 1705mm rear tracks increase the Rogue and GR Sport to 2020mm wide, and 1870mm and 1880mm wide respectively.

For comparison, a Ford Ranger Wildtrak dual-cab measures 5370mm long, 1918mm wide and 1886mm tall, on a 3270mm wheelbase, and 1620mm front and rear track widths.

The Isuzu D-Max LS-U dual-cab measures 5285mm long, 1870mm wide and 1790mm tall, on a 3125mm wheelbase, and 1570mm front and rear tracks.

Rival utes’ wider bodies unlocks more space for passengers inside, as well as larger trays, with the Ranger quoting 1217mm between its wheel arches – enough to fit an 1165mm by 1165mm Australian pallet – compared to a HiLux’s circa-1105mm.

What technology will the new Toyota HiLux offer?

Spy photographers are yet to capture the interior of the 2026 HiLux, but it’s expected to inherit technology from new Toyotas such as the 250 Series Prado.

However, it remains to be seen how much of the new Prado’s spec sheet Toyota can build into the older platform and electrical architecture of the HiLux.

The current generation of the ute has fallen behind rivals on technology in recent years, with an 8.0-inch touchscreen running older Toyota software in Australia, predominantly-analogue instruments, and only gaining a wireless phone charging pad locally in the past two years.

Electric power steering is a likely addition to improve the driving experience, and enable more advanced lane-keeping assistance technology.

How much will the new Toyota HiLux cost?

Prices will be announced closer to the new HiLux’s Australian arrival, but the carry-over sheetmetal and underpinnings may prevent RRPs from climbing too far beyond those of the current model.

The most affordable HiLux WorkMate – with a single-cab body, cab-chassis rear end, two-wheel drive, a petrol engine and a manual transmission – starts from $27,730 before on-road costs.

The top-selling HiLux SR5 dual-cab 4×4 automatic pick-up – with the 48-volt system now standard – is priced from $63,260 plus on-road costs, in line with a bi-turbo Ranger XLT dual-cab 4×4 automatic ($63,640) and Mitsubishi Triton GSR ($63,840).

Higher-grade models exceed $70,000 before on-road costs, at $71,530 for the Rogue and $74,310 for the GR Sport.

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