The Toyota Hilux, the best pickup not available in the United States, is back for another generation. It’s sleeker, sharper-looking, and wears something truly new under its hood: An optional fully electric powertrain, making the world’s most durable truck even more stout in the face of long-deferred maintenance. Yet it seems Toyota doesn’t think Hilux drivers go all too far in their daily commute, because the battery-powered Hilux only claims 150 miles of range on the European WLTP cycle.
Of course, the battery Hilux is still joined by ICE siblings. The 48-volt hybrid powertrain that uses a 2.8-liter diesel engine recently added to the outgoing truck carries over into the new model, and some laggard Eastern European markets will even continue to get a purely gasoline-powered variant. All will be joined by a hydrogen version sometime in 2028, because Toyota still hasn’t given up on that dead-end dream. But the fully electric model is the true newcomer, and its limited range could leave it dead on arrival.
The battery variant isn’t for you
Of course, around 150 miles is more than most people will drive in a given day. It doesn’t sound like a disqualifyingly-low range estimate until you think a little deeper. The Hilux isn’t just a people mover, but a genuine work truck. That range will be hampered by a bed full of mulch adding weight or pallets messing with aerodynamics, it’ll be hurt by the heat of the Australian outback or by the strain of towing a trailer. That 150-mile range is in optimal conditions, and the Hilux has always thrived outside of those. There are other electric pickups on the horizon in Europe and the Hilux’s other markets that will offer much longer ranges, especially ones from Chinese automakers.
Toyota
Toyota is positioning the electric Hilux at fleet buyers, and that’s a smart move. Its 59.2-kWh battery and dual-motor all-wheel drive (151 lb-ft at the front, 198 lb-ft at the rear) should be great for parks maintenance or other such localized tasks. Toyota claims 1,576 pounds of payload capacity and 3,527 pounds of tow capacity, which should cover landscaping tools, lawnmowers, and similar hauling needs. But the consumer-oriented diesel hybrid variant ups those numbers to 2,200 pounds and 7,716 pounds respectively, making the EV version feel truly underpowered in comparison. Maybe it’ll be cheap, for those volume sales — I certainly hope so, because I want an all-electric Hilux to prove its mettle and inspire more EV trucks in the future. This one just feels like a bit of a first draft.
