Two electric versions of the Toyota HiLux have been confirmed for local showrooms as part of the new-generation lineup launched this month with carryover diesel engines.
The HiLux, Australia’s best-selling vehicle last month, will beat arch-rival Ford Ranger to offer an electric vehicle (EV) version, joining a handful of electric utes here including the LDV eT60 and upcoming Isuzu D-Max EV.
Toyota Australia plans to add a HiLux BEV (battery-electric vehicle) to the local range in the first quarter (January-March) of 2026, with a hydrogen fuel-cell electric (FCEV) version to follow sometime in 2028.
Exact timing for the FCEV version is yet to be confirmed, but it’s expected in local dealers by the end of next year.
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“HiLux BEV will, of course, be available for anyone who wishes to purchase one, but we are primarily targeting fleets and urban trade users that will benefit most from the advantages that a BEV offers,” said Toyota Australia vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley.
Fleet sales make up 48 per cent of Toyota sales across all nameplates sold in Australia, equating to around 120,000 vehicles annually.
“The Hilux BEV is an integral part of our multi-pathway approach to decarbonisation, and we are also exploring potential opportunities beyond the vehicles we produce,” said Mr Hanley.
“The inclusion of an FCEV variant in 2028 reinforces this multi-pathway approach and is the result of Toyota’s commitment to hydrogen fuel-cell electric technology.”
The HiLux FCEV will be offered to the general public in Australia, and Mr Hanley described it as a “game-changer” to Australia media.
Toyota’s only other fuel-cell model, the Mirai sedan, is only offered on lease to select fleets and customers given its cost and the current lack of hydrogen infrastructure, although the automaker insists it’s available to general buyers.
Pricing, model grades and specifications – such as range, payloads and towing capability – are yet to be revealed for either the HiLux BEV or FCEV, but both are expected to cost considerably more than new-generation diesel HiLux.
“These are vehicles that will be used largely in short distance operations that need the payload and passenger capacity and are able to be recharged easily and economically,” Mr Hanley said.
When asked about the HiLux BEV specifically, the Toyota sales and marketing vice president tempered comparisons with the diesel-powered versions.
“It’s going to be a vehicle that has a passenger-like payload, so it’s not going to be a heavy-use vehicle,” he explained.
“We think it’s a good step in the right direction – the market’s right for that type of car; it won’t be huge numbers, we don’t expect massive volume, but it will play a role.”
Mr Hanley pointed to improved consumer confidence in EVs in Australia as justifying the business case for an electric HiLux.
“Infrastructure is better, confidence is better – people are understanding the capability of BEVs,” Mr Hanley said when asked about timing by CarExpert.
“Battery technology is getting better – and it’ll only get better and better as years go on. It’s about consumer confidence.”
Toyota showed the HiLux Revo BEV concept in Thailand in 2023, bringing it to Australia the following year, and also began testing an electric HiLux here last November as part of a 12-month trial at mining giant BHP’s Port Headland operations in Western Australia
There are few details on the HiLux BEVs used in Western Australia, but there’s a greater insight into the showroom version of the HiLux FCEV after testing overseas.
The automaker fielded 10 HiLux FCEV prototypes in the UK for the ‘final phase’ of the vehicle’s development in a project funded by the UK government and Toyota Japan.
The test HiLux FCEVs used a single electric motor making 134kW/300Nm with a range of up to 600km, using three high-pressure fuel stacks each carrying 2.6kg of hydrogen.