The Toyota Highlander, a popular SUV known for its reliability and family-friendly features, continues to prioritize safety in its 2023 model. For those considering the 2023 Toyota Highlander, understanding its safety ratings is crucial. This comprehensive guide breaks down the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) evaluations for the 2023 Toyota Highlander, providing a detailed look at its performance in various crash tests and safety assessments.
Decoding the Small Overlap Front Crash Tests
The IIHS small overlap front crash test simulates a collision where only a small portion of the vehicle’s front end (25 percent) strikes a rigid object. This test is particularly demanding as it bypasses the main energy-absorbing structures of the car. The 2023 Toyota Highlander underwent two variations of this test: driver-side and passenger-side.
Driver-Side Small Overlap Front
The driver-side small overlap front test evaluates the protection offered to the driver in a frontal collision. The 2023 Toyota Highlander received a Good rating in this demanding test, the highest rating possible.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | G |
| Structure and safety cage | G |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Chest | G |
| Hip/thigh | G |
| Lower leg/foot | G |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics | G |
This “Good” rating signifies that the structure of the 2023 Toyota Highlander held up well during the crash, maintaining the occupant compartment space. Crucially, all driver injury measures were rated as “Good,” indicating a low risk of significant injuries in a real-world crash of this type. The restraint systems and airbags also performed effectively in controlling the dummy’s movement during the impact.
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander driver-side small overlap front crash test – Good rating.
Technical measurements from the driver-side test provide further insights:
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| Test ID | VTN2003 | VTN1915 |
| Lower occupant compartment | ||
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 2 | 6 |
| Footrest (cm) | 4 | 4 |
| Left toepan (cm) | 4 | 4 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 7 | 3 |
| Parking brake (cm) | ||
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 1 | 0 |
| Upper occupant compartment | ||
| Steering column | 3 | 2 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 2 | 5 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 5 | 7 |
| Lower instrument panel (cm) | 4 | 6 |
Driver injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| Test ID | VTN2003 | VTN1915 |
| Head | ||
| HIC-15 | 155 | 102 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact | no contact |
| Neck | ||
| Tension (kN) | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 8 | 13 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.24 | 0.24 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 18 | 19 |
| Femur (kN) | ||
| Left | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Right | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | ||
| Left | 5 | 5 |
| Right | 4 | 3 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | ||
| Left | 0 | 0 |
| Right | 0 | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | ||
| Left | 0.65 | 0.52 |
| Right | 0.54 | 0.40 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | ||
| Left | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Right | 2.1 | 1.1 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | ||
| Left | 93 | 39 |
| Right | 63 | 34 |
These measurements quantify the minimal intrusion into the occupant compartment and low injury readings, reinforcing the “Good” rating.
Passenger-Side Small Overlap Front
Similar to the driver-side test, the passenger-side small overlap front test assesses the safety performance for the front passenger. The 2023 Toyota Highlander also achieved a Good rating in this evaluation.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | G |
| Structure and safety cage | G |
| Passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Chest | G |
| Hip/thigh | G |
| Lower leg/foot | G |
| Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics | G |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Chest | G |
| Hip/thigh | G |
| Lower leg/foot | G |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics | G |
The 2023 Toyota Highlander provides equally robust protection for both the driver and the front passenger in this challenging crash scenario. All injury measures for both passenger and driver dummies were rated “Good,” demonstrating consistent safety performance across the front seating positions.
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander passenger-side small overlap front crash test – Good rating.
Detailed technical measurements for the passenger-side test are as follows:
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on passenger side
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTP1933 |
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 11 |
| Footrest (cm) | 9 |
| Right toepan (cm) | 6 |
| Center toepan (cm) | 5 |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 3 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Center dash (cm) | 6 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 7 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 9 |
| Right lower dash (cm) | 7 |
Passenger injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTP1933 |
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 153 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.2 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 12 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.22 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 20 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 1.1 |
| Right | 4.9 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 4 |
| Right | 8 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 3 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.42 |
| Right | 0.47 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 0.2 |
| Right | 0.4 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 61 |
| Right | 68 |
Driver injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTP1933 |
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 117 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.9 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 4 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.17 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 23 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 0.7 |
| Right | 0.6 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 3 |
| Right | 2 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.21 |
| Right | 0.27 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 0.9 |
| Right | 0.7 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 27 |
| Right | 41 |
Excelling in Moderate Overlap Front Crash Tests
The moderate overlap front test, while less severe than the small overlap test, is still a critical evaluation of frontal crash protection. The 2023 Toyota Highlander was subjected to both the original and updated moderate overlap front tests.
Original Moderate Overlap Front Test
In the original moderate overlap front test, the 2023 Toyota Highlander earned a Good rating.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | G |
| Structure and safety cage | G |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Chest | G |
| Leg/foot, left | G |
| Leg/foot, right | G |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics | G |
This “Good” rating across all categories indicates excellent protection for the driver in a moderate frontal impact. The structure effectively managed crash forces, and injury measures were minimal.
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander original moderate overlap front crash test – Good rating.
Key technical measurements from this test are:
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTF1925 |
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 4 |
| Left (cm) | 5 |
| Center (cm) | 5 |
| Right (cm) | 6 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 3 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 0 |
| Right (cm) | 1 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 3 |
| Rearward (cm) | 1 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTF1925 |
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 184 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.8 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 20 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.22 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 25 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force – left (kN) | 0.9 |
| Femur force – right (kN) | 0.7 |
| Knee displacement – left (mm) | 1 |
| Knee displacement – right (mm) | 1 |
| Maximum tibia index – left | 0.27 |
| Maximum tibia index – right | 0.28 |
| Tibia axial force – left (kN) | 1.4 |
| Tibia axial force – right (kN) | 1.8 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 43 |
| Right | 51 |
Updated Moderate Overlap Front Test
The updated moderate overlap front test introduces a rear passenger dummy to assess the impact on rear occupant safety. While the 2023 Toyota Highlander still performed well structurally, it received a Marginal overall rating in this updated test due to rear passenger safety concerns.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | M |
| Structure and safety cage | G |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Chest | G |
| Thigh/hip | G |
| Leg/foot | G |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics | G |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | A |
| Chest | G |
| Thigh | G |
| Rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics | M |
Despite a “Good” rating for structure and driver injury measures, the rear passenger head/neck injury risk was rated “Acceptable,” and rear passenger restraints and kinematics were “Marginal,” leading to the overall “Marginal” rating. This indicates an area for potential improvement in rear passenger protection for the 2023 Toyota Highlander.
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander updated moderate overlap front crash test – Marginal rating.
Visual evidence from the updated test highlights airbag deployment and occupant compartment integrity:
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander post-crash in updated moderate overlap test, airbags deployed.
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander rear passenger dummy head position post-crash.
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander rear passenger dummy shoulder belt position post-crash.
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander rear passenger dummy lap belt position, belt moved to abdomen.
Technical measurements for the updated test are provided below:
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | CEF2203 |
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 6 |
| Left (cm) | 8 |
| Center (cm) | 10 |
| Right (cm) | 7 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 3 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 2 |
| Right (cm) | 3 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 4 |
| Rearward (cm) | 1 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | CEF2203 |
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 139 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 10 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.20 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 28 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 1.2 |
| Right | 1.4 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 5 |
| Right | 3 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.39 |
| Right | 0.53 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 1.3 |
| Right | 1.8 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 52 |
| Right | 62 |
Rear passenger injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | CEF2203 |
| Head | |
| HIC-15 for head contact during forward excursion | no contact |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 2.3 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 |
| Maximum Nij for head contact during forward excursion | no contact |
| Chest | |
| Chest index | 30 |
| Shoulder belt tension (kN) | 5.7 |
| Thigh (kN) | |
| Left femur compression | 0.2 |
| Right femur compression | 0.2 |
Side Impact and Roof Strength Performance
The 2023 Toyota Highlander demonstrates strong side impact protection, earning “Good” ratings in both the original and updated side crash tests.
Side Crash Tests: Original and Updated
In both the original and updated side impact tests, the 2023 Toyota Highlander achieved a Good overall rating.
Side: original test
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | G |
| Structure and safety cage | G |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Torso | G |
| Pelvis/leg | G |
| Driver head protection | G |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Torso | G |
| Pelvis/leg | G |
| Rear passenger head protection | G |
Side: updated test
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | G |
| Structure and safety cage | G |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Torso | G |
| Pelvis | M |
| Driver head protection | G |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Torso | G |
| Pelvis | G |
| Rear passenger head protection | G |
While the updated side test resulted in a “Marginal” rating for driver pelvis injury measures, all other criteria remained “Good,” resulting in an overall “Good” rating. This indicates robust protection in side impact collisions for occupants.
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander post-crash in updated side impact test.
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander interior damage post-side impact test, doors off.
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander driver-side airbag head protection in side impact test.
Alt text: 2023 Toyota Highlander rear passenger-side airbag head protection in side impact test.
Key technical measurements for both side tests are available in the original article.
Roof Strength
The roof strength test evaluates the roof’s ability to withstand forces in a rollover crash. The 2023 Toyota Highlander achieved a Good rating in roof strength.
| Overall evaluation | G |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 4,340 lbs |
| Peak force | 20,077 lbs |
| Strength-to-weight ratio | 4.63 |
This “Good” rating demonstrates that the 2023 Toyota Highlander‘s roof is structurally sound and can provide adequate protection in a rollover scenario.
Head Restraints and Seats: Good Rating
The 2023 Toyota Highlander‘s head restraints and seats also received a Good rating for whiplash protection in rear-end collisions.
| Overall evaluation | G |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | G |
| Seat/head restraint geometry | G |
This “Good” rating indicates effective head restraint design to minimize neck injuries in rear impacts.
Headlight Performance: Varied Ratings
Headlight performance varies on the 2023 Toyota Highlander depending on trim level. Two headlight variations were tested:
Platinum and Hybrid Platinum trims:
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | G |
These trims with LED projector and curve-adaptive headlights with high-beam assist received a Good overall rating.
L, LE, Hybrid LE, XLE, Hybrid XLE, XSE, Limited, and Hybrid Limited trims:
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | A |
These trims with LED projector headlights and high-beam assist, but without curve-adaptive features, received an Acceptable rating. While still performing adequately, they fall short of the “Good” rated headlights.
Front Crash Prevention Systems: Superior Performance
The 2023 Toyota Highlander is equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ as standard, including a Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection. These systems demonstrated Superior performance in both vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian front crash prevention tests.
Vehicle-to-Vehicle Front Crash Prevention
| Overall evaluation | Superior |
The system avoided collisions in both 12 mph and 25 mph tests, meeting forward collision warning requirements and earning a “Superior” rating.
Pedestrian Front Crash Prevention (Day and Night)
Pedestrian (Day)
| Overall evaluation | Superior |
The system demonstrated “Superior” performance in daytime pedestrian detection, avoiding collisions or significantly reducing impact speed in various scenarios.
Pedestrian (Night)
| Overall evaluation | Superior |
The system also achieved a “Superior” rating in nighttime pedestrian detection, even in low-beam conditions, further enhanced by high-beam assist.
Child Seat Anchors (LATCH): Good Rating
The LATCH system in the 2023 Toyota Highlander for child seat installation received a Good rating for ease of use.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | G |
The Highlander offers multiple rear seating positions with LATCH hardware, making it convenient for families to install child safety seats correctly.
Conclusion: 2023 Toyota Highlander – A Safe Choice
The 2023 Toyota Highlander demonstrates a strong commitment to safety, achieving mostly “Good” and “Superior” ratings from the IIHS. While the updated moderate overlap front test revealed an area for potential improvement in rear passenger protection, the Highlander excels in most crashworthiness evaluations and boasts Superior front crash prevention systems. For families prioritizing safety, the 2023 Toyota Highlander remains a highly rated and dependable SUV.
