Toyota Highlander Battery

Did you know OPTIMA Batteries offers several battery upgrade options for the Toyota Highlander? OPTIMA batteries can last up to three times as long as a traditional flooded lead-acid battery, so let's take a closer look at what batteries might be best for your Toyota Highlander:

First Generation (2001-07)
The first generation of Toyota Highlander SUVs started out with two engine options, the 2.4-liter four-cylinder and the larger 3.3-liter V6. With either one of those engines, OPTIMA's Group 35 batteries would work just fine. If your highlander is stock and you just use it for normal driving, the OPTIMA Group 35 REDTOP is a great option. If you have significant electrical accessories, like a car alarm, aftermarket stereo, winch, dash cam, etc..., then an OPTIMA Group D35 YELLOWTOP would be the recommended choice. Both offer plenty of cranking power to start your engine, but the YELLOWTOP is also designed for deep-cycle use. The hybrid Highlander was introduced later in the first generation and that SUV uses a a different battery, the OPTIMA D51R YELLOWTOP.

Second Generation (2008-13)
The same battery options remained in the second generation Toyota Highlanders, starting with the 2008 model year, where the 3.5-liter V6-equipped SUVs would use either OPTIMA Group 35 battery. The 3.3-liter hybrid engine continued to use the OPTIMA D51R YELLOWTOP. The 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine came along in the 2009 model year, but those trucks can use the same OPTIMA Group 35 batteries as the 3.5-liter V6-equipped trucks. The BCI fitment guide indicates 3.5-liter hybrid engine that was released later in the second generation, uses an S55D23L battery, which as the name suggests, is a bit of an unusual size. As such, you may need to contact your Toyota dealer about a replacement, as those batteries are non-BCI sizes, they need to be properly-vented to the outside atmosphere, they must be AGM batteries and they have a sensor that needs to be properly-maintained.

Third Generation (2014-19)
The third generation of Highlander SUVs ran from the 2014 model year through 2019 and introduced an updated version of the 3.5-liter V6 in the 2016 model year, but the battery choices for the gas 3.5-liter and 2.4-liter engines remained the same Group 35 OPTIMA batteries, while the 3.5-liter hybrid continued to use the S55D23L battery (see the notes above about that battery).

Fourth Generation (2020-present)
The current generation of Toyota Highlander uses OPTIMA's newest YELLOWTOP offering, the DH5 YELLOWTOP for vehicles equipped with the 2.5-liter hybrid engine and the DH6 YELLOWTOP for the Highlanders equipped with the 3.5-liter V6. So if the engines really aren't any larger than the previous generation, why did the battery sizes go up so much? (The Group 35 REDTOP weighs just under 32 pounds, while the DH5 YELLOWTOP weighs 44 lbs and the DH6 YELLOWTOP weighs 54 lbs).

The answer is that electrical demand has increased significantly in modern vehicles. The power needed to start the engine has remained the same or in some cases, decreased, but newer, modern vehicles that have start/stop engines, integrated alarm systems, cameras, wifi, navigation, etc... all demand far more electricity than vehicles produced at the turn of the century. As a result, auto manufacturers have started installing larger batteries at the factory. 

What can you do as a consumer to maximize battery performance & lifespan? Keep your battery fully-charged (at least 12.6V for REDTOPs and at least 13.0V for YELLOWTOPs) and you will maximize battery performance and lifespan. We're so confident this is true, we'll extend the free replacement warranty on your OPTIMA battery by an additional year, if you purchase your OPTIMA battery and an OPTIMA Digital 1200 battery charger from us at the same time.