Which are the best tires for the Toyota Highlander? That depends on who you ask. Toyota’s priorities when they chose a tire for your Highlander from the factory were a balance of cost, quality, and safety, but your vision of the perfect tire may be of one that has a more eco-friendly fuel economy rating or a quieter ride. No matter which way you go, there are great tires out there.
Have an older Toyota Highlander? See tire sizes for previous years.
What tires are on my Toyota Highlander? The current generation Highlander is sold in multiple trims with two tire sizes:
We’ve recommended two replacement tires in 18-, and 20-inch sizes, in budget, moderately priced and cost-no-object varieties. Whether your pockets are deeper than the Mariana trench or Ebenezer Scrooge considers you a role model, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. All of these tires have ratings of four-stars or higher based on consumer surveys:
There are two regular milestones that will suggest that it’s time to replace the tires, not only on your Highlander, but any vehicle in your driveway: Time and mileage.
Considering most drivers cover between 12,000 and 15,000 miles per year, the vast majority of Highlander owners are going to be past the mileage that their original equipment tires were intended to cover before they’ll go past the tire’s usable age.
The life of your tire can be somewhat predicted by its UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grade) rating. Tire manufacturers apply their own grades to tires for treadwear, traction and temperature. When you’re researching tires online, a UTQG will come up next to the tire name in three digits and a number (ex. 500 A A).
You can glean a bit of info from the tires by reading this rating:
Original equipment MIchelin Premier LTX tires on the Highlander earn a solid 620 AA UTGQ rating. Unless they are damaged, these tires could last as long as 62,000 miles before you need to replace them.
The other consideration is time. Each tire has a raised date code on the sidewall. The number begins with the letters “DOT” followed by 12 digits in three four-digit groups. The date code is the third group of four digits. To decipher the date of your tires, the first two digits represent the WEEK the tire was produced, and the second two digits represent the YEAR.
For example, if your tire’s date code is 3217, that indicates the tire was manufactured in the 37th week of 2017, or some time between September 11 and 17th that year.
Once tires go beyond five years old, it’s time to consider replacing them. Tires are made up not just of rubber and steel or kevlar belts, but chemicals that help the tires resist UV rays, temperature changes and a lot of other environmental hazards. Those chemicals start to break down after five years or so, and the tires aren’t doing the job that they need to do.
There’s no harm in replacing your tires with the shoes it came with from the factory. However, depending on what kind of driver you are, there are significant reasons to purchase something different.
The factory tires are usually well matched for the vehicle, but they might not be so well matched for your everyday drive. There’s no shame in swapping out the OE rubber for something more suitable to your daily commute.
Lots of people find that they want a tire that provides better fuel economy or a smoother ride than the tire that the factory chose for them. The price difference between OE and replacement tires isn’t significant and the improvements that can come from a replacement tire are worth the cost for most people.
Depending on the year and model, you may be shopping tires to fit anything between 17-inch for older models to 20-inch wheels with various widths and sidewall sizes along the way. It is possible to change the wheel and tire sizes, but a general rule of thumb is to keep the total diameter of wheel and tire the same. So, that means that downsizing an 18-inch wheel to a 17-inch wheel would include a proportionate upsizing of the tire sidewall to compensate.
Downsizing wheels has its advantages. Benefits include:
On the other side of the coin, going up in wheel size has its benefits:
See our recommendations for the Best Extended Warranty for your Toyota Highlander
When reading tire sizes, it’s important to understand what the numbers mean. The Toyota Highlander’s 18-inch wheels come with P235/65R18 106V all-season tires:
You may have noticed that the Toyota Highlander’s three tire sizes have different diameters and also different aspect ratios. Generally, automakers choose tires that have the same outer diameter. This allows them to have only one speedometer setting.
Now that you know what comes on a new Highlander and how to read the size numbers, let’s look at the different types of tires available to you. Depending on the type of driving you’re doing, where you live, and the weather, you have a variety of choices for tire types:
Year | Trim | Size |
---|---|---|
2020 | Hybrid LE | 235/65R18 |
2020 | Hybrid Limited | 235/55R20 |
2020 | Hybrid Platinum | 235/55R20 |
2020 | Hybrid XLE | 235/65R18 |
2020 | L | 235/65R18 |
2020 | LE | 235/65R18 |
2020 | Limited | 235/55R20 |
2020 | Platinum | 235/55R20 |
2020 | XLE | 235/65R18 |
2019 | Hybrid LE | 245/60R18 |
2019 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2019 | Hybrid XLE | 245/60R18 |
2019 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2019 | LE Plus | 245/60R18 |
2019 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2019 | SE | 245/55R19 |
2019 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2018 | Hybrid LE | 245/60R18 |
2018 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2018 | Hybrid XLE | 245/60R18 |
2018 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2018 | LE Plus | 245/60R18 |
2018 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2018 | SE | 245/55R19 |
2018 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2017 | Hybrid LE | 245/60R18 |
2017 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2017 | Hybrid XLE | 245/60R18 |
2017 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2017 | LE Plus | 245/60R18 |
2017 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2017 | Limited Platinum | 245/55R19 |
2017 | SE | 245/55R19 |
2017 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2016 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2016 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2016 | LE Plus | 245/60R18 |
2016 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2016 | Limited Platinum | 245/55R19 |
2016 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2015 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2015 | Hybrid Hybrid Platinum | 245/55R19 |
2015 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2015 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2015 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2014 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2014 | Hybrid Hybrid Platinum | 245/55R19 |
2014 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2014 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2014 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2013 | Base Models | 245/65R17 |
2013 | Hybrid | 245/65R17, 245/55R19 |
2013 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2013 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2013 | Plus | 245/65R17 |
2013 | SE | 245/65R17 |
2012 | Base Models | 245/65R17 |
2012 | Hybrid | 245/65R17, 245/55R19 |
2012 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2012 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2012 | SE | 245/65R17 |
2011 | Base Models | 245/65R17 |
2011 | Hybrid | 245/65R17, 245/55R19 |
2011 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2011 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2011 | SE | 245/65R17 |
2010 | Base Models | 245/65R17 |
2010 | Hybrid | 245/65R17, 245/55R19 |
2010 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2010 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2010 | SE | 245/65R17 |
2020 | Hybrid LE | 235/65R18 |
2020 | Hybrid Limited | 235/55R20 |
2020 | Hybrid Platinum | 235/55R20 |
2020 | Hybrid XLE | 235/65R18 |
2020 | L | 235/65R18 |
2020 | LE | 235/65R18 |
2020 | Limited | 235/55R20 |
2020 | Platinum | 235/55R20 |
2020 | XLE | 235/65R18 |
2019 | Hybrid LE | 245/60R18 |
2019 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2019 | Hybrid XLE | 245/60R18 |
2019 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2019 | LE Plus | 245/60R18 |
2019 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2019 | SE | 245/55R19 |
2019 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2018 | Hybrid LE | 245/60R18 |
2018 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2018 | Hybrid XLE | 245/60R18 |
2018 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2018 | LE Plus | 245/60R18 |
2018 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2018 | SE | 245/55R19 |
2018 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2017 | Hybrid LE | 245/60R18 |
2017 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2017 | Hybrid XLE | 245/60R18 |
2017 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2017 | LE Plus | 245/60R18 |
2017 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2017 | Limited Platinum | 245/55R19 |
2017 | SE | 245/55R19 |
2017 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2016 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2016 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2016 | LE Plus | 245/60R18 |
2016 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2016 | Limited Platinum | 245/55R19 |
2016 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2015 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2015 | Hybrid Hybrid Platinum | 245/55R19 |
2015 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2015 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2015 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2014 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2014 | Hybrid Hybrid Platinum | 245/55R19 |
2014 | LE | 245/60R18 |
2014 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2014 | XLE | 245/60R18 |
2013 | Base Models | 245/65R17 |
2013 | Hybrid | 245/65R17, 245/55R19 |
2013 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2013 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2013 | Plus | 245/65R17 |
2013 | SE | 245/65R17 |
2012 | Base Models | 245/65R17 |
2012 | Hybrid | 245/65R17, 245/55R19 |
2012 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2012 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2012 | SE | 245/65R17 |
2011 | Base Models | 245/65R17 |
2011 | Hybrid | 245/65R17, 245/55R19 |
2011 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2011 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2011 | SE | 245/65R17 |
2010 | Base Models | 245/65R17 |
2010 | Hybrid | 245/65R17, 245/55R19 |
2010 | Hybrid Limited | 245/55R19 |
2010 | Limited | 245/55R19 |
2010 | SE | 245/65R17 |
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Check inside your driver’s side door for a white and yellow label that will tell you the exact tire pressure recommendations for your Highlander model. That tire pressure can also change depending on the load of passengers you’re carrying, as well as the cargo load. Note that the pressure on the tire itself is never the correct setting, but rather a maximum.
Rotating tires is more about the tire than it is about the car. A typical rotation interval is somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 miles, though specific cars and tires may change those numbers a bit. The Highlander is either a front-wheel or four-wheel drive-based car, so the front tires will be worn more quickly than the rears. Do not blow off this service.
Your Toyota Highlander should have come equipped with a compact spare tire and changing tools in the trunk. In this case, you already have everything you need to physically change the tire, but you may want to carry an extra roadside emergency kit with an upgraded lug wrench, jumper cables, and emergency markers just in case.
Depending on which trim level of Highlander you own, you could have a Michelin Premier LTX, Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S, Toyo Open Country A4 or Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S.
For the Highlander Limited or Platinum, the Goodyear Assurance Maxlife, Continental Crosscontact LX25 or Michelin Premier LTX are all rated well, ordered from low price to high.
Several online retailers like Tire Rack offer regular discounts and free shipping for their tires. Their sites also have tire fit guides and pricing estimators to help you understand what you’re buying.
Most online tire retailers have free shipping or reduced shipping cost when you choose to have them installed at a partner shop. The retailer may have an arrangement with a local tire chain or installation center and can ship the tires there for free.
Retailers like Tire Rack offer fast shipping and can often have tires to your preferred installer in as little as two days. Many others, like Discount Tire Direct, offer the same fast and free shipping. It also depends on where you live. If you’re in a large metro area, close to a distribution center, it should be relatively quick. If you live 5 miles from East Moosejaw, it might take a little longer.
Some shops will offer free installation when you purchase tires from them, and online retailers often promote the same deal for people who choose to have installation done at one of their partners. If you do find yourself paying for tire installation, expect to pay between $15 and $50 per tire, depending on what is needed. That money pays for mounting and balancing the tire to ensure a safe and comfortable ride.
The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is independent of your tires, but should be checked at regular intervals to ensure no damage or malfunctions are occurring. Your local tire shop can perform this check as part of normal tire rotation or installation.
Yes! You can find the right fit, tread pattern, and speed rating on nearly any online retailer’s site. They sometimes offer specials and rebates around the time when people start looking for winter tires (late fall).
It’s certainly not a requirement to buy your tires and wheels from the same place, but you’re more likely to get a deal on the package if you buy from the same place. Check the retailer’s specials and make a determination from there. You may also find a better deal ordering either the tires or wheels online and buying the other component from your local shop.
Yes, and in some cases rebates are offered alongside discounts on the tires. It’s important to ask questions and understand what you’re getting, so be sure to chat or call the retailer before ordering if the rebates are unclear.