Rent Toyota Highlander 2024 in Dubai

The Toyota Highlander 2024 is what we hand over when a family wants three genuine rows without the ladder-frame ride of a Fortuner or the size and thirst of a Land Cruiser. We keep this one in white, and doorstep delivery usually takes one to two hours from booking. Under the bonnet sits a 3.5-litre V6 sending power to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic, with no low range and no pretence at desert driving, just a comfortable, quiet, car-based SUV built around eight seats for a normal week in the city. The question this page answers is where that trade-off actually pays off, and where a different Toyota on this fleet does the job better.

The engine, and how it drives

Toyota's 2GR-FKS V6 makes 295 hp at 6,600 rpm and 357 Nm at 4,700 rpm, and it drives through an eight-speed automatic rather than the CVT you get in the Highlander's smaller hybrid cousins. Power reaches all four wheels through an on-demand AWD system that sends drive to the rear axle when the front wheels start to slip. It is worth being clear about what that system is not. There is no low-range transfer case here, so the Highlander is not a stand-in for the Fortuner or the Land Cruiser on a Hatta trip or a dune run. What it does well is everything on tarmac: it pulls cleanly onto Sheikh Zayed Road, holds 120 without strain, and overtakes a truck without the driver needing to plan the move three seconds ahead.

The ride is where the Highlander earns its keep against its own stablemates. Because it is a unibody crossover rather than a body-on-frame truck, it rides flatter through corners and settles quicker over expansion joints than the Fortuner does. It is the more relaxing car to actually drive every day; you just give up the low range and the reassurance of a proper transfer case if the tarmac ever runs out.

Three rows, and what fits behind them

This row comes with the eight-seat layout, meaning a proper three-across bench in the middle rather than the two captain's chairs some Highlanders get elsewhere. That bench takes three children easily, or two adults who don't mind sliding over for a short hop. The third row folds up from behind it, and it is genuinely usable in a way a lot of compact crossovers only pretend at, good for kids on the school run or two adults across town, less comfortable for a long highway leg with grown adults in the back.

Luggage is the same honest trade every three-row SUV makes. With all eight seats up, you get about 453 litres behind the last row, enough for a few soft bags and the weekly shop, not four hard suitcases. Fold the third row flat and that grows to roughly 1,150 litres, which comfortably swallows a family's airport luggage while still seating five. Need to move something bulky? Drop the middle row too and the load bay opens past 2,300 litres. The math that matters: eight people or a full boot, rarely both on the same day.

Running cost, heat and the cabin

Toyota quotes combined fuel economy around 10.5 L/100km for this V6 AWD drivetrain, and that is a reasonable lab number. Loaded with a family, the AC running hard and Dubai's stop-start traffic, expect closer to 13 or 14 in real use. The 68-litre tank still gives you a decent stretch between fills, and this rental includes 250 km a day, with extra kilometres billed at AED 0.5 each. That covers city life, school runs and airport pickups with room to spare; a long day trip out of town is worth a quick mental tally first. Salik tolls and any RTA fines during the rental pass to you, the renter, same as with every car we hand over, and under-fours need a proper child seat.

Heat is the honest question every renter in July or August asks, and a cabin this size needs a system that can actually cool it. The Highlander's works well: front vents pull hard once the engine's running, and second-row vents mean the kids on the bench get real cold air rather than whatever drifts back from the dash. Give it a few minutes after a few hours parked in the sun before you load everyone in. At just under five metres long and 1.93 metres wide, it asks for a bit more care than a compact crossover in tight multi-storey bays and Marina ramps, though 203 mm of clearance means speed bumps and steep mall ramps stop being something you think about.

Who should rent it, and who should look elsewhere

Rent the Highlander if you need eight real seats and a smooth, quiet ride for city life, airport runs and the highway to Abu Dhabi, and you have no plan to leave the tarmac. It is the more comfortable, more car-like choice than the Fortuner for a family that just wants space and refinement, and the white paint on this row keeps the cabin a little cooler under the worst of the summer sun than a dark colour would.

Look elsewhere if Hatta or the dunes are actually on the itinerary. This is not a 4x4, and no amount of AWD marketing changes that; step up to the Fortuner or Land Cruiser instead. And if it is one or two of you running errands around town, a mid-size five-seat crossover will do the job for less fuel and an easier park. The Highlander earns its rate when the whole family and their bags are genuinely along for the ride. You will need to be 25 to take the keys.