2025 Toyota Hilux - Everything You Need To Know
The Toyota Hilux. Name me a more revered automotive nameplate anywhere in the world...
One of motoring’s longest-serving models, the Toyota Hilux is also one of the best-selling, notching up more than 21 million sales since the pick-up truck first arrived way back in 1968.
Fifty-seven years – and eight generations – later, the Hilux lives on as a tribute to its predecessors as hard-grafting, practical and ultra-reliable workhorse which is as at home scaling the Andes as it is nipping to Tesco.
A Pick-Up Truck of Legendary Proportions
While it has taken every one of those 57 years for the Toyota Hilux to evolve in such a way that it now lives up to the ‘high’ and ‘luxury’ that contributes to its portmanteau name, it does not come at the expense of a reputation that considers the pick-up one of motoring’s most bulletproof models.
Available with four-wheel drive since the early-1980s, the fourth generation Hilux really cemented Toyota’s reputation for reliability, practicality and go-anywhere ability, so much so that BBC’s Top Gear famously failed to destroy one despite subjecting it to seawater flooding, setting it on fire and dropping it from a great height.
The Hilux pick-up doesn’t just earn its reputation from entertainment purposes though. It has become the vehicle of choice for millions across less developed nations needing a vehicle to tackle tough terrains in harsh climates without fear of anything going wrong.
Today the Hilux is in its eighth generation – with a ninth-generation version around the corner - and it has never been more imposing, offering a blend of durability and lavishness, with a dose of sportiness thrown in.
And if you needed any more evidence that the Hilux is still the rock-crushing, hill-hopping, mud-slinging tool it has always been, it’s worth noting that it has won the Dakar Rally – arguably motorsport’s most gruelling event - in four of the last seven years.
2025 Toyota Hilux: Dimensions, Loads & Body Styles
| Single Cab | Extra Cab | Double Cab | |
| Length | 5325mm | 5325mm | 5325mm |
| Height | 1855mm | 1855mm | 1855mm |
| Wheelbase | 3085mm | 3085mm | 3085mm |
| Load Length | 2350mm | 1840mm | 1555mm |
| Load Width | 1575mm | 1540mm | 1540mm |
| Load Height | 480mm | 480mm | 480mm |
| Payload | 1025kg | 1015kg | 1010kg |
| Towing Capacity | 3500kg | 3500kg | 3500kg |
| Gross Vehicle Weight | 3210kg | 3130kg | 3130kg |
The Toyota Hilux offers breadth of choice when it comes to body style with Single Cab, Extra (Extended) Cab and Double Cab available to suit your business needs.
Whichever configuration you choose, the Hilux has been developed to ensure it can lug a sizeable cargo with a generous payload, towing capacity and deck bay on offer that rivals the best in class.
The Double Cab Hilux is the most popular option with its five full seats making it a viable family car as well as a heavy-duty commercial vehicle. However, it is this multi-versatility that has led to pick-up trucks of this ilk (five seat Double Cabs) being reclassified as company cars and having a major adjustment in their BiK (Benefit-in-Kind) tax bracket.
Regardless, the Hilux is a practical model through and through. Even in Double Cab trim, the Hilux offers 1555mm in deck length, which is only marginally smaller than its big-selling main rival, the Ford Ranger.
Interestingly, the Toyota Hilux Single Cab is superior in terms of load bay length (2350mm) compared with the Ford Ranger Single Cab (2332mm) and Isuzu D-Max Single Cab (2290mm).
Crucially, however, the single cab model, which has two seats, remains classified as a commercial vehicle and is therefore still eligible for tax benefits.
In addition to the sizeable load area, the Toyota Hilux – regardless of engine – can tow up to 3,500kg and carry a payload of just over a tonne.
2025 Toyota Hilux: Engine, Performance & Powertrains
| 2.4 D4-D | 2.8 D-4D | 2.8 D-4D | 2.8 D4-D 48V | |
| Powertrain | Diesel | Diesel | Diesel | Diesel Mild Hybrid |
| Engine Capacity | 2393cc | 2755cc | 2755cc | 2755cc |
| Transmission | Automatic | Manual | Automatic | Automatic |
| Max Power | 150bhp | 204bhp | 204bhp | 204bhp |
| Max Torque | 400Nm@2000rpm | 420Nm@3400rpm | 500Nm@2800rpm | 500Nm@2800rpm |
| 0-62mph | 12.8s | 10.1s | 10.7s | 10.7s |
| Fuel Economy [WLTP] | 30.7mpg | 33.2mpg | 30.7mpg | 27.9mpg |
| CO2 [WLTP] | 259g/km | 259g/km | 259g/km | 259g/km |
The Toyota Hilux can be had with a choice of two turbodiesel engines, both of which are designed to provide oodles of torque and pulling power in the event of carrying a heavy payload or a weighty tow.
The base 2.4-litre D-4D is available with an automatic transmission but can only be chosen in a Double Cab body style and Invincible trim.
By contrast, the 2.8-litre D-4D can be had with a manual or automatic transmission, with the former producing more favourable miles per gallon figures, and is available across Single Cab, Double Cab and Extra Cab body styles.
Producing 204bhp and – with an automatic transmission – 500Nm of torque, the 2.8-litre is pitched as both a workhorse and a refined motorway cruiser.
Recently, Toyota added a fourth option to its range – the same 2.8-litre turbodiesel fitted with a 48V battery to give it mild hybrid status.
The lithium-ion hybrid electric motor has a dual function in that the rapid deployment of the power makes on and off-road driving more instant and smoother.
While the specific requirements needed for pick-up truck platforms makes it difficult to incorporate electric motors into existing architecture, the compact dimensions of the 48V hybrid system allows it and components to be positioned higher in the vehicle to avoid atmospheric interference.
2025 Toyota Hilux: Specifications & Features
| Active Single Cab | Active Extra Cab | Active Double Cab | Invincible | Invincible X | GR Sport II | |
| 2.4 D-4D | X | |||||
| 2.4 D-4D Manual | X | X | X | X | X | |
| 2.8 D4-D Auto | X | |||||
| 2.8 D4-D 48V Hybrid | X |
The entry-point to the Toyota Hilux range begins with the Active trim, which is the only choice for those looking to pick a Single Cab or Extra Cab Hilux. It also available with a Double Cab body style.
Specification includes automatic headlights, electric door mirrors, smartphone remote door lock, adaptive cruise control, voice recognition, electric windows, reversing camera, ABS, braking assist, hill start assist, cargo deck inner load hooks, underbody protection cover, mudguards and bumper under-run protector.
Upgrade to Invincible specification and it’ll add chrome detailing on the exterior, privacy glass, retractable door mirrors, auto-dimming rear view mirror, dual-zone air-conditioning, heated passenger seats, cloud navigation, front parking sensors and daytime running lights.
Choose Invincible X and you’ll also enjoy exterior detail changes, ambient lighting, panoramic view monitor display and embedded navigation.
The top-of-the-range Toyota Hilux GR Sport II takes inspiration from the manufacturer’s Dakar Rally winning effort.
With ‘GR’ standing for ‘Gazoo Racing’ – the motorsport arm of Toyota that has also tasted significant success in the World Rally Championship and the World Endurance Championship – it is designed to appeal to those who want their pick-up truck to make a big statement on the road.
It’s why the GR Sport II – which is a direct rival for the similarly positioned Ford Ranger MS-RT – features a unique exterior design with chunkier bumpers, its own brand of alloy wheels and a more muscular front-end design.
It also gets its own special treatment inside with silver lining on the dashboard, black roof lining and GR Sport branding on the push-button start, front sports seats and multi-information display. Otherwise the specification matches that of the Invincible X.
Lease A Toyota Van With Vansdirect
The Toyota Hilux is one of multiple commercial options available to lease with Vansdirect.
In addition to the Hilux – one of the UK’s most popular pick-up truck models – the Toyota van range also includes the Proace and Proace Max.
The Toyota Proace is a medium-size van, while the Toyota Proace Max is a large van with both available to lease with diesel or electric powertrains.
