Toyota Hilux Hybrid 48V: popular pick-up gets electrical assistance

The Toyota Hilux is renowned the world over for its off-road prowess and durability, but the pick-up truck is now getting an electrified powertrain for the first time.

Toyota’s Hilux Hybrid 48V is available to order now in the UK, but only in top-spec Invincible X guise with the four-door double-cab body style. Pricing kicks off at £40,436 (excluding VAT) for the auto-only Hilux Hybrid 48V with the manual gearbox, non-hybrid alternative costing from £39,182. 

Power comes from a 48-volt mild-hybrid set-up, which means the vehicle won’t drive on electric power alone. The existing truck’s 2.8-litre diesel engine is linked to a belt-driven motor generator that charges a 48V battery located beneath the rear seats. 

Once charged, the battery produces 16bhp and 65Nm of torque to “enhance acceleration, power and efficiency”. The total output of the Hilux Hybrid is 201bhp – unchanged from the standard 2.8-litre diesel version – although it does produce 500Nm of torque compared with 420Nm, thanks to its automatic transmission. The hybrid model accelerates from 0-62mph in 10.7 seconds, while the manual non-hybrid takes 10.1 seconds. 

Toyota claims the Hilux Hybrid improves on the standard version in other ways, with better braking performance and a smoother ride. The stop-start system allows the engine to remain off for longer periods of time when coasting, which decreases engine noise and boosts fuel economy by up to five per cent, according to Toyota. There’s also a quicker throttle response from standstill resulting from the electric assistance. Despite all this, the Hilux Hybrid produces 265g/km of CO2 and returns 27.9mpg, which are worse figures than the manual Hilux’s 250g/km and 29.7mpg. 

Off-road ability should be just as good though, because the Hilux Hybrid 48V’s stability control has extra adjustability,  with five new pre-set options available: Dirt, Sand, Mud, Deep Snow or Rock. The hybrid model can wade through water at a depth of up to 700mm – the same as other Hilux models. Practicality remains the same, too, with the hybrid offering an unchanged payload of up to 1,000kg and a towing capacity of up to 3,500kg.

Toyota has sold 21 million examples of its pick-up truck since it was launched in 1968, but the idea of an electric Hilux is nothing new. The firm has already revealed a prototype version of a hydrogen-powered Hilux and the EPU Concept previews a compact all-electric pick-up truck. Electrification is coming to the wider pick-up market, with Tesla launching its Cybertruck, Ford having built the all-electric F-150 Lighting and planning a plug-in hybrid power for the Ranger, and Isuzu announcing that its electric truck is on the way.

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