2026 Toyota HiLux leaked! New Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max rival debuts mean new grille in brochure images: reports

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2026 Toyota Hilux render (Image: bfmsoficial)
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
22 Jul 2025
2 min read

The new Toyota HiLux appears to have been leaked in an international presentation, with the 2026 model debuting a new-look front-end, bolder wheel arches and a new LED light treatment.

It's not known whether the new look is the same as the one that will arrive in Australia, but if these are official images as is being reported, then they'd be in keeping with what we think we know so far about the new HiLux – namely that it would be an evolution rather than a revolution that carries-over much of the important stuff from the current-gen model.

The 2026 model is expected to persevere with Toyota's 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine, aided (as it is now) by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system.

We haven't yet seen the interior of the new HiLux, but it's in the cabin where the bigger changes are expected to appear, with new materials and the addition of the Ranger-rivalling technology, including new screens.

Plug-in hybrid and even hydrogen-fuelled options are on the horizon, but there aren't any major powertrain updates expected at launch – and a question over whether the HiLux's now-ageing platform could even be retrofitted for green energy solutions.

It's more likely those options will appear some way down the track, when another new HiLux is debuted. In fact, CarsGuide has previously reported on a potential two-model HiLux strategy, where this 'new' model is joined by a genuinely all-new ute primed for electrification.

All will be revealed soon enough, with the new HiLux expected to debut in the coming months, ahead of a launch in either late 2025 or early 2026.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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