Thinking about a Toyota Highlander? Its running costs in Singapore come from a few big items: the COE, road tax and car insurance. This review goes through each one with the figures we have, then lists the costs that depend on the owner.
Insurance figures here are examples for one stated driver, read on 20 October 2026. They are a guide to the pattern, not your quote.
Which Highlander
There is no new-car list entry for the Highlander on sale now, so no list price is given. Our quote form has one version:
- Highlander 2.5 Hybrid: 2,487cc
The figures that follow are for the Highlander 2.5 Hybrid, the version most of our insurers quote.
COE
The Highlander 2.5 Hybrid has a 2,487cc engine, above 1,600cc. It needs a Category B COE. In the October 2026 1st round, Category B closed at S$130,100.
Each bidding round sets a new figure. The COE page has the latest. If you buy used, check how many years remain on the car's COE.
Road tax for a 2,487cc engine
LTA's formula puts road tax for this engine at S$1,783.36 a year, before any surcharge for age. It is one of the larger fixed costs of keeping a Highlander.
After a car's tenth year, a surcharge applies:
- Over 10 years: +10%
- Over 11 years: +20%
- Over 12 years: +30%
- Over 13 years: +40%
- Over 14 years: +50%
The road tax page has the sums for other engine sizes.
Insurance: the price page's driver
The Toyota Highlander price page prices this case:
- Car: Highlander 2.5 Hybrid, registered 3 years ago, private use, comprehensive cover
- Driver: 40, married, office job, driving 10 to 19 years
- Record: 50% no-claim discount (NCD), no claims
- Repairs: authorised workshop, no options
7 insurers price it. The lowest is S$841.31 a year. The insurer whose lowest plan is dearest asks at least S$1,602.07, which is S$760.76 more, or 90% on top. All prices include 9% GST.
Nine insurers on our panel have no online price for the Highlander yet. With fewer quotes to hand, the gap between them matters all the more.
When you set the quotes side by side, check that each one is for the same cover. The page assumes comprehensive cover, an authorised workshop and no add-ons. A quote that differs on any of these is not a like-for-like comparison. The quote form lets you change each answer and see the effect.
The excess
Every plan carries an excess, the part of each claim you pay. On this page it goes from S$0 to S$3,000, and most plans carry S$600. A plan priced low may have an excess far above the usual. Read the two together.
How the price reacts to change
The price page shows the lowest price when one detail changes:
- No NCD (0%): S$1,909.68, S$1,068.37 more
- 20% NCD: S$1,416.93, S$575.62 more
- Driver aged 27, 3 years of driving, 30% NCD: S$1,645.77, S$804.46 more
- Driver aged 65, 20 or more years of driving: S$841.31, the same
- A new car, registered this year: S$866.76, S$25.45 more
- A car 8 years old: S$770.30, S$71.01 less
The NCD matters a great deal on this car. Without it, the lowest price is 127% more, more than twice the standard figure. Even a 20% NCD leaves a large gap. The younger driver also pays far more. The 65-year-old pays the same as the driver of 40. An older Highlander is a little cheaper to insure.
If you have a full NCD, these figures show what is at stake in keeping it. They are lowest prices only, and dearer plans can move by other amounts.
Compared with similar cars
For the same driver and car age, the price page sets six cars beside it:
- Honda Odyssey: S$811.71
- Mitsubishi Outlander: S$861.03
- Audi RS 3 Sedan: S$1,310.08
- Audi RS 3 Sportback: S$1,310.08
- Chevrolet Captiva: S$764.82
- Chevrolet Malibu: S$764.82
Their average lowest price is S$970.42. The Highlander is 13% below it. Three of the six are cheaper to insure: the Odyssey and the two Chevrolets. Other Toyotas are on the Toyota car insurance page.
Costs that depend on you
These differ too much between owners to give a figure.
- Parking: season parking at home, plus work, mall and street parking. Check your HDB or condo rate, and whether the bays suit a large SUV.
- Fuel: set by your mileage and pump prices. The hybrid system uses an electric motor as well as petrol.
- ERP: depends on your routes and timing.
- Servicing and repairs: the service schedule, plus tyres, brakes and batteries in time. Ask a seller for the car's records and what any warranty still covers.
- Depreciation: tied to your buying price, the COE years left and the price you sell at.
A short list of the yearly figures
For the Highlander 2.5 Hybrid, dated as shown:
- Road tax: S$1,783.36 a year, before any age surcharge (LTA's formula, checked 2026-10-19)
- Insurance, the price page's driver: from S$841.31 a year (20 October 2026)
- Insurance, no NCD: from S$1,909.68
- Insurance, a car 8 years old: from S$770.30
For a new COE, Category B closed at S$130,100 in the October 2026 1st round.
Before you buy: car insurance for the Toyota Highlander
Before you drive off, get your car insurance through Shenton Brokers. Compare car insurance for the Toyota Highlander to see today's prices from every insurer we compare and how they change with the driver and the car's age. Or get a quote with your own details.