There are few vehicles that have survived quite as much cultural mileage as the Toyota Hilux. It’s been blown up, drowned, and driven through everything including the side of a volcano. If cockroaches ever start a building firm, they’ll drive Hiluxes.
So when Toyota says the ninth-generation model will be available as a battery-electric, a hybrid, and eventually a hydrogen fuel-cell pickup, the first reaction is… curiosity. How do you electrify something so famous for surviving the absence of electricity altogether?
The answer may lie in Toyota’s now-familiar “multipath” philosophy - the idea that there’s no single road to decarbonisation, only a network of them.
When it comes to the new Hilux, in one direction lies a 59.2 kWh battery powering twin e-axles, in another, a 48 V hybrid system built around the 2.8-litre diesel, and further along, a hydrogen stack borrowed from the Mirai which is due to become speccable from dealers in 2028.
Still a proper truck
The battery-electric Hilux arrives first, next month, in December 2025. And apart from the bumpers and interior, the classic ruggedness (or stubborn old-fashioned-ness, depending on who you ask) of the Hilux is still alive.
The body-on-frame chassis remains. So does the wading depth, the off-road geometry, and the clever torque vectoring that makes light work of mud and gravel. Rear leaf springs and drum brakes also come as standard.
The BEV version will tow 1.6 tonnes, carry 715 kg, and travel around 240 km on a charge - modest numbers one might say, not exactly ideal for polar explorers, charging power tools off the inverter, or hauling a plant trailer up the M6. But for airports, quarries and greening up the fleet to get those tidy public sector jobs, this should do just fine.
Next comes the 48 V hybrid in spring 2026, aimed at the bulk of European buyers who still need diesel dependability but wouldn’t mind a little electrical civility. This one will still use the same 2.8-litre engine lump found in the Land Cruiser, but with smoother throttle response and quieter low-speed running. Toyota says the motor-generator sits high on the block so that wading depth isn’t compromised - essential in such a machine.
The familiar, refined
Visually, it’s still rather unmistakably Hilux - square-shouldered, tough, utilitarian. But this time the edges have been dressed.
The “Tough and Agile” design theme borrows from the new Land Cruiser, giving it a more planted stance and slimmer headlights that nod to urban sensibility without losing the farmyard posture.
This time, only one body style remains - the Double Cab - but that doesn’t matter so much because that’s the one people actually buy.
Inside, Toyota’s played catch-up with a 12.3-inch driver display, a matching infotainment screen, and creature comforts like wireless charging and rear USB ports.
Even the steering’s gone electric, at least for Western Europe. It’ll be more comfortable on road, and off road may save a loose rut from snapping your thumb off.
Hydrogen from 2028
And then there’s the hydrogen Hilux. Confirmed for production in 2028, it’ll use Toyota’s latest Mirai-saloon-car-derived fuel cell stack, drawing on the prototypes already built and tested in Derbyshire.
Toyota says it’ll “add stimulus to a wider roll-out of hydrogen eco-systems and infrastructure in Europe” - which, in plain English, means Toyota’s quite serious about the universe’s most abundant element becoming the fuel of the future.
A hydrogen pickup makes practical sense: electric drive, five minute refuelling, and the range to handle the sort of jobs batteries can grumble at. In Europe, at least.
Pioneering the world over might be tricky though, there’s only about five filling stations in the UK, and last time I checked, I don’t think that number is higher in places like Botswana or Mauritania.
I drove one of the prototype hydrogen Hilux fleet around Millbrook test track a few months back which was surprisingly good, even in it's development guise. Electric drive does work fantastically well for this type of application: quiet, torquey, and really very smooth.
The closing thought
The new Hilux is a modern pickup for a modern energy supply chain. Toyota hasn’t tried to rewrite what the Hilux is; it’s simply made sure it still fits the decade ahead.
Diesel, hybrid, battery or hydrogen, the formula hasn’t changed: build something that’ll keep going long after everything else gives up.
We’ll just have to see how it handles the job - that will be proven, in time.
