2026 Toyota HiAce LWB review

The current-generation Toyota HiAce van went on sale in 2019, and soldiers on into 2026 with only minor changes compared to the van that first launched here almost seven years ago.

Last year, Toyota added a centre airbag, more advanced adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, safe exit warning, and other minor changes.

Arguably, Toyota didn’t need to do much. The HiAce is Australia’s favourite van in the 2.5 to 3.5-tonne class, accounting for 49.7 per cent of sales in the segment in 2025.

The market is evolving fast, however, with new plug-in hybrid and EV options arriving, and a slew of cheaper Chinese vans looking to eat into the HiAce’s market domination.

To assess the threat, we put the revised HiAce through its paces.

Even the most basic HiAce starts at over $50,000 after changes made last year. Add an automatic, as most operators do, and start looking at an extra sliding door or rear barn doors, and the pricing goes up.

While the initial outlay sounds high, a lot of fleet buyers bank on getting 400,000 or 500,000km out of the life of a HiAce, making the cost over its lifetime more palatable.

The HiAce LWB tested here is the smaller of two available body styles in the range, with the LWB (long wheelbase) being the shorter of the two and an SLWB (super-long wheelbase) version also available.

All versions are powered by a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine, also found in the HiLux, but with a slightly less powerful state of tune at 130kW and 420Nm for the manual version, or 450Nm with an automatic.

Pricing starts from $51,880 before on-road costs for the six-speed manual HiAce LWB, and rises by $2000 for the automatic. Only one colour is available, French Vanilla white, with no alternative offered, even as an option.

With the four-door package that adds a right sliding door in addition to the standard left sliding door, and rear barn doors, the base price of the HiAce tested here is $54,630 before on-road costs.

Other options not fitted include a GL Package for $1000 that includes painted bumpers and door handles, front fog lights, additional chrome front and rear, and a digital rear-view mirror.

It’s also possible to order the glazed left sliding door as a steel panel door, or to factory-order rear barn doors without the right sliding door. That’s before jumping into the huge range of available dealer-fitted accessories to customise the HiAce inside and out.

Pricing for the Ford Transit Custom starts from $56,590 plus on-road costs with a 125kW/390Nm 2.0-litre turbo diesel and eight-speed automatic. Short- and long-wheelbase versions are available.

The Hyundai Staria Load range kicks off from $50,890 with a 130kW/430Nm 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine and eight-speed automatic. Only one body length is offered for the Staria Load.

The LDV Deliver 7 range takes over from the cheaper G10 van, offering improved features and a more modern interior. Pricing starts from $46,305 plus on-road costs, with $43,990 pricing for ABN holders.

The Deliver 7 features a 123kW/390Nm 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine and nine-speed automatic. A choice of short- and long-wheelbase is available.

Official fuel consumption for the HiAce LWB automatic is rated at 7.8 litres per 100 kilometres.

Real-world consumption on a van is going to vary massively based on route type and payload. On a simulated cycle of depot to door-to-door delivery, we recorded 9.2L/100km while lightly loaded.

Toyota does include an idle-stop system to shut the engine down when stationary, but more often than not, the system doesn't engage and only activated a handful of times during our week with the HiAce.

A decent-sized 70-litre fuel tank means driving range from a full tank works out to almost 900km at Toyota’s claimed consumption, or around 760km based on the as-tested figure achieved for this review.

The Toyota HiAce range comes only as a non-hybrid turbo diesel in Australia.

The ‘V-Active’ mild-hybrid system found on some versions of the HiLux ute hasn't yet made its way to the HiAce range.

Petrol engines offered overseas, including a 2.7-litre four-cylinder and 3.5-litre V6, aren’t offered in Australia either. The V6 was sold here for a couple of years after this generation launched, but was a slow seller and can be hard to find on the second-hand market.

While it’s impossible to rule out the introduction of a hybrid version, most likely a version of the mild-hybrid from the HiLux, Toyota has not officially confirmed anything for the HiAce as of the time of writing this review.

For most HiAce owners, Toyota’s warranty will cover the vehicle for five years or 160,000km when used commercially. If you’re one of the rare HiAce owners who buy and use your vehicle privately, the warranty is five years with no kilometre limit.

Genuine accessories fitted at the time of purchase are also covered by a five-year warranty, or if purchased later, warranty coverage is the remainder of the new vehicle warranty period or two years from the date of purchase – whichever is longer.

Roadside assist is offered for five years too, matching the warranty that applies depending on how the vehicle is used. Toyota also offers up to two years' extension on roadside assist and powertrain warranty for private buyers, but not for commercially used vehicles. Your Toyota dealer can offer more info on what’s applicable to you.

Servicing is covered by Toyota’s capped-price program. HiAce models have a six-month/10,000km service interval priced at $365 per service for the first 10 visits.

The fixed cost program makes for easily managed running costs, but for some businesses, having to take two days a year off the road (or more for high-kilometre vehicles) can be an inconvenience.

Toyota’s program adds up to $2190 over three years, $2920 over four, or $3650 for five years of scheduled servicing. Ford is a little cheaper, with a four-year plan for the Transit Custom priced at $2000, while Hyundai prices Staria servicing at $2036 over four years and $2483 for five years.

Both Ford and Hyundai also set their service schedule at 12-month intervals with a distance limit of 30,000km for the Transit Custom or 15,000km for the Staria Load. Cautious customers may find 30,000km between oil changes a little extreme, so Toyota’s more regular interval is a good way to keep an eye on any issues before they arise.

Running the numbers for comprehensive insurance, the HiAce was quoted at $2678 per year. Using the same details for a 30-year-old male driver from Chatswood, NSW, covering up to 15,000km per year, a Staria Load was slightly cheaper at $2515, but the Transit Custom and Deliver 7 were quoted at a more expensive $3651 and $3699 respectively.

The Toyota HiAce had its safety credentials retested in 2025, as this model’s initial 2019 scores were approaching their expiry date.

While many cars on the market forgo an ANCAP retest, the HiAce is expected to remain on sale for many years to come. Toyota knows that to keep fleets that demand five-star safety on side, the HiAce needed to secure a refreshed five-star score.

The five-star result passed with an 80 per cent adult occupant protection rating (the lowest possible for five stars), 86 per cent for child occupant protection, 87 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 81 per cent for safety assist technology.

An update in mid-2025 saw features like a front centre airbag, lane-keep assist, safe exit alert, occupant reminder, and full-speed-range (to 0km/h) adaptive cruise control added.

Other included safety equipment covers things like automatic high beam, a reversing camera, front and rear park sensors, and SOS call via the connected multimedia system (more on that later).

Systems work well on the road. There were no false alerts from the autonomous emergency braking system, but the lane-keeping system can be slow to react and sometimes pulls annoyingly at the wheel, while at other times it lets the vehicle drift out of its lane.

Crucially, the reverse camera gives a clear view of what’s behind and makes it easy to place the vehicle into a tight loading bay. The exterior mirrors feel a little compact at first glance, but provide a wide-enough field of view for a clear look behind.

The HiAce hasn't had any styling revisions since its 2019 debut, so the basic stubby-bonnet shape, black bumpers, and silver grille are all very familiar by now.

A little disappointingly, that also means the HiAce sticks with halogen headlights instead of potentially brighter LEDs. Black bumpers are designed to bear the brunt of minor impacts, but coloured bumpers are an option.

Rather than clog the dealer network with coloured cars that are slow to move, every HiAce in Australia is white. It's up to you to repaint or wrap in your fleet colours.

Perhaps most interesting is that Toyota doesn’t offer an accessory glazing kit for the sides. While most buyers are no doubt happy with the security of all-steel body sides, adding some exterior visibility requires ordering spare parts, with no quick and easy conversion kit like rivals offer.

Rear doors on the barn door model offer 180-degree opening, but can't fold flat against the body sides. A lock rod can be used to hold them open at 90 degrees.

The cabin of the HiAce is about as simple as you’ll find, aligning with its work-first role in life.

The inset step makes it easy to climb into, and the fairly flat seats reduce the need to move around bolstering when making frequent stops. Somehow, though, Toyota has managed to keep the seat support comfortable, helped by adjustable lumbar support for the driver.

The dash is all hard-wearing plastics, but the steering wheel is surprisingly leather-wrapped. It’s nice to hold, but could start to show signs of age a little earlier than a urethane wheel.

Rather than fill the dash with storage nooks and shelves, the HiAce comes with a trio of cupholders, and moves document and device storage to between the front seats.

The big console has a lidded bin with a recessed lid, a holder frame up front to keep clipboards or tablets in check, further floor-level storage, and a pair of cupholders at the back. It’s great for keeping carry-on items in place, but it stands in the way of being able to slide across to the passenger side to exit the vehicle.

It’s also a block between the passenger area and the cargo bay. Unlike Euro vans, which have a divider built in, the HiAce doesn’t, but the console prevents easy access from front to back and means deliveries need to be accessed from the side or rear doors, instead of a quick walk-through collection.

The cargo area is essentially a blank canvas, ready to be customised to your needs.

The painted metal floor has six pre-installed tie-down points, but the sides are bare, save for wood panelling on the lower half. In an attempt to keep noise down, the textile headlining extends the full length of the roof, but this makes it prone to marks and impacts from what’s inside.

Genuine accessories include metal cargo bay inner panels, internal roof-mounted ladder racks, an air-con curtain, mesh or solid cargo barriers, and rubber mats for the rear of the HiAce.

Cargo dimensions measure 2530mm long, a maximum of 1760mm side-to-side (or 1268mm between the rear wheels), all measured at floor level. The cargo height is 1340mm.

Toyota rates capacity at 6.2 cubic metres. The HiAce is also big enough inside to fit two Australian pallets (at 1165mm x 1165mm).

Payload is 1095kg for barn door-equipped models (or 20kg higher with a tailgate), but towing capacity may be a weak spot with a maximum braked capacity of 1500kg and an unbraked maximum of just 400kg.

Arguably, cutting-edge infotainment isn't the main reason anyone is looking at a HiAce, but as Chinese brands sweep in with big screens and advanced connectivity, the HiAce is a little more modest.

The screen is an 8.0-inch display, but there’s plenty of room within the double-DIN housing to upsize by an inch. AM/FM/DAB radio, satellite navigation, and Bluetooth are included.

Toyota also includes wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto – but without a wireless charger, you may be better off plugging in anyway to keep your device charged for a day on the road if you use smartphone mirroring.

A little oddly, there’s only one USB-A port. In an era where point-of-sale terminals, phones, laptops, rechargeable tools and more need to be topped up during the day, Toyota could be a bit more generous with fast-charging ports.

CarPlay integration isn’t great. I experienced bugs and lag from the system, and the noisy cabin means using voice-to-text or even hearing a phone call was hard work at highway speeds.

The HiAce's 2025 update added a 7.0-inch digital instrument display, putting a large digital speedo at the centre of its screen. There are also clear displays for speed limit info and adaptive cruise control for ease of use.

A year of complimentary Toyota Connected Services features comes standard. This allows stolen vehicle tracking, SOS emergency calls, and basic vehicle info from a paired app. 

For fleet customers, Toyota offers Toyota Halo providing vehicle location info, driver tracking, alerts for dangerous driving, and other fleet management tools. Halo replaces Connected Services, so it’s not possible to run both at the same time.

Pricing for Halo plans starts from $15 per vehicle per month. Connected Services access is priced from $9.95 per month after the initial complimentary period.

The HiAce does as much as it can to minimise the complications of driving. The controls and interface are simple, and little touches, like the gear selector pushed up to near the steering wheel, show Toyota knows how vehicles like this are likely to be used.

Newer features like an auto-applying electric park brake and auto hold when stopped aren't huge breakthroughs, but they minimise the risk of driver error. That’s handy for anyone under time pressure who may be thinking steps ahead at any given time.

Manual models retain a manual park brake and rear drum brakes, by the way, but autos get the park brake upgrade and rear discs.

The 2.8-litre diesel engine won’t win any points for refinement. It is slow to rev, can be noisy, and vibrates away under the bonnet. While it may be down on power compared to the HiLux, the HiAce has longevity in mind.

Although it builds speed slowly, the strong torque means that even when loaded up, the HiAce feels almost as swift as it would empty.

The six-speed automatic is quite smooth, and while it’s not the quickest between gears and doesn’t have advanced electronics to tailor its shift program to driver inputs, it’s resolute in the gear it picks and doesn't need to hunt or fuss-about for the right gear on the road.

Steering effort is low, which is handy for anyone wheeling in and out of stops all day, and for a vehicle over five metres in length, the turning circle feels tight, making it incredibly easy to accurately park the HiAce in a loading bay or tight parking space.

Ride isn't class-leading; competitors like the Ford Transit Custom and Hyundai Staria feel more composed when empty, but the HiAce becomes settled once a payload is added, feeling more stable and secure.

Refinement is a low point for the HiAce, and how you fit out the rear could make an impact here.

The empty cargo bay makes for an echo chamber of tyre noise and road roar. The big, cubic shape generates wind noise, and the engine provides a constant hum.

At the time of writing, Toyota doesn't have specific promotions or offers on the HiAce range, but traditionally the brand releases deals or promotions closer to the end of financial year, so if you can wait until then, it could be a more cost-effective time to buy.

With plenty of movement in the market, you can check out the latest HiAce details, including any changes to specifications, pricing, promotional offers, and recall info by visiting the Toyota HiAce news hub on Drive.

Toyota's strength lies in the relative simplicity of models like the HiAce. It’s up to speed with contemporary competitors, but doesn't push boundaries with unproven or unfamiliar systems and technology.

While that may not work for image-driven private buyers, for fleets watching maintenance costs and resale values, it’s a huge deciding factor.

Toyota’s popularity in the segment is not by accident either. Toyota knows what buyers are after, and has made sure the HiAce delivers on key areas.

While it may be approaching seven years on sale in its current generation, the knack of getting it right the first time means only small changes have been required to keep it up to date. Refreshed five-star safety is a great example.

I’d urge sole traders and small companies with a van in mind to at least look at two options, and make sure the HiAce is one of them before committing to anything else.

Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.

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