• Highlander EV uses an electronic popper with hidden manual release.
  • A small tab inside the handle serves as a built-in mechanical backup.
  • The setup reflects growing focus on EV safety and everyday usability.

Spend five minutes around a modern car, especially an electric one, and you will notice something curious. Door handles have morphed into design statements, tech showcases, and sometimes awkward little puzzle games that feel one step away from becoming a liability.

Some pop out theatrically, some sit flush until summoned, others attempt both, and an increasing number rely entirely on electronic latches that only function when the car has full power. Toyota’s new Highlander appears ready to break new ground with a hidden feature few will notice at first.

More: China Officially Bans Pop-Out Door Handles, And The World May Follow

During our time up close and personal with the SUV, one small feature stood out. The main exterior handle leverages a small pad to activate an electric door latch. That’s not groundbreaking, but what’s next to it might be.

Did You Notice The Tiny Tab?

New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity

Photos Stephen Rivers/Carscoops

Inside of the stationary recessed door handle lies a tiny tab. Roughly the size of a postage stamp, it’s designed to be pulled independently by someone outside the car, including, knock on wood, emergency crews. Unlike the main handle, the tiny piece has a clear pictogram suggesting it’s a manual release.

Read: The New 2027 Toyota Highlander Drops Gas And Goes All-Electric

Next to it is a removable section for a keyhole. Getting into this electric SUV, should it ever lose power, is as easy as inserting a key, engaging the manual latch, and pulling on it. Notably, the pull tab did nothing for us when we were in person and tinkering around with it.

New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity

Photos Stephen Rivers/Carscoops

Toyota clarified to Carscoops that the prototypes didn’t have functional versions of the handle. The production car will work via a two-step process. Pull once, and the tab will unlock the door. Pull twice, and it’ll manually open the door. That’s clever, and it’s worth noting that it’s not just the exterior handles that have this sort of feature.

Manual Backups Built In

New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
Stephen Rivers/Carscoops

The inside handles are similar to the ones we’ve seen on Lexus vehicles for some time. Users can push the door button for the electric latch to release, or they can pull it to manually open the latch. That’s just one more piece of safety baked into the all-new Highlander.

More: Trapped Tesla Owner Couldn’t Find The Door Release And Now Feds Want Answers

In a world where even door handles have gone digital, a simple mechanical fallback feels less like nostalgia and more like common sense. Toyota’s solution is not flashy, and it does not need to be. As cars pile on electronics for even the most basic tasks, a simple physical solution may turn out to be the smartest feature of all.

New Toyota Highlander Goes All-Electric, But Its Door Handles Don’t Fully Trust Electricity
Stephen Rivers/Carscoops