Toyota Australia has announced it has successfully tested a low-carbon fuel that could replace conventional diesel in current and older versions of its HiLux ute, with other models including the LandCruiser and LandCruiser Prado set to follow.
The 100 per cent low-carbon liquid fuel (LCLF) is a hydrotreated vegetable oil known as HVO100.
As part of a trial with fuel supplier Ampol, it’s being tested as a direct replacement for conventional diesel in a range of Toyota models, beginning with the HiLux, the brand’s best-selling diesel vehicle.
Toyota and Ampol have tested the fuel in the current HiLux, as well as earlier versions powered by the 1GD and 2GD diesel engines dating back to 2015. The Japanese automaker says there are more than 500,000 examples of the previous N80 and current N90 generations of HiLux on Australian roads.
All current Toyota diesel models are already compatible with a 20 per cent LCLF blend, the automaker said, but the new testing expands this to 100 per cent LCLF, meaning no fossil diesel is required.
HVO100 is produced from renewable sources such as vegetable oil and recycled cooking oil and has a higher cetane number than conventional fossil-based diesel.
This provides better ignition quality and more stable combustion, while HVO100 also contains lower levels of sulphur and aromatic compounds.
No vehicle modifications are required to use the alternative fuel, meaning owners wouldn’t face the expense of converting their vehicles.
“The confirmation that HiLux models from 2015 onwards can run on 100 per cent hydrotreated vegetable oil is validation that the vehicle technology exists today,” said Toyota Australia president and CEO Matthew Callachor.
“By bringing together the automotive and energy sectors, we have an opportunity to improve fuel security and reduce emissions from both new and existing vehicles.”
The announcement follows record diesel prices in Australia, with bowser prices reaching as high as $3.50 per litre earlier this year amid conflict in the Middle East.
The price surge placed a renewed spotlight on fuel security and coincided with a spike in electric vehicle (EV) sales.
EVs reached a record market share of 23.3 per cent in June 2026, while diesel’s share fell from 28.7 per cent in January to 23.5 per cent in July.
The Tesla Model Y became the first EV to top Australia’s monthly new-vehicle sales charts, doing so in both May and June, before the hybrid-only Toyota RAV4 took the number-one spot in July.
The HiLux, HiAce, LandCruiser Prado, LandCruiser 70 Series and LandCruiser 300 Series are the only models in Toyota Australia’s mainstream lineup still offered with diesel power, with most of the brand’s passenger-car range going hybrid-only in mid-2024.
Its only non-hybrid petrol models are sold under the GR performance banner, including the GR Yaris, GR Corolla and GR86 sports car – although successors to these models could adopt hybrid power as Toyota prepares to resurrect the Celica and MR2 names.
Toyota launched a battery-electric version of its new-generation HiLux in May 2026 and has also announced plans to add a hydrogen fuel-cell electric (FCEV) HiLux to its Australian lineup in 2028.
