2025 Toyota Prado vs Ford Everest comparison review

Australians love their SUVs, and while the market for mid-size examples proves to be largest in total sales, two of our most popular models overall exist in the large, sub-$80k segment: the Toyota Prado and Ford Everest. 

Both are built with similar philosophies, taking proper off-road capability and adding around-town manners, convenience, and everyday liveability. With the Everest having entered a new, highly regarded generation in 2022 and the Prado getting its first all-new update in 15 years in 2024, we decided it was time to peg two of Australia’s most popular SUVs against each other to see which reigns supreme. 

2025 Toyota Prado vs Ford Everest price and equipment 

We grabbed the highest-selling variant in each model’s range for this showdown, with these models hitting that ‘sweet spot’ of value and kit for many buyers. 

For the Everest, this is the Sport grade optioned with the more powerful V6 diesel engine. It lands at $74,640 before on-road costs and sits above the cheaper, four-cylinder Ambiente and Trend grades, and below Tremor and flagship Platinum in the Everest line-up. 

In the Prado, the GXL trim has been selected, one grade higher than entry-level GX, and exceeded by VX, Altitude and Kakadu variants. Dearer than the Everest, it can be had for $79,990 before on-roads. 

Turbo-diesel engines power both, however the Prado’s sole option is a 2.8-litre four-cylinder mated to a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, while the Everest Sport is available with either a 2.0-litre four-cylinder or the larger 3.0-litre V6 we have here. As expected, this puts the Everest’s 184kW/600Nm outputs above the Prado’s 150kW/500Nm. 

A full-time four-wheel-drive system is standard on both V6 Everest and Prado, driven through 10- and eight-speed autos respectively, however only the Everest picks up a locking rear differential at our tested trim levels. While Toyota reps say increased chassis stiffness in the Prado has done away with the need for one (despite still fitting the component to the flagship Kakadu trim), it feels like missing kit if you’re a buyer keen on tackling some hardcore off-roading.   

Warranties for both run five-year, unlimited-kilometre periods, though Prado owners will be spending a little more time in Toyota service centre waiting rooms, with six-month/10,000km intervals compared to the Everest’s 12-month/15,000km. 

AdBlue is required for both engines, and while Everest owners may just make it from one service to the next without a top-up (Ford states a refill is required ever 12,000-16,000km), Prado owners will need a refill roughly every 8,000km. 

The Prado GXL gets a raft of upgrades over its GX trim, including a third row of seating added (bringing the total seats to seven), tri-zone climate control, a power tailgate, heated and ventilated front seats (with eight-way electric adjustability for the driver) with synthetic leather, rear privacy glass, wireless charging, and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror. 

These are in addition to LED headlights, 7.0- and 12.3-inch instrument and infotainment displays with sat nav, DAB+ radio and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. 

The Everest is competitive, adding an eight-way adjustable electric seat for front passengers (versus the Prado’s manually adjusted unit), with drivers getting 10-way adjustability with a memory function on theirs. As with the Prado, the Everest’s front seats are also heated and ventilated, however real leather accenting is used. 

Its 8.0- and 12.0-inch driver and infotainment displays are similar in size to the Prado’s and tick all the same boxes for connectivity. 

Comparable standard kit but a lower asking price and larger engine really favours the Everest here. Add less frequent service intervals and AdBlue refills, and the Everest takes our pick for value. 

2025 Toyota Prado vs Ford Everest cabin space and comfort 

The Prado and Everest bring very different approaches to interior layout and styling. While the Prado presents a sleeker, more modern fit-out, the Everest uses more industrial design cues, with large air vents and dials for climate control giving a more rough 'n' ready feel. 

Front seats provide good comfort in both; however the Prado’s are the more supportive. Steering wheels have a good in-hand feel across both models, and overall driving ergonomics are well sorted – as expected from two brands that have been around for as long as Ford and Toyota have. 

Frontal visibility is about on par, despite the Everest’s much taller nose. If this has been solved via a higher seating position in the Ford, it’s not really noticeable jumping from car to car. A low window line on both means visibility for passengers is no issue in either. 

Middle row seating provides ample comfort and space in both, however it’s when you move further back that the largest interior discrepancies emerge. Vying for space with the fuel tank and underslung full-size spare wheel, the Prado’s hybrid system’s battery pack has been placed under the floor. The result is a raised section and third-row seating that cannot fold flat – poorly remedied by a flimsy, removable compartment. 

With third-row seats up, cargo capacity in the Prado measures just 182 litres, down 30 per cent on the Everest’s 259 litres. The higher floor also makes the ingress of heavier cargo more difficult. 

The winner for this one will come down to use cases. For buyers with smaller families, lesser cargo space requirements and more infrequent need for rear-row seating, the Prado wins out thanks to sharper cabin design, better front seat support and a more logical layout of controls (with fewer hidden inside touchscreen menus). 

For larger families, and those who need every cubic litre of storage capacity possible, the Everest takes the win for being more practical overall. 

2025 Toyota Prado vs Ford Everest performance and economy 

The biggest technical difference between the Prado and Everest is arguably in what engine can be specified in each. While 200cc of capacity is not a huge difference between the Prado’s 2.8-litre diesel and the Ford’s 3.0-litre V6, the result on road is much larger than it and the 34kW and 100Nm difference would suggest on paper. 

More cylinders, with lesser capacity in each, means the Everest’s V6 trumps the Prado’s four for overall smoothness and refinement. It comes to life at start-up with a degree of composure and smoothness that’s almost petrol engine-like when compared to the Prado’s somewhat agricultural wiggle and tremor. 

Surprisingly, despite being down on power and torque, the Prado feels the nimbler of the two off the mark thanks in part to the slick implementation of its mild-hybrid system. This benefit, however, is short-lived, with the four feeling (and sounding) increasingly laboured as speed builds – this being in stark contrast to the Everest, which accelerates more effortlessness as it works up towards highway speeds. 

The Prado’s eight-speed auto feels the superior of the duo compared to the Everest’s 10-speed unit, though. More responsive and decisive, it provides a better match for city driving and is less likely to be caught out during last-minute decision-making by drivers. 

The mere 200cc capacity differential seems equally overstated when you get to the bowser. During our test loop, mixed between urban, freeway and backroad routes, the Prado delivered a consumption figure of just 8.0L/100km compared to the Everest’s 10.3L – a whopping 28 per cent difference in consumption for a seven per cent difference in engine capacity. 

So if saving at that the bowser is your top priority, the Prado is the obvious choice. We also prefer the Toyota’s gearbox, especially when driving around town. However in every other metric (performance, refinement and smoothness, not to mention its extra power/torque and capacity when towing), the Everest’s V6 is the winner.  

2025 Toyota Prado vs Ford Everest ride and handling 

Ride and handling is where these two models may differ the most. 

The Prado’s handling is unexpectedly sporty, revealing great mid-corner balance and sharpness that feel at odds with its substantial heft and size. 

The trade-off for this competence comes by way of suspension stiffness – something we speculate was done (especially in the rear) in the pursuit of offsetting the additional weight of the hybrid system. At best, the ride is sporty with a few jars and jolts; at worst, over road imperfections at speed, the Prado has a ‘chattering’ effect which grows from tedious to unbearable depending on the length of the stretch of road. 

It's the opposite in the Everest: bumps are nicely absorbed before disturbing the cabin, but the everyday comfort brought by this suspension softness also means the body is less controlled when entering corners. 

Steering weight and feel, and brake pedal feedback are also superior in the Prado by some margin, with the Toyota’s newer electric power steering being so well calibrated that it makes the Everest feel decades older by comparison. 

Here, the Prado and Everest go tit-for-tat, however the places where the Prado are superior are less relevant for a family SUV than where the Everest does. For a long holiday drive, we’ll take a supple ride over mid-corner agility every day of the week. The Everest tallies up another win. 

2025 Toyota Prado vs Ford Everest safety 

Being family SUVs, both the Everest and Prado have a strong focus on safety, achieving five-star ANCAP ratings respectively. 

Dive further into the numbers and it shows how fierce the competition really is: the Everest scores 86 per cent for adult occupant protection, 93 per cent for child occupant protection, 74 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 86 per cent for safety assists, for a total score of 339 out of a possible 400. 

The Prado just beats it, scoring 85 per cent for adult occupant protection, 89 per cent for child occupant protection, 84 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 82 per cent for safety assists, for a total score of 340. 

Both models are equipped with nine airbags, autonomous emergency braking (forward and behind), lane-keep assist, and a plethora of cameras and sensors. 

This one comes down to a razor’s edge, but intuition says the Prado’s more composed handling would make it marginally more able to avoid a collision in the first place. 

The verdict 

Despite being built to similar recipes, the Prado and Everest provide vastly different packages, going to show that buyers aren’t starved for choice in one of Australia’s more popular segments. 

Ultimately, we have to give the win to the Ford Everest. To be comparably (and in some instances, better) equipped than the Prado for $5350 less – even when optioned with a more expensive and superior V6 – swings the needle too far for the Toyota to claw back.