How Much Does The Toyota Alphard Cost & Why Isn't It Available In The US?

Toyota debuted the original Alphard model back in 2002, and ever since, the luxurious minivan has been absent from American shores. On the face of it, that seems a great shame, as the Alphard is seemingly the perfect minivan. It's spacious, well-equipped, and remarkably efficient too, especially in the case of the 2025 model, which is available as a plug-in hybrid.

Toyota designed the Alphard to offer superior levels of comfort to passengers, making it ideal as both a high-end family vehicle or a respectable vehicle for business use. Higher trim levels come equipped with reclining, heated, and ventilated leather seats, a drop-down 14-inch entertainment screen for rear passengers, and a multitude of advanced safety features. Prices for the best-equipped models are quite expensive — the hybrid Executive Lounge model costs 10,650,000 yen (roughly $74,000), although the entry-level X grade kicks off at a much more reasonable 5,100,000 yen (roughly $35,500).

So, why hasn't the Alphard made it over to the U.S. throughout its entire 23-year lifespan? The answer is quite simple: Toyota didn't design it for success in America. Instead, the Alphard has been tailored for domestic success, and adapting it to be as effective as possible in America may dilute its suitability for Japan. Furthermore, America has been slowly falling out of love with the minivan for some years now, and so introducing the Alphard would surely be a confusing move for Toyota to make.

The Alphard isn't a small car, by any stretch – it's a minivan which can seat up to eight, depending on how it's configured. However, when compared to the North American equivalent, the Toyota Sienna — Toyota's highly-rated AWD minivan — it's clear to see that the Alphard has been treated to a stricter diet to suit Japanese roads. The Sienna measures at 203.7 inches long, while the Alphard which checks in at 197 inches. The American minivan is wider, too, at 78.5 inches to the Alphard's 72.8. While the Sienna isn't astronomically larger, it would seem counterintuitive to introduce a smaller minivan to compete alongside the already established Sienna. It's also one of the most luxurious Toyota models ever made, in higher trims, and it might strike U.S. customers as unusual that the smaller Alphard focuses more on quality and comfort than the larger, more practical Sienna.

What's more, the Alphard's starting price is around $35,500 (converted from Japanese yen), which is only marginally cheaper than a brand-new Sienna. There simply isn't enough of a gulf in pricing to justify bringing the Alphard stateside. It may sway some Sienna customers into a slight saving, but it's unlikely to bring any new customers Toyota's way, especially when you consider that minivan sales account for only a few percent of the total U.S. car-buying market.