Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Review & Prices

The Toyota RAV4 was one of the original crop of SUVs in the 1990s that looked cool and rugged but really wasn’t meant to go off-road.. The latest model follows a similar formula, and as a result the current Toyota RAV4 is a fantastically family-friendly SUV with a hybrid engine, a roomy cabin and a big boot.

It’s totally the car equivalent of the sensible shoe - sporty-looking on the outside but what people really buy it for is the wipe-clean upper and the comfortable insoles.

The RAV4 was formerly available as a self-charging hybrid, but now it’s offered only as the RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid. Alternatives are many, varied, and generally very good, and they include the Skoda Kodiaq, Honda CR-V, Volkswagen Tiguan, Kia Sportage, MG HS and Citroen C5 Aircross to name but a few.

Widen your horizons to include SUVs with self-charging hybrid or regular petrol and diesel engines and the choice becomes even harder - if you include fully electric alternatives as well then the RAV4 has quite a job to stand out.

In terms of styling it certainly makes a good go of it. The snarling grille, angular bodywork and flashy alloy wheels could be a bit of an acquired taste, but if you like your car to look a bit mean rather than curvy and cuddly then you’ll probably like it.

The interior also has a lot going for it. Toyota resisted the temptation to put absolutely everything on a touchscreen and instead has covered the dashboard in big, chunky buttons and controls. It feels rugged, hardwearing and really easy to use - a big tick in the box of anybody who’d rather not fiddle about in a touchscreen for every function.

Of course, the RAV4 does still have a touchscreen infotainment system, which got a big upgrade when the car was updated in 2023. It’s still not the easiest system in the world to use, but it’s less fiddly than the touchscreen you get on a Honda CR-V or Citroen C5 Aircross, and it comes with wireless Apple Carplay - though Android users still need to plug in.

The RAV4 is quite large for a five-seater SUV and that pays dividends for interior space - it’s wide enough to seat three adults across the rear bench, with plenty of legroom and headroom. Fitting child seats is a doddle and the boot is 520 litres in capacity - enough for plenty of the trappings of family life.

To drive, the RAV4 feels substantial and reassuring rather than poised and fun. There’s plenty of power from the plug-in hybrid engine, but even if you put your foot down you won’t mistake it for one of its sportier alternatives such as the Cupra Ateca. On the flip side, it’s very comfortable over long journeys, with soft suspension and good refinement.

That’s even more the case if you’re making use of the RAV4’s 46 miles of all-electric range. That's not as high as the best alternatives, such as the Skoda Kodiaq which can do more than 70 miles on a charge, but it’s still a useful distance that should be able to cover most commutes or in-town errands.

And when you run out of juice, the RAV4 continues to operate as a plug-in hybrid - meaning it’s extremely smooth if not the most dynamic.

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The RAV4 plug-in hybrid - not the self-charging hybrid which is available from stock only - starts at just over £44,000. That makes it a few thousand pounds more expensive than a Kia Sportage or a Skoda Kodiaq, but it’s closer to a Volkswagen Tiguan and substantially cheaper than a Honda CR-V. The MG HS is the real value champion of the plug-in hybrid world, but it’s a car from a value brand and you can tell where corners have been cut.

At least all RAV4 models do come well-equipped. There are only two trim levels - Excel and sporty-looking GR Sport - and the former gets 18-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, all-round parking sensors, digital dials, heated seats, leather upholstery and a big touchscreen infotainment system. GR Sport cars get a bodykit and two-tone paintwork, foglights, GR badging, 19-inch alloy wheels, and cool Alcantara seat upholstery.

Quiet, refined and comfortable, but not much fun on a twisty road and alternatives have more all-electric range

In town

In the RAV4 you ride quite high, even by SUV standards, and this combined with relatively thin windscreen pillars and a big rear window means that visibility out is great. The car’s square corners are quite easy to judge, and there are all-round parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard to help with slow-speed manoeuvres.

Running on electric power alone, the RAV4 is as hushed as you could hope for, but the CVT transmission means that even when the engine kicks in you don’t really notice it from a smoothness perspective - you just hear it start up.

Big wheels and soft suspension mean that the RAV4 soaks up most bumps pretty effectively, too. It’s a great car to drive around town.

On the motorway

The RAV4’s engine feels a little bit more strained on the motorway, thanks to the CVT transmission - if you put your foot down to perform an overtake or to merge on a fast sliproad the revs instantly spike and you’re left with what sounds like a mooing from under the bonnet.

It’s better once you’ve settled down to a constant speed, where it’s relatively hushed. You can use your 46 (officially measured) miles of electric range on the motorway, but they’ll soon be wasted - it’s better to save them for town driving. It’s also worth noting that a hybrid car is rarely as efficient on the motorway as a diesel or even a pure petrol, prioritising economy round town instead.

The RAV4’s seats are very comfortable for a long trip and the driver assistance systems work quite well - though even set to its closest distance, the standard adaptive cruise control does seem rather a scaredy-cat and keeps you miles away from the car in front.

On a twisty road

This is not the vehicle for you if an engaging driving experience is a top priority. Few SUVs are, but the RAV4 feels competent enough around corners exhibiting minimal body lean and offering decent grip levels. The SEAT Ateca or Ford Kuga are more fun on a winding road, but the RAV4 is more composed over bumpy roads – arguably the better compromise for a car like this.

The RAV4 will take four adults and their luggage without a problem. The boot is also generously proportioned, but only higher specs get electric seat adjustment and lumbar support

The front seats in the RAV4 are comfortable and offer tons of adjustment and head and leg room are impressive, too. The steering wheel adjusts for rake and reach on all trims.

There’s plenty of storage for personal effects, the front door bins will take large water bottles without a problem, and the central armrest opens up to reveal a further storage area. A wireless charging tray is situated just ahead of the gear lever, with a pair of cupholders just behind it. A little slot below the driver’s side air vent is the perfect spot for wallets, and a little tray in the centre console will take loose keys and coins.

Space in the back seats

The rear seats offer above-average space for taller passengers, and the rear seatbacks can tilt backwards – even if only a little. The two outer seats are comfortable and supportive, although the central pew is narrower and not as comfortable for longer trips. It’s wide enough back there so that three adults won’t have to rub shoulders the whole time, and there’s plenty of space for bulky baby seats, too. The ISOFIX mounting points are hidden behind some fabric padding, so it can be a fiddle to clip them in, though.

Boot space

Luggage capacity is great for the class. The RAV4 offers 520 litres of space, which is good for a plug-in SUV which has to accommodate batteries under the boot floor.

To put things into perspective, the Volkswagen Tiguan offers 490 litres, while the Skoda Kodiaq has a mammoth 745 litres of space.

Aside from the impressive luggage space, the RAV4’s boot is flat and wide, with an adjustable boot floor and a handy flippable floor section that can be wiped clean. Shopping hooks and an elasticated net let you secure smaller items, too. You don’t get a ski hatch and the rear seats only offer a 60:40 split, but those are about the only negative points here.

Chunky styling, fantastic build quality and plenty of buttons - but it’s a bit dark and gloomy and the tech could be better

The RAV4’s interior feels very solidly put-together, a feature common to all Toyotas. It feels a bit old-school in that you get loads of physical switchgear. Not only is there a full panel of climate controls with fantastically chunky, rubberised adjustment knobs - easy to use on the move - but you get a proper switch for changing driving modes and even a big lever-style automatic gear selector.

That may not feel particularly modern compared to something like the VW Tiguan with its minimalist controls, huge touchscreen and dash-mounted gear selector, but it’s much friendlier if you’re upgrading from an older car.

The seats are comfortable and heated as standard, plus it’s easy to find a good driving position regardless of your size.

There are two screens. The first is a 12.3-inch driver information display, which is clear enough but much more basic than the display you get on a Skoda Kodiaq or Volkswagen Tiguan. There’s also a 10.5-inch touchscreen, which does feel a bit small compared to some more modern alternatives.

However, it’s reasonably responsive, and set high up on the dashboard where it’s easy to see. Apple CarPlay is available wirelessly, but Android users will still have to plug in manually, which is a bit of a pain.

You also have to dive through a few menus to access some basic functions, such as turning off the driver assistance features. A quick shortcut would make this easier.

The RAV4 plug-in’s official fuel consumption figures are, like most PHEVs, rather a fantasy for most people. Still, 22g/km of CO2 emissions means low company car tax and an affordable first year road tax bill, while 282.4mpg looks impressive on paper even if you’re unlikely to see that in reality.

The RAV4 plug-in gets 46 miles of electric range, which is around 35 miles in the real world. While that’s not up to the standards of something like the Skoda Kodiaq, which can do over 70 miles on a charge, it’s still a useful figure that will do for the majority of commutes or short errands around town. The more you make use of this electric range by plugging in regularly at home, the less fuel you’ll use.

On a long run, fuel consumption is poorer than it was in the old self-charging hybrid RAV4, but it’s still not awful. You can expect an easy 40mpg in mixed mileage, closer to 50mpg if you have a very light foot.

The RAV4 was awarded a full five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2019. It received a 93% adult occupant rating, and 87% for child safety. 

Safety assists were rated at 77% and every trim gets the Toyota Safety Sense 2 system which includes adaptive cruise control, lane trace assist and a pre-collision system. A rearview camera and rear parking sensors are standard too, with front parking sensors and keyless entry fitted to the higher three trim levels.

The Toyota RAV4 should provide many miles of problem-free driving. Most owner reviews have scored it highly on reliability and commented favourably on its low running costs. There have been three recalls on the RAV4, these have been for potential issues with the brake booster pump, emergency calling system and front suspension arms.

Toyota offers a standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty for the RAV4, and a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty for the hybrid components. If you service your car each year or 12,000 miles (whichever occurs soonest) at a Toyota authorised repairer, you will get an additional 12-month/10,000-mile warranty up to a maximum of 10 years or 100,000 miles.