2026 Toyota RAV4 revealed: plug-in hybrid power and a GR Sport version
Next year's new Toyota RAV4 family SUV promises a practical interior, more advanced tech and greater efficiency...
On sale Spring 2026 Price from £46,000 (est)
While Thomas Edison is generally credited with inventing the lightbulb, the rather-less-celebrated Warren de la Rue actually got there first. And it could be argued that the Toyota RAV4 is the de la Ru of the car world.
You see, the Nissan Qashqai tends to be thought of as the first mainstream family SUV. However, the original RAV4 offered the same mix of rugged looks and hatchback-like handling more than a decade earlier; there was even the option to specify it without four-wheel drive if you cared more about cutting your fuel bills than cutting a swathe through the countryside.
It’s a formula that the new sixth-generation RAV4 is sticking to, with the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant that we’ll be getting in the UK coming in both front and four-wheel-drive forms. However, the latter gives you more power by combining its petrol engine with an extra electric motor that boosts total output from 264bhp to 300bhp – enough for 0-62mph in just 5.8 seconds.
Perhaps more significantly, the latest RAV4 PHEV is officially capable of travelling up to 62 miles purely on electric power. That’s a big improvement on the 46 miles of the outgoing car, although the MG HS and Volkswagen Tiguan PHEVs still have it narrowly beaten here; they can officially travel more than 70 miles without burning any petrol.
Then again, like the Tiguan, the RAV4 can accept an electricity rate of up to 50kW. As a result, a 10-80% top up of the battery is possible in just 30 minutes, whereas the HS is limited to 7kW, so requires a few hours to charge.
A conventional hybrid RAV4 that produces up to 188bhp and is capable of short bursts of pure-electric running will be offered alongside the PHEV in some markets, but this isn't coming to the UK – probably because, over here, the outgoing PHEV outsells the regular hybrid at a rate of five to one.
What we will get is a GR Sport trim, which promises to combine more aggressive looks with a sportier driving experience (despite not bringing any extra power). This is thanks to a wider stance, extra body bracing, and retuned suspension and steering.
In addition, GR Sport cars are marked out by leather and suede sports seats, aluminium pedals and red interior detailing. Meanwhile, all RAV4s now feature a 12.3in digital instrument panel that can put a full sat-nav map directly in front of the driver, and a new 12.9in touchscreen infotainment system with pretty snappy responses.
The climate controls sit just beneath this, and – joy-of-joys – are separate, physical buttons that minimise distraction. However, it is a bit worrying that in our test car the touchscreen’s shortcut keys were down its left-hand side; at the time of writing, Toyota couldn’t confirm whether this layout would be reversed for right-hand-drive cars, but if it’s not, those shortcuts are likely to be a stretch for the driver to reach.
Other features of the new RAV4 include the latest generation of Toyota Safety Sense – the brand’s suite of electronic driver aids. Among the highlights is an upgraded Lane Change Assist system, which now checks whether a vehicle is present in the blind spot before providing steering assistance.
There's also a new Rear Vehicle Approach system, which can issue a warning sound when a vehicle is closing at speed from behind, giving the RAV4's driver time to react safely.
Interior build quality generally feels very solid. And although there are no soft-touch plastics, a strip of leather-like material runs almost the full width of the dashboard to lift the ambience. The Kia Sportage still has the edge in terms of showroom appeal, thanks to more tactile materials and metallic highlights, but the difference isn't night and day.
The new RAV4 is spacious enough to seat four adults with ease or five if the people in the back don’t mind rubbing shoulders. Plus, there's room for your feet under the front seats, the rear seats can be reclined to improve comfort on long journeys, and the boot looks a good size, even though its capacity is still to be confirmed.
Likewise, there's no word yet on pricing. But this is unlikely to rise significantly compared with the current car, which costs from £44,395 as a plug-in hybrid.
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