Introduction
What Car? says...
SUVs are all gas-guzzling planet-polluters, right? Well, not the Toyota RAV4 – it actually pumps out less CO2 than most city-dwelling small cars.
We're not pulling your leg. This large SUV really is one of the most efficient cars in its class. That’s according to official figures, and it didn’t disappoint in our independent True MPG testing either.
FAQs
The latest Toyota RAV4 did well in our 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey, coming second only to the Lexus NX in the hybrid cars category, with an impressive score of 99.1%. As a brand, Toyota finished joint fifth (with Mini) out of 30 car makers, beating Ford, Honda and Skoda. Read more here
You can’t get the Toyota RAV4 as a fully electric car but it is available as a hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV). The PHEV version can officially travel up to 46 miles on electric power alone, and if you’re a company car driver it should be very cheap to run because of its very low benefit-in-kind tax rate. We prefer the regular hybrid RAV4, though, because it provides enough punch for most situations while keeping costs sensible. Read more here
We recommend the Toyota RAV4 with the regular hybrid engine in Design trim, which gets you a good amount of equipment without pushing the car’s price sky high. Design kit highlights include front parking sensors, sat-nav and keyless entry, but even the entry-level Icon trim comes well equipped. Every RAV4 comes with Apple Carplay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, as well as safety equipment including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance and an SOS emergency call function. Read more here
While we recommend Design versions of the RAV4, you can pay more to upgrade to Dynamic trim, which gets you extra luxuries including leather trim, a heated steering wheel and heated seats. You also get larger 19in alloy wheels and a gloss-black roof to give the car a sportier look. Just be aware that Dynamic models will cost you significantly more to buy than lesser versions. Read more here
The Toyota RAV4’s infotainment system runs on a touchscreen measuring 8.0in in the hybrid model and 9.0in in the PHEV version. The screen has low-definition graphics and small icons that are hard to hit on the move, and entry-level Icon trim doesn’t come with sat-nav. The Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento and Skoda Kodiaq all have better infotainment set-ups. Read more here
Regular hybrid versions of the Toyota RAV4 have a big boot that took 10 carry-on suitcases in our tests – matching the Peugeot 5008 and Kia Sorento, and beating the Honda CR-V Hybrid and Mazda CX-5. If you go for the PHEV version, you lose some of that boot space because of the larger battery. Boot space is reduced from 580 litres to 490, but that’s still not small, and can take eight carry-on suitcases. Read more here
| RRP price range | £35,350 - £46,615 |
|---|---|
| Number of trims (see all) | 4 |
| Number of engines (see all) | 3 |
| Available fuel types (which is best for you?) | hybrid |
| MPG range across all versions | 282.5 - 50.4 |
| Available doors options | 5 |
| Warranty | 5 years / 100000 miles |
| Company car tax at 20% (min/max) | £617 / £2,670 |
| Company car tax at 40% (min/max) | £1,234 / £5,339 |
| Available colours |
