Toyota’s RAV4 Prime is a perfect plug-in hybrid for the range-anxious

It has around 40 miles of electric-only range and great efficiency in hybrid mode.

The $38,350 Toyota RAV4 Prime is one of the most in-demand plug-in hybrid EVs on sale today. Credit: Toyota

I wouldn’t say that Toyota invented the crossover. But in 1994, the company debuted the first RAV4, an SUV with off-road-capable four-wheel drive—yet built on a unibody chassis, just like a Corolla. And its bold styling and decent on-road performance did a lot to popularize this new vehicle segment.

In the years since, the RAV4 has grown. Today’s RAV4 is much larger than the original two-door model from the ’90s, and it’s now far and away Toyota’s most popular offering. Here in the US, the RAV4 has outsold the Camry and Corolla—as well as the entire Lexus brand—by tens of thousands of units this year already.

That popularity is why it has taken a surprisingly long time to arrange this review. When Toyota announced it was making a plug-in hybrid version of its bestseller, demand was so great that the company prioritized getting cars into the hands of its customers rather than the media.

The plug-in hybrid powertrain builds off Toyota’s long experience with making parallel hybrids. Under the hood of the RAV4 Prime, you’ll find the same 2.5 L, four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle engine as in the RAV4 Hybrid, albeit with different engine mapping for this new application. It generates 177 hp (132 kW) and 165 lb-ft (224 Nm) and drives the front wheels together with a pair of the RAV4 Prime’s permanent magnet synchronous motors.

When the RAV4 first appeared in 1994, its bold styling caught the public’s attention. In recent years, the design became very boring, but this latest generation is a little more confident of its looks. Credit: Toyota

There are three electric motors in total. The pair at the front axle work together to deliver 179 hp (134 kW) and 199 lb-ft (270 Nm), with the third motor driving the rear axle when needed at a maximum output of 53 hp (40 kW) and 89 lb-ft (121 Nm).

As usual, the total combined output of the hybrid powertrain is not as simple as just adding up all the numbers. The gasoline engine and electric motors won’t reach peak output at the same time, for instance, and there’s a limit to the amount of power the 18.1 kWh lithium-ion traction battery can supply. Net power is still a very respectable 302 hp (225 kW), which makes the RAV4 Prime the most powerful and fastest-accelerating RAV4 yet (0-60 mph takes ~5.7 seconds, which is about as quick as a mid-2000s Subaru WRX).

That’s a useful stat if you’re bench-racing, but buying a RAV4 Prime because it’s the quickest RAV4 is missing the point. It’s a plug-in hybrid, so the truly vital statistics relate to its fuel efficiency and plug-in range.

The RAV4 Prime’s cockpit is well-laid out and has plenty of cubbies and storage nooks. The infotainment system is acceptable and includes both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Credit: Toyota

Happily, the RAV4 Prime’s efficiency and range are excellent. Like most plug-in hybrids, the RAV4 can travel just using battery power, and the Environmental Protection Agency rates the vehicle as having a battery-only range of 42 miles (68 km). I wasn’t quite able to match that, but a fully charged battery would reliably take me about 39 miles. For most people, a RAV4 Prime that is charged daily has enough battery range that the engine will rarely fire up.

All too often, plug-in hybrid SUVs are saddled with poor efficiency when that charge runs out. Not this time. I was up to 43 mpg (5.5 L/100 km) by the end of our test, which is a few miles per gallon better than the EPA’s combined estimate of 38 mpg (6.2 L/100 km). (Even when the traction battery is showing as empty, the RAV4 Prime still operates as a hybrid, regeneratively braking and using its electric motors to propel the vehicle below 25 mph/40 km/h. And it tracks your electric-only mileage and your “battery is empty” fuel efficiency as two separate stats.)

At $38,350, the RAV4 Prime starts at nearly $10,000 more than the RAV4 Hybrid, but the plug-in is eligible for the full $7,500 IRS 30D plug-in vehicle tax credit. The price gap is much less noticeable if you want a better-equipped model—the RAV4 Prime XSE starts at $41,675 versus $37,430 for a RAV4 Hybrid Limited, so the plug-in may actually be cheaper to buy, depending on your tax liability.

A person standing behind the open rear hatch of a Toyota RAV4 — There are 33.4 cubic feet (945 L) of cargo volume with the rear seats in use, or 63.1 cubic feet (1,786 L) with the rear seats folded flat. Credit: Toyota

Our press RAV4 Prime was an XSE with the added premium package ($5,760), which adds more speakers, integrated navigation, a big full-color heads-up display, adaptive headlights, 120 V/1.5 kW onboard power in the cargo area, and a 6.6 kW onboard charger, among other features. The better onboard charger replaces the standard 3.3 kW unit and cuts charging time from 4.5 to 2.5 hours. But even base RAV4 Primes come with features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a full suite of advanced driver assistance systems as standard.

Perhaps the biggest downside to the RAV4 Prime is its popularity. Originally, Toyota thought it could bring only 5,000 units to the US, although by the end of Q3, it had managed to rustle up and deliver about 20,000 for the year. But demand is still outstripping supply—when I went to check prices in Toyota’s online configurator, it would not show me any RAV4 Primes if I gave it a DC zip code.