Featured Gen 6 RAV4 PHEV is over $3,000 cheaper than Gen 5 RAV4 PHEV

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Gokhan, Mar 6, 2026.

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  1. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Finally, the Gen 6 RAV4 PHEV, the PHEV version of Toyota’s first take on a software-defined vehicle (SDV), will start hitting dealer lots next month, in April. It is also the first Toyota to feature TSS 4.0, which will be further upgradeable through over-the-air software updates.

    It is over $3,000 cheaper than the Gen 5 RAV4 PHEV. It looks like Toyota has finally figured out how to make EV batteries that aren't astronomically expensive.

    The 2026 Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) is less expensive than before | Car and Driver
     
    #1 Gokhan, Mar 6, 2026
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2026
  2. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    A minor semantic suggestion:
    • “saves over $3,000”
    • Avoid “cheaper” as that has a quality context too
    There might be time to edit the title.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #2 bwilson4web, Mar 7, 2026
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    That’s amazing, it’s too bad it now looks like a truck
     
    #3 bisco, Mar 7, 2026
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  4. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Yeah, that “hammerhead” design has now become a Toyota thing. Toyota thinks that’s what people want. I wouldn’t be surprised if even the Gen 6 Prius sports a hammerhead design. Aerodynamics and fuel economy take a back seat to unsubstantiated marketing choices. Trump’s CAFE rollback isn’t helping.

    As a result, 2026 RAV4 AWD SE PHEV gets 102 mpge vs. 138 mpge of 2026 Model Y Standard RWD BEV and 123 mpge of 2026 Model Y Long-Range AWD BEV. Day and night.
     
    #4 Gokhan, Mar 7, 2026
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2026
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    toyota sales reflect their design choices, so it must be me :cool:
     
    #5 bisco, Mar 7, 2026
  6. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Many people don’t even use the BEV mode in PHEVs. Others think mpge doesn’t matter because kWh is cheap. It will matter as energy prices increase. If RAV4 gets 40% worse fuel economy in the BEV mode than Model Y, Toyota is not doing their EVs right.
     
    #6 Gokhan, Mar 8, 2026
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed, but it's hard to compare Bev to phew. people buy them for a reason.
     
    #7 bisco, Mar 8, 2026
  8. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    I'm not sure what your point is, but my two-generation-older PHEV gets 133 mpge. Toyota seems to be making backward progress. Moreover, it is more important for PHEVs than for BEVs to get a excellent mpge because of their small battery capacity, which results in a short BEV range.
     
    #8 Gokhan, Mar 9, 2026 at 2:20 AM
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Important to who? Not to Toyota apparently, or they wouldn’t have shaped it like a truck.
    But most people interested in a phev are only looking at range, both gas and electric, not mpge in my opinion.
    And very few will look at a bev as an alternative
     
    #9 bisco, Mar 9, 2026 at 2:19 PM
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  10. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Most PHEVs have a worse EV efficiency rating compared to a comparable BEV. It's a trade off for having that ICE drive train on standby.
     
    #10 Trollbait, Mar 9, 2026 at 8:24 PM
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  11. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Not mine (2021 Prius Prime Limited). 133 mpge EPA rated. I get around 200 mpge myself, which is over 6 mi/kWh at the battery.
     
    #11 Gokhan, Mar 11, 2026 at 1:03 AM
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  12. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    upload_2026-3-11_3-35-12.png
    • Like you, I regularly get better than EPA numbers.
    • 2019 Tesla Model 3
      • After 7 years, 175,000 miles, ~190 mile range
      • Typical 1.5-2.5 hour, 110-160 mile between chargers
      • Failed coolant valve replaced battery, $9,000
      • Edmunds claims worth only $5,000 (IT IS NOT FOR SALE!)
    I once had a 2017 Prius Prime that suffered from:
    1. No lane keeping, "advise only" for driver to manually steer
      1. Lane "nudge" had no PID control and would dive to the ditch on 3d.
    2. Driving too long "Nag" to take a break
    3. Below 55 F, all but impossible to stay in EV only mode
    4. Conflicted with 10 mile distance to work, 20 miles round trip, vs EV range
      1. Continued to buy and burn gas
    5. Minor, false radar returns would hard brake on some overhead signs and metal plates on road
    EVs are not for everyone and some prefer traditional gas and hybrid habits. Go with my blessing. I'm a little more frugal.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #12 bwilson4web, Mar 11, 2026 at 5:03 AM
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2026 at 5:08 AM
  13. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Which is the sole exception to the rule.

    Most shopping a Rav4 aren't going to consider a Prius.
     
    #13 Trollbait, Mar 11, 2026 at 10:55 AM
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Tough to compare an suv to a Prius
     
    #14 bisco, Mar 11, 2026 at 2:37 PM
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  15. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Not true. The Model Y gets virtually the same mpge (138 mpge) as the Model 3 (139 mpge).

    Compare side by side
     
    #15 Gokhan, Mar 11, 2026 at 3:39 PM
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2026 at 7:41 PM
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    model Y isn't a phew, and is not shaped like a cinder block
     
    #16 bisco, Mar 11, 2026 at 8:57 PM
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  17. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    The Model 3 sedan is not a PHEV either, and it is also blob-shaped. Your argument was that you can't compare a car to an SUV.
     
    #17 Gokhan, Mar 12, 2026 at 1:20 AM
  18. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    My now quite old Gen 4 Prius Prime will do better with Wh/Mi. than my Model Y (most days) when it is in EV-only mode. Expected, as it is a thousand pounds lighter. That said, both are very efficient. Toyota can always do better than this. The engineering skills are there, but this new RAV4 could be better. Toyota is still behind, but I think they now realize that EV's are not just fly-by-night toys.
     
    #18 DavidA, Mar 12, 2026 at 4:14 AM
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  19. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Why use Tesla for comparison when Toyota has BEVs?

    The bZ4X is about the same size as the Rav4. The AWD model 18in wheels is rated 104mpge for 2025MY. The 2026 got an upgrade to efficiency, with the AWD being 120mpge and 117mpge. The 2025 Rav4 PHV is 94mpge in EV mode. The 2026 is estimated at 102. This is still a step down from a BEV.

    Compare Side-by-Side
     
    #19 Trollbait, Mar 12, 2026 at 10:43 AM
  20. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    I also believe that the Gen 4 Prius Prime PHEV is more efficient in real-world BEV use than the Model 3 and Model Y. I can get close to 40 miles, sometimes more, of BEV range in the city, despite the EPA rating being 25 miles combined. I can achieve over 7 mi/kWh if I drive slowly and gently in the city. My record was over 8 mi/kWh round-trip. I even once managed about 6.3 mi/kWh on the freeway by maintaining a speed around 55 mph (57 mph on the speedometer), which is roughly 200 mpge.

    Toyota needs to revisit aerodynamics and EV powertrains. Perhaps the issue with the RAV4 PHEV is that Toyota struggles to design efficient AWD EV powertrains.
     
    #20 Gokhan, Mar 12, 2026 at 3:55 PM
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