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 at 11:56 PM.

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  1. 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.
     
    #21 DavidA, Mar 12, 2026 at 4:14 AM
    Gokhan likes this.
  2. 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
     
    #22 Trollbait, Mar 12, 2026 at 10:43 AM
  3. 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.
     
    #23 Gokhan, Mar 12, 2026 at 3:55 PM
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