Images
Back in 2020, the first Plug-in Hybrid version of Toyota's RAV4 drew on more than twenty years of the brand's leadership in hybrid powertrain technology to offer customers a 'D'-segment SUV that promised to be not only more powerful than any other in its class but also more efficient in terms of emissions and fuel consumption. There was quite a price to pay for this technology but the stats looked tempting - a total output of 302bhp, an all-electric driving range of 46 miles and a CO2 reading of 22g/km. Let's check this top PHEV version of the MK5 RAV4 out as a used buy.
+ More
History
The RAV4 is Toyota's most significant global SUV - and by the start of this century's third decade had been for over a quarter of a century. It was important then, that the fifth generation version should showcase the brand's Plug-in Hybrid tech. We wondered at this car's launch whether it might create in this model something close to the ultimate family car.
That's a question Toyota itself wasn't convinced about until it decided to launch this PHEV variant for the 2021 model year. That launch date, to give you some perspective, was nine years after the brand pioneered this kind of technology with the Prius Plug-in; and two years after the fifth generation RAV4 was launched, with company executives in 2018 doubting that a PHEV variant was really needed.
Well by 2020 it certainly was. By then, since the 'XA50'-series fifth generation RAV4 model's original introduction, virtually every one of this MK5 RAV4's key rivals had been made available with a PHEV system. So Toyota set to work to recreate this car in Plug-in form and the result gave us a two-tonne SUV with more power than a base Porsche Boxster, but one with a claim to greater 'green-ness' than most of its rivals thanks to what back in 2020 was an unbeaten 45 mile all-electric driving range capability.
This same package was also offered with a different brand in this period, Toyota having allowed Suzuki to launch a model called the Across, which was basically just a RAV4 PHEV with different badges. This was just another of the many segment rivals this RAV4 Plug-in had to take on in the PHEV part of the mid-sized SUV segment. This MK5 RAV4 PHEV sold until it was replaced by a PHEV-only MK6 model in 2026.
+ More
What you get
Unlike full-EVs, Plug-in Hybrid models from this period rarely got bespoke design. In fact, there were virtually no exterior differences at all, apart from unique badging and an extra charging flap. You won't spot anything much different here either, though Toyota made a few detail changes so that folk who'd stumped up for this PHEV variant's not inconsiderable price tag could feel a bit better looked after. Narrow full-LED headlamps flow into slim nostrils above a polygon-shaped grille that for this Plug-in variant get darker treatment for the mesh and frame. Other changes for this PHEV included a metallic moulding for the bumper and dark silver finishing for the skid plate-style lower under-run panel.
From the side, the main PHEV model changes lay with the addition of an extra charging flap over the right hand rear wing. And there were bespoke wheels with a contrast bright machined and black finish - you get 18-inchers on the base variant and 19-inch rims otherwise, those larger rims of a five-double-spoke design. The rear is also cleanly finished, if perhaps not quite as distinctive. RAV4 cognoscenti will recognise the Plug-in model from the back by an added garnishing trim strip that arches above the brand badge and links the LED tail lamps. And perhaps by the way the rear skid plate is painted black.
Inside up-front, this Plug-in variant's ambiance is enhanced by red stitching for the dash and doors, also featuring on the sports seats, which come trimmed in leather of either the man made or natural kind, depending on the trim level chosen. Other bespoke Plug-in model touches are more difficult to spot and require inspection of the various driver displays available. Take for instance the various extra selectable menus containing specific plug-in hybrid vehicle content that you'll find on the 9-inch 'Toyota Touch 2' central monitor. Some of its functions can also be viewed within the instrument binnacle you view through this three-spoke leather-stitched multi-function steering wheel. Here again, there are a few detail changes for this PHEV model - a battery level display replaces the usual water temperature indicator for instance. All within a layout that as on any ordinary RAV4, uses a combination of digital and analogue design, with the usual Toyota Hybrid system indicator gauge on the left. Away from displays, the cabin offers a reasonably commanding driving position with good all-round visibility. You also get comfortable seats, and plenty of cabin storage.
In the back, you might be a little disappointed to find that the bench doesn't slide, but the backrest reclines for greater comfort on longer journeys and, despite the low-ish roof line, headroom's good too thanks to a metre between the seat base and the roof. Thanks to this Toyota's relatively lengthy 2,690mm of wheelbase length, there's also plenty of room for legs and knees - it measures at 720mm with the driver's seat set typically to give the person up front a metre of legroom. There's a little more cabin width than you might expect too, so less chance of a couple of adults digging each other in the ribs.
And luggage space? Well you'll be standing clutching your packages for rather a long time as the electrically-operated hatch completes its arthritic perambulation upwards - to eventually reveal a 520-litre capacity, which is only 60-litres less than you'd get in an ordinary MK5 RAV4, a very good figure by mid-sized PHEV crossover class standards. And when the rear seat is folded? Well there's no fold-flat front passenger seat option to allow for the carriage of really long items, so you'll need to be satisfied with a very unremarkable 1,168-litres of total capacity up to the level of the tonneau cover - it's 1,604-litres if you load to the roof. The area provided here isn't quite flat but the designers claimed that this car could accommodate a 29-inch mountain bike without any wheels having to be removed.
+ More
What to look for
Not much goes wrong here. Make sure the charging lead isn't damaged and is fully functional on a charge. Otherwise, it's the usual MK5 RAV4 issues. Rainwater can apparently leak into the interior though deteriorated seals in the roof rail plastic clips. We've also heard that the Hybrid engine coolant bypass valve can fail, which leads to coolant leaks and engine over-heating. The high-voltage cable feeding the rear electric motor can suffer from heavy corrosion. And we've heard of the infotainment screen freezing or needing continuous re-boots, so check its workings thoroughly.
Look particularly closely for dents and scratches around the bodywork given that the car will have been driven to places where it will be easy to pick these up. And inspect the interior for child and luggage damage and make sure that the upholstery and the carpets aren't stained. And of course insist on a fully stamped up service history.
+ More
Replacement parts
(approx based on a 2021 RAV4 PHEV excl. VAT) Expect to pay around £7-£38 for an air filter and around £15-£27 for a pair of wiper blades. A set of genuine Toyota front brake pads can cost anything between £45 and £87 per axle, depending on brand. For front brake discs, think around £48-£97 per disc. A front shock absorber is about £45-£115. A starter motor costs in the £450-£800 bracket.
+ More
On the road
There's certainly no shortage of power available here - as is obvious very quickly when you spear away from rest, exercising a few of the 302 available braked horses residing beneath your right foot: in the Toyota model line-up at this time, only the top version of the Supra sports car had more. As with the ordinary self-charging RAV4 Hybrid (which in 4WD form can manage only 222bhp), the powertrain here features a four cylinder 2.5-litre petrol engine mated to an e-CVT belt-driven auto gearbox. But with the Plug-in set-up, the output of both the combustion unit and the front electric motor it's mated to are both boosted - to around 180bhp each. That's to compensate for the extra weight of the necessarily much larger 18.1kWh battery this PHEV model needs for its impressively long 46 mile all-electric driving range.
Unlike with an ordinary RAV4, all-wheel drive is mandatory with this powertrain, so there's a second electric motor driving the rear axle and producing a further 54bhp - hence the surprisingly potent total output we mentioned earlier. You'll need to select the 'Sport' setting from the '3-mode driving dial' down here by the gearstick to really get a feel for that - your other drive options are 'Eco' and 'Normal'. Various powertrain operating settings are also offered, starting with the battery-only 'EV' mode the car always pulls away in. The alternative 'HV' mode is more realistic for normal driving as it runs this Toyota as a regular full-Hybrid, the software seamlessly blending in either petrol or electric power sources as required. A full press on the same button connects you to a further 'Charge mode', which sees the engine note rise as it (rather inefficiently) charges the battery when you're driving. But you don't have to make any of these driving mode choices unless you really want to because an additional 'Auto EV/HV' mode button is also provided, which essentially makes all the decisions for you.
Its choices seem effective too because the advertised 46 mile electric driving range figure turns out to be not beyond the bounds of achievability and the WLTP-rated efficiency stats are difficult to better in this class - 282.5mpg on the combined cycle and 22g/km of CO2, which means a super-low 6% Benefit-in-Kind taxation rating. When plugged into a conventional garage wallbox, the built-in 6.6kW on-board charger can replenish the battery in around two and a half hours.
+ More
Overall
We don't really understand why plug-in tech wasn't included with the fifth generation RAV4 range from the outset. By the end of this century's second decade, it was clear that PHEV engineering was of great interest to customers of mid-sized family SUVs, though as a buyer of this Toyota SUV, we'd recommend that you think long and hard over whether you actually really need it. A conventional RAV4 self-charging hybrid is commendably efficient, very eco-minded - and far cheaper. It's unlikely indeed, that in ownership running cost savings, a private buyer would ever make back the premium necessary to choose this PHEV derivative.
Still, if the sums add up, this Toyota's blend of virtues hits the spot for you and you're offered the right deal, you might well find much to like with a RAV4 Plug-in. The only car in the segment from this period that can match it for CO2 cleanliness and economy is its identically-engineered Suzuki Across cousin. And the same goes for EV driving range, which is not only class-leading but actually achievable. On the debit side, apart from the high price, there's a slightly over-firm feel to the ride and the fact that you can't have seven seats: that's about it.
In summary, the RAV4 Plug-in may not be the ultimate family car, but it gets close enough to justifying that title to satisfy quite a few who'll be searching for a state-of-the-art plug-in SUV of this size from the 2020-2025 period.
+ More
Have you considered these alternative models...
Find a Review
We have over 500 new and used car reviews to help you find your next car.
Browse reviews and model guides for all makes
