2024 Toyota RAV4 Prime -- The *BEST* RAV4, but is it Worth the Extra Money?? 

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We have had this exact car for 3 months , still on the same tank of gas from the dealership. We have 1/2 tank left. Love this car !!!! ❤

We bought a 2021 RAV4 Prime SE brand new in 2020 for MSRP, in the first half-year that it was available to the American public as a new model. We have owned it for more than 3.5 years now and 40k miles on the odometer, and have had zero problems whatsoever. We drive about 2/3 of the miles in all-electric, charging to full most nights in our garage, and we have noticed zero battery degradation in 3.5 years (still getting 50+ miles in the non-highway-speed driving that we do "around town", and in the high 40s even in our New England winters). We fill up on gas an average of once every 1-2 months. Even 3.5 years later, this is absolutely the best PHEV on the market for the money (and we paid only $30k for it new after federal and state tax credits/rebates that are no longer available); it's also the best Toyota on the market in America. I would still only get the SE trim and skip moonroof, bigger wheels, etc. (The only PHEV on the market in America getting more all-electric miles appears to be the 2024 GLE 450e, but that also costs twice as much and doesn't look as good on the exterior.) Negatives in our RAV4 Prime SE: no front parking sensors; too-small gas tank; very-old-looking (and limited) infotainment screen and instrument panel, with limited configuration possibilities; no power front passenger seat; no one-pedal driving (our Volvo PHEV has one-pedal driving and it's fabulous); no dual sun visors for the driver or the front passenger; many buttons/switches are not backlit, so you can't see to find them at night; front seats not as comfortable or adjustable as seats in the luxury-car market. Positives: all-electric AWD; long all-electric range; 37-38 mpg at 70 mpg on long road trips with no charging; ability to charge off the ICE (GLE 450e can't do this); good ground clearance; good space in interior; physical buttons/dials/switches for climate and drive-mode controls; attractive interior and exterior; ability to order without glass in the roof (huge plus in my book); CarPlay works pretty well for navigation (with no built-in navigation in our SE), but if you're out of cellphone range, you have zero navigation aids (as we have found out on road trips to remote locations); feels stable and planted at 80-85 mph on the highway. At our 40k-mile check-up, we still have most of our brake pads on the original factory-installed pads -- a testament to the regen braking that is pretty good (but no one-pedal driving or slowing down by taking foot off the gas pedal).

We’ve had a 2024 RAV4 Prime XSE with the Tech Pkg since January and love it. The drivetrain works so well with the electric motor and CVT. The interior is worse than my 2023 Jeep GC Overland for sure but the RAV4 Prime was also $20K less.

the exact video i been waiting for.

I really like my 2023 RAV4 Prime. I get about 80 MPG. Most of my city driving is EV while longer trips are mostly Hybrid. My SE version has unique wheels. They cheap out with no wireless charging pad, more interior plastic, smaller sunroof, smaller info screen...otherwise, pretty loaded. Hard to get (2 years for me). I think it will retain its value for quite awhile. EV owners seem to hate PHEVs, but where I live, the RAV4 Prime makes the most sense for me at this time.

I had a XSE 2021 and loved it more than any other car I had. For the 2 years I had it I only put a little over $1,000 in gas. I used it as my daily work commute and took it on a few 600 mile trips. Unfortunately my son totaled it, I miss it every day.

Thanks so much for rating it’s reliability. This is hardly ever emphasized.

Would prefer if the turning signal in the headlights was bigger. That tiny sliver of amber doesn't stand out enough in my opinion, and if anything, I'd like to see the U-shaped DRL element in the headlight assembly go from white to amber for turning/4-way lights. Big and obvious indicators are just easier to read when bright LED headlights are involved.

Great review! I’m trying to convince my uncle to buy this car and I’m so glad that you posted this video so I can show him!

Excellent review!

Can you cancel the engine enhance engine sound? And does the nightshade trim have less cheap plastic? Has Toytota improved the interior feel of this vehicle?

I own the Rav4 prime 2021 se and it is pretty good

Most practical, reliable and best resale value car.

Love your car video

It’s very nice!!

Doesn't have any more the 120v outlet?

This car seriously needs an update

good video , thanks

In summer time I do around 48-50 miles on battery only. More that in the official specs. I like my XSE! If you need it can go very fast, and from January until now I added 10l of gas because I wanted a car wash. Otherwise, city and around it goes on battery and rarely on hybrid as you need to make the gas engine to work a bit.

Part of the quiet is due to the work Toyota did on the front glass. I think the windshield and side windows are thicker than the gas or hybrid to make it quieter.

I test drove this and the CRV back to back untimely I like the the Rav better because of acceleration and MPG.Yes I know the CRV handles better but with way more options the Prime is the way to go.

what's the total miles in 1 full tank? the only reason that's keeping me from upgrading my 10 yr old car is I get over 560miles each tank during the summer when traveling.

I was astonished to see that finally Toyota used a new key fob on this version of the rav 4 because the other key looks really out dated

Ready for a redesign.

Depleted EV range, Level 2 charging takes just under 2hrs with the 6.6kWh on board charger. Add additional 30 minutes for the battery conditioning at tail end of charging after battery reaches 100% (technically 90%).

Nice job & I rather buy this PHEV SUV 1 day.

If you’re looking at the screen on this car it’s too big and it looks bigger then the body of the car , it doesn’t match the car 😂 but I love the RAV4 i saw it everyday on the roads never missed one day 😊

great vid! now do the Rx450+, it's sista from another mr.

are these things reliable??

I see people asking all the time if the Prime is worth the money. Some get bogged down in the price of gas and how long it will take for their savings on fuel to make up for the extra cost. I think if this is your perspective, you’d probably be better off with a hybrid. I would say the Prime is worth it if you can afford it because it’s a lot of fun to drive and I like an efficient car. It’s really in a class of it’s own when you look at range, efficiency and horsepower. Most other plug in hybrids are much less efficient in hybrid mode. There are some with longer range, but they usually achieve this with a larger battery, not with better efficiency. You can find them with more overall horsepower, but efficiency will go way down and the horsepower on the Prime is very satisfying. Lost on most is the fact that the Prime has about the best horsepower in EV mode amongst to competition, usually plug ins are pretty wimpy in EV mode although still fun to drive because of the instant torque.

Waiting on the sidelines until they reveal the model refresh

I was under the impression that these could also be charged on 120V in about 11-12 hours. Is that correct?

I just got a 450nx+ 4000km on it so far and spent 55$ in gas

Hey Naveen!

toyotas for life

I think this is the second fastest car of Toyota after Supra.

These are extremely rare to get in dealer stock. You're better off getting a hybrid, tbh.

I could not get a RAV4 Prime a year ago, and could not get it below MSRP, and without other extras added, and without being put on an 18 month waiting list, which I still would not have it by now, so I bought an Alfa Romeo Tonale Sprint PHEV instead, right off the truck when it first arrived in Canada, and got it below MSRP with no extras. The price I paid for my Tonale was less then the price I would have paid for the Prime, it drives and handles way better, looks better, has just as nice, it not a nicer, interior, and comparing battery sizes, gets just as good electrical mileage. I am glad I did not wait for the Prime, and after owning the Tonale, I would still have bought it, even if a Prime was available. My Tonale came with problems as everyone knows, some well documented, but Alfa has bent over backwards to resolve every issue I have had with my Tonale, with the help of the dealership, and after those corrections, my Tonale has exceeded all of my expectations.

Where is naveen

Nice PHEV SUV but for me the 42 miles of electric is pretty lame for the extra money you are paying .... When they up it too around 70/75 per charge I might have another look .... So in the mean time I'll keep driving my 2023 Corolla hybrid LE AWD which to me is one fantastic car .... Oh and I paid $29,000 OTD.

The Ultimate RAV4 Prime!

That's a lot for a Rav4... shoot I go and grab Honda Pilot black edition

The local toyota here is selling them for $57k. 😱

Way. Over. Priced. But sweet car. You can get a pimped out Kia Sportage for 43 out the door pricing with tax and fees. and 48 out the door for the equivalent plug in Sportage.

Why doesn’t the prime come in the limited trim at this price point?

Forget about the price... I just don't feel like waiting 3 years to get one. :(

The interior of the car at the begging of the video, is not a 2024 XSE

This is very fast Rav4, it is can beat the Bmw supra 4cylinder. One guy beat an older camaro and GS350 that is 400lbs lighter than PRIME. Much quicker than the Rav4 V6 Generation, and that was quick Rav4

If they could shorten the charge time of that battery to 15 minutes, that would save a lot of money and time for everyone, even if it does sound silly. Because if you could charge the car in 15 minutes and have an electric range of at least 100 miles, you wouldn’t need all electric vehicles, because with this kind of PHEV everyone would use electric range for short trips and less gas. It is a great car, just need to work out all the kinks in the hose. Toyota please don’t do the UNNOVATION instead of INNOVATION on this car. Just fix the charging time and give it more capacity for a better electric range, and this car will be truly perfect. You already outdid yourselves by introducing this PHEV to American market. This car doesn’t need anything else in my opinion, just fixing the charge time and a bigger battery capacity and that’s all. And I mean of course, if it is possible to do. Because this car is already fantastic, and I wish a lot of automakers would focus on PHEVs and not EVs.

Hi

$50K for a RAV4 is insanity.

USB? No USB-C? Toyota really is waiting for a refresh for vehicle that gets constant mark-ups for somewhat dated tech.

No remote start is a no for me!

The ultimate NPC car but damn does it work well

JUST TRADED MY 2022 RAV4 XLE FOR A BUICK ENCLAVE AND NO MORE LOUD HIGHWAY ROAD NOISE. THE RAV4 IS NOT A QUIET RIDE PERIOD.

I don't get the "accent" lights. I'd rather have high quality fog lights, and leave any whizzy accents to the daytime running lights. My purpose for owning a SUV is the all-weather capability, which includes fog, dark nights, wet roads that suck up your illumination, and spray from other cars. I don't need ornaments to "flex" my style on a 4 door two box body. The accents do NOT differentiate the Prime from other versions. The hybrid XSE also has these stupid "accents". Not sure on the Prime SE. I'm still trying to wrap my head around whether the thicker glass, greater power (and acceleration) are worth the price of entry over the hybrid. Unless your regular commutes are short enough to do most on electric only, you'd be hard pressed to recoup the gigantic price adder over the hybrid on gas savings. I do like the HP though and the extra towing doesn't hurt. I'm trying to figure out if the Prime SE has more of an upgraded interior than the hybrid SE. (My Forester XT PREMIUM) came with more stuff, than the premium 2.5.) Drove a Hybrid XLE and it felt rather "rental car" in terms of interior. Finding Prime on the lots has been chancy.

Toyota waiting times (to get a car) are not worth it.

Does anybody have regular jobs anymore or does everyone have podcasts

Ppl complaining. DON’T BUY IT THEN 🤡

😂😂 Ok spent extra money fr Thieves cause they want your car.😊

2 year + wait here in Canada 🤮

Definitely not worth it. For that price you may as well buy a used mid-sized luxury SUV. Like the Lexus NX 450h+ plug in.

So let’s say you charge it nightly, and basically rarely dip into the gas. So you’re just caring around 60-100 lbs of fuel for no reason? Just get an electric car at that point.

50K, it is just a RAV4

That interior is fugly

뉴스는 안 보는구나. 😂😂😂

Interior is so basic and stark. Very dated. I'm sure a good car, but as exciting to look at and drive as my microwave.

Too pricey

My granddad, when I was little, often drove twenty miles round trip in a big city to save 3 or 4 cents a gallon for his big Oldsmobile, using several gallons of gas to do it. Likewise, I think it foolish to buy any brand new car, be it an EV or a plug-in hybrid, to save a few dollars a month in gas, only to lose all the savings in the form of extra car payments, insurance, and license tabs. No, the RAV4 is not worth the cost of a used Yugo much less 60,000 plus dollars when taxes and dealer markups are factored in... no one saves money by buying something new. Sorry to be a spoil sport but I hate impulsive purchases, especially with my own money.

For the price point this interior is bad. One of the reasons why I am convinced not to buy it.

The most unattainable RAV4 in America! 😥

I find the interior so ugly. Looks like it was designed by Fisher Price..

Toyota has the ugliest interior but the best mileage and resale

Toyota is doing its best to fall from reliability due to the junk motors they are starting to install in their products. I don't know who would want to plop down $54k for this thing??

This car is really dated now, especially that terrible interior. New model next year, so no point buying this overpriced, cheap and plasticky model. New Camry is good, so it's smarter to wait for the next RAV4 than buy this final year.

PLUG INs initially made sorta sense, but now it’s Toyota’s inane attempt to assuage the fears of consumers too afraid to buy / lease an EV. After your EV runs out after 30 miles, you are getting below mediocre MPG and still at the mercy of Big Oil. Makes more sense to buy either a hybrid gas car or an EV.

I don't like the RAV4 at all

The "best ever" until next refresh. I hate the rav4. Ugliest car ever.

4th