RAV4 Hybrid Towing Torture Test - Will It Survive The Climb?? 

Alex, This test is so thorough that it makes me wonder whether your scrutiny surpassed Toyota's own engineering department. Other than a specific boat ramp test, you have certainly answered all my earlier questions about the RAV4 Hybrid's ultimate towing capacity. As an educational bonus, you assiduously included a timely reminder to follow 'Severe Service' fluid change intervals if we tow frequently. Heck, you even slipped in a hilariously germane reference to the Donner Party. Go ahead, invest in a case of authentic RU-vid Video Award polish. Now we just have to wait for the Highlander Hybrid tow tests.

This channel is basically the car review equivalent of Gamer's Nexus. I'm really impressed with the thorough data collection and critical examination you've done here. Keep it up! This is the stuff that keeps me coming back for more! It also doesn't hurt that you're complementing the hybrid system in my car more often than not with these videos ;)

Install rear roof rack and a clamp on wind deflector. The is wind slip streaming right into that trailer. I did it on pickup topper an it improved my towing mileage by 1.1 mpg.

Okay, I just defended my PhD yesterday and I have to say, this video looked like you're defending your PhD on this topic. So well documented, highly detailed and you covered every possible question.

Thank you for making this video. I really like how thorough you were. I occasionally want to pull a garden trailer that they sometimes put too much loam/bark mulch in so it may be overweight by as much as 300lbs. But I'm only going 2 miles on fairly flat pavement at 30-40MPH on a side street. I was going to buy the Adventure because of this, but I really wanted to get the hybrid. Your video is making me think I can get away with it as long as I'm careful and drive slowly and make slow starts and stops. The trailer weighs 800lbs empty and I put in around 2 yards of mulch which weighs around 1200lbs. Thanks again.

Your mileage numbers are about what I would expect towing. My experience towing travel trailers with gas engines has always indicated about a 50% drop in mileage compared to no trailer.

Alex, you've slowly risen to the top of my go-to channels because of how thorough you are. I'm specifically looking for an SUV with decent towing and decent MPG and this combination is just about right. Was going to get the 21 Ridgeline (still might) but moving towards the RAV4 Hybrid. The Rav4 Prime is rated to tow 2500 Lbs and is crazy quick, but I can't justify the extra cost for the Prime. Sadly, the Venza still has no posted tow rating, but knowing it's on the same chassis, I will conclude the tow rating is similar to this hybrid. Only the battery is different since the RAV4 still uses NiMH batteries and the Venza has the upgraded Lithium pack. Also, I'm on my 3rd Prius since they came out and have to say, the planetary gear system is probably the most reliable "transmission" since there is so little going on. Even its oil never needs changing because the heat/friction levels never get too extreme. I hate CVTs like what Nissan uses, but the Planetary gear system controlled by the motors is pure genius. I love Honda and the Ridgeline is great, but I may stick with Toyota all my towing math adds up. Thanks again for your amazing work.

The Weber auto channel has some really good tear-down videos of the Toyota hybrid transmission. Once I understood how it functions, I was completely shocked at how simple the mechanism really is. Significantly simpler in operation than either a belt driven CVT or an automatic. Basically a planetary gear set with two motors and an engine as inputs. I’m sure this is why the Prius in general has a stand-out reputation for reliability even among other Toyota models. This RAV4 hybrid is an impressive machine.

Hey TFL, Alex just kicked your butts when it comes to DETAILED towing tests . Mic drop!!!

Filling in issues come in Toyota HEV starting from Prius. It looks like some nozzles at Costco and Sam's Club are really tight and when is really hot or cold outside the gasoline vapor pressure while filling the tank build up too fast and click the pump mechanism stopping thefilling process. The way around is to manually pull slightly the nozzle outside and twist sideways this allowing some building pressure in the tank to escape. Stay safe.

Eminem doesn't spit this hard. Damn Alex, you killed this review. Great job.

Most of the Sam's Club stations and about 25% of other stations had a problem with my 2008 Toyota Prius. The nozzle shut off as if the tank was full , so I can only assume that the gas foamed in the neck of the tank fill tube and caused the auto shutoff to detect gas at the nozzle. I could turn the nozzle on repeatedly and eventually fill my tank. One solution I used was to turn the nozzle upside down and fill up until the gallon count was close to the full amount and then turn the nozzle right side up. Apparently, Toyota engineers do not understand that gasoline, especially oxygenated with alcohol, foams. I do know that Toyota dealers and the company could not care less about customers' problems with filling up.

In Europe the rav4 hybrid is rate as follow Awd models Trail without brakes 750kg 1650lb Trail with brakes 1650kg 3630lb 2wd with or without brakes 750kg 1650lb So if you where towing 2000lb 905kg you where well with towing rates for awd model

Hi Alex, I do love your videos. Just a comment about the filling issue. It's real, but as you note, it doesn't affect all 2019 vehicles. I too have a 2019 RAV4 Hybrid, and it was one of the earlier ones to market . Those were made in Japan before the migrated the manufacturing to North America. Some of those Japan made units (like mine) had the issue with filling that prevented getting a full tank, and would also indicate an empty tank much too early. While having a reserve is normal, it should only be about 2 gallons out of the 14.5 gallon standard tank, and I estimate is was hitting empty with about 4 gallons. Toyota corporate has acknowledged the problem, but has not officially said what the fix is. However, just recently, Toyota approved replacing my gas tank to a new one that comes from a different supplier than what came with my car. Given I and everyone else isn't driving much, I haven't been able to go through a whole tank yet since the fix, but early indication seems to be the problem may be gone. Sorry for the long winded comment, but just wanted to offer that this isn't just a gas station pump issue.

Thanks Alex! Looking to upgrade the Prius to one of these. As someone who will just occasionally want to tow a small uhaul this helps a lot!

Thank you for a great video. I'm from the UK and the mpg would differ with imperial measurements. It's nice to know that my RAV is well capable at towing. Also, we in the UK, have never had a fill up issue.

Come on Alex, I know you have a RAV4 Prime video you're sitting on !

See the Acura TSX on my profile pic? I towed about 2,000 lbs with that too. Yup, 900 lb motorcycle trailer and 2 motorcycles, one about 550lbs and the other about 430lbs. Took it to about 1,000 ft above sea level all while chugging along at about 80mph. Most vehicles can tow. I’m not the least but surprised the RAV4 could do this. I am very impressed by how the car managed cooling all of its components though. The hybrid system is a very complicated system that has clearly been mastered by Toyota. But yeah, most vehicles can tow. The RAV4 Hybrid probably could have chugged 3,000lbs or more at sea level and MODERATE climbing grades up to 7,000 ft.

This is much more entertaining than just a car review. Excellent job!

I tow 1000 to 2000 with my 2010 prius . still get 38mpg . LOL have for 80k miles now at 225k. no problems.

unreal detail on this ! can you do the 2020 highlander hybrid as well?

whoa I just happened to see this blue Rav4 with the recognizable A\A logo on the 580 today around the El Cerrito area in the East Bay. This was well after this video though.

A kind response to your gas tank comment. I assure you its not the nozzle. I've put over 30k miles in the first 6 months of ownership. My weekly commute between home and work is 1200 miles weekly over 3 states. The result is the same across all gas stations. I'm short 3-4 gallons each fill up. Great towing vehicle. I average 25mpg's +/-2 mpg at a much shallower grade (900m elevation change) with a 2000lbs trailer load when I have a trailer hooked up.

Thank you for providing interesting and informative reviews. In the current situation they help even if I'm not always interested in the car being reviewed.

I have a 2019 Rav4 Hybrid LE now with 27K miles on it. Rated for 1,750 max towing. I added an aftermarket hitch and Toyota factory trailer wiring to pull a 5 x 10, single axle, v-nose cargo trailer camper conversion. It is 7 ft tall behind the SUV. I set it up with a kitchen in the back like a teardrop trailer. I am careful about weight, balance and tongue weight. The scale weight is 1,420 loaded for camping. I am getting about 24 - 27 mpg depending on terrain, speed and headwinds and only take it out occasionally. I also carry a roof cargo box on my factory roof rack which I think breaks up the wind resistance a bit for the trailer. I am an easy driver and get 40 -42 mpg average without the trailer. This review by Alex is great re-assurance that my pre-planning buying the hybrid Rav4 as my daily driver and light camper tow vehicle is an optimal setup. I couldn't be happier. I have learned so much from Alex about my car and how it is designed. Thank you!

Love the reviews on Toyota Hybrid RAV4. My wife and I own a 2013 LE. Nice to see, because we might buy a hybrid to replace our RAV4 LE.

You said you had 250 pounds over what RAV4 was rated at but here in New Zealand our RAV4 is rated at 1500 kgs which is around 3300 pounds. Enjoyed your video.

Instant like for the video starting xD Love you Alex! I hope you keep reviewing cars forever.

A+ ! You and TFL are giving us the tow tests we need to see.

Good job on that! 👏🏼 driving hybrid RAV4 2019 Was surprised what this vehicle can do...just WoW

Maybe the specifics has changed with over 10 years of Toyota hybrid generations, but I'm certain that with the iconic Prius hybrids, engine braking or B-mode is operated by using the electricity generated by regenerative braking, and sending that power to the smaller enegine generator (MG1) to run the engine as a vaccum pump. This braking affect is of course limited by the maximum power capacity of the generator, which is ~54hp for the Prius. Maybe there's also a mechanical gear ratio reduction on the engine too. A benefit I feel that a PHEV has in spades is that long downhil mountain runs are a blessing given the larger battery capacity that can gobble it all up. Maybe until next time when the RAV4 Prime comes.

BMW from 2001 - if you attach a trailer it will switch off rear center parking sensors. The ones at the corners are still active. measuring trailer to bumper distance.

Hi from Sacramento! 👋 you stopped just around the corner from me on your way back! Great video as always

Hi Alex, @ 11:45 I believe the speedometers on modern cars are set by the manufacturers to display a bit more km/h or mph from the true speed in order to help the drivers avoid speed tickets. For example if the speed limit is 60 mph and you are doing 60 mph the car will actually be doing ~56 mph meaning you'll be 4 mph under the limit and there for you won't be in danger to get a ticket.Also that helps with the cruise control, if you'd suddenly started going a bit down on a decline the cruise won't immediately reduce speed so you get a small buffer there too.

Thank you Alex. I was always sure the RAV4 Hybrid is a good chose I be making in the not to distance future. Other videos you did and this one enforce my decision to get it. As you said also, TFL did a MPG test video a few day ago and RU-vid and it also enforce my decision to get the RAV4 Hybrid E-AWD. This thing will fit in with my lifestyle perfectly.

Great test! This is near my occasional max use case. I am curious to hear how we might extrapolate this test to the highlander hybrid. I know you guessed it had a larger rear motor but Toyota is not sharing all the specs. Of course I would love to see this test on the hi-hi when able. Thanks!

I heard Alex was moving 400lbs of the most stickiest cheech you can get your hands on to NV. Bless up to movers and shakers like you alex 🙏🙌✨❤

Reminder. The transmission on this hybrid and just like the ford escape has a transaxle type transmission. Its more like a standard. No bands or solenoids etc. Just bearings and a some planetary gears. With the electric motor and generator integrated in. Not like a regular cvt not like regular automatic transmission. The electric motors are what change the gear ratio.

I drove from southern cali to oregon on 5 with a bigger trailer than that and never went below 75 and frequently got passed by people towing at over 80.

Jeep renegade won’t fill up at certain stations as well, it’s the nozzle design at some stations

Alex, what tool did you use to get your data from? If you have a link to the product you used that would be great. Thanks.

Hey Alex, i've got a RAV4 Prime. I'm towing a 2,100 pound A-Frame Camper. I'm very interested in being able to get the MG1 and MG2 numbers as well as transmission fluid temps. What's the tool you we're using? Hope you can help.

The towing capacity goes down to only 1000 lbs if the trailer is not equipped with brakes. Nobody seams to know that. (according to owner's manual in Usa and Canada for the hybrid as well as the gasoline models).

We speed o meters are calibrated about 10% less than actual this is to prevent manufacturers being being brought into court for speeding cases

surprising results , a lot more efficient then i anticipated! Excellent job by the way !! Very Impressive~! :-)

Do a highlander hybrid towing test

Nobody in the uk has had an issue. I think it's, more about when they hit empty they expect to put 55ltrs back in but don't the know that manufactures of hybrid car have to put a large reserve in because if you run out of fuel its a dealer job to fix the car and you can cause major damage the rav4 shows red light with about 20ltr remaining.

Awesome video. Been a long time follower! Great info and thanks for sharing. I would be interested in getting that raw data you collected for doing some analysis

Toyota has had a little over 20yrs (globally) with basically the same hybrid system. They started off with a really good design and have improved it over the years, so I'm not surprised to see that the hybrid system faired well on the trip. I'd have been curious to see what the engine oil temperatures did on that climb, since I'm pretty sure they don't have an oil cooler and 0W20 is not exactly awesome at high temperatures. My concern with that much towing weight on a hybrid SUV is brakes. Hybrids in general usually have undersized brakes compared to a comparable non-hybrid since it helps reduce rotational mass/improves fuel economy and they can get away with it due to the fact that regeneration will be dealing with a lot of the braking during normal driving and hybrids typically aren't driven that hard. Properly maintained and functioning trailer brakes would be an absolute requirement.

i was wondering about hotter summer temperatures, thanks for addressing that and higher speeds

I have a 2000lb boat with no electric breaks ! But it's more aerodynamic. I really want to save money and get the rav4 rather than Highlnader. What to doooo

So impressive!tho I have no idea of how those data means,I just know its good because of your great reactions lol.I cant wait for my rav4 to arrive on july😍

Great Video. Which datalogger did you use ? Im interrested on having the same for my RAV4 Hybrid 2019

Can you repeat this test with the rav4 prime?

What are you using for OBD2 data logging and display? That's really good information! I would like to see this information while climbing hills on the trails. Thanks Alex!

What exactly did you use to get the data on the engine and transmission temps?

On the Rav4 Hybrid refilling issues. You just have to give it like 30 seconds after the first fill to let the fuel settle. It will literally give you like an entire extra gallon. It's silly, but it works.

Alex,what is the obd 2 reader you are using? I assume its Bluetooth connected to your display? Thanks.

Alex living life on the edge during the lock down. 😂

Wow that guy, i like him. Finally, somebody who says the right data. Thank you so much and just wow for the awsome job

I believe the Toyota Prius this year has a towing capacity I saw a video from Toyota UK with a Toyota towing a camper

im so glade you are making this video i'm looking at getting a rav4 TRD to tow my boat so i'm interested in how these things tow.

Alex, This is a fantastic video for detailing the RAV4's capability but I would like to know whether this 'torture' video will be deleted when you inevitably put this 'low mileage, gently driven' RAV4 up for sale. ;)

Hi Alex, can you please share what scan tool you are using to gather information from the vehicle?

Just towed a 1400 lb teardrop for 1850 miles ended up with 24 mpg

This was excellent. Liked the format and the test and answered a lot of questions. For me, living in the north, the question now is, 'how does it perform below freezing temperatures'? If you live in a climate where only 6+ months of the year it's above freezing, is the hybrid still a practical option..?

What software did you use to display this data?

Great content! More torture tests in the future I hope.

Very impressive engineering. Another great A\A video, though I wish you would have stayed below the tow rating. Sure enough, somebody will see your video and fry his RAV4.

Isn't it common for speedometers to be conservative too keep drivers from speeding as much?

Great review. Wondering how the seat comfort was during all those miles. In an earlier vid you said that for tall people the driver seat was uncomfortable. I'm 6 ft and plan to do a lot of long highway driving.

Does the Ford Escape hybrid tow? If so, do a test and compare results if applicable. If it doesn't tow maybe do a hill climb fully loaded and lock at data results.

Excellent!!! More towing.

This is awesome, please do more

I’ve seen about 30 people asking what obd2 scanner you’re using for the temp reading and I’ve yet to see a response 😂 come on dude

Quite impressive. I would not have thought it would do that well, although it did look like it was perhaps close to what it could do--much more weight and it would not be holding speed in the hills. On flat ground, it probably would have been fine with more weight, but it would have shown up in the hills--you take a double whammy in the hills, having to pull the weight up plus the air drag. Quick look at Toyota's website indicates that the hybrid has a 1,230lb payload capacity--that is what my Tundra has, believe it or not! Where things get funny is when I compare against the Adventure model with its 3,500lb towing rating. The Adventure has but 1,050lb payload. Unfortunately Toyota does not care to list GCWR on its site, after listing both curb and GVWR. One is left assuming that J2807's 300lb of occupants + 100lb hitch stuff is all that is inside the vehicle, leading a min GCWR of 400+curb+trailer. That implies GCWR of 7,555lb for Adventure and 5,840 for Hybrid. Given that the GVWR is higher for the hybrid, I would hazard that the issue is not tires, not suspension or brakes, but rather horsepower: the Adventure simply has more hp at 203 vs 176 from the gas engine. On a long hill, eventually everything has to come from the gas engine, plus any limits from the heating of routing power through the electric motors. The hybrid may have more peak hp, but once those batteries run out... I bet on flat ground, the hybrid likely would feel faster due to the higher hp and more than hold its own. It'd only be in the hills were continuous power requirements hold it back. Pure swag on my part. All around, rather impressive. Pulling an enclosed trailer is a tough test, as it's just shy of towing a barn door. Try this again but at 65mph and those hills might seem much harder.

Watch out TFL

Very interesting. I'm holding out for the Prime, but it would be nice to see the data without a trailer compared to this data with the trailer. I've got a small aluminum bass boat that would be nice to tow with this or the Prime occasionally since my lifted 96 truck gets about 10-13mpg on a good day. Mostly 30 mile drives (60 round trip) and no extreme hills, but would like to go to even further if the Rav4 Prime or Hybrid could handle it.

Amazing video!!!!

Just noticed your rav4 dies not have the digital dash. Wow all rav4 in Europe have the large digital dash as standard. What else don't you get.

Great Alex ! I love this video. Can you do same for Honda CRV hybrid?

nice video as usual! could you add the numbers in the video with their metric equivalent for your viewers outside the US?

We as they are named after the Spanish range we Europeans are aware of this. It's quiet strange how little Americans know about language and English.

I think if you use the cruise control downhill it would just use engine braking and you would not have to use the foot brake

What app and OBDII adapter did you use for this? I can't seem to get any MG data in Torque Pro

I’d be overloading that RAV4 towing capacity by 750 pounds just towing my zero turn mower on my single axle utility trailer. That combo is 2,500 pounds. 1,750 or even 2k towing capacity is a joke! The 20.8 on flat towing and 12mpg (terrible) on the climbs likely wouldn’t yield you better mpg than the non-hybrid versions.

What is in the sun roof opening? Looks like a plastic bag.

Question: what software were you using for the data logging? I'm using CarScanner Pro, but it does not yet have a profile for my Rav4 Prime, so I have been using the Prius Prime and BZ4X profiles, but neither one includes the MG1, MG2, and MGR Stator temps. And I have not been able to find a post on the Internet with the complete PID's for the Rav4 Prime, so I haven't been able to program custom CarScanner gauges for them. I am looking into getting an Aliner, but don't want to risk towing a trailer until I can get a solid solution for reading critical drivetrain temperatures from the OBD-II port. Great video, though! If your Rav4 Hybrid can tow a 2,000 pound box trailer, my Prime, with it's 180 hp MG2 motor, should be able to tow an Aliner at 55 without worry about overheating.

Alex, you had the windows up, so I'm assuming you had the air conditioning on, especially in California? Is that how your Rav4 Hybrid normally driven, and MPG are with the A/C on?

8.9 MPG is pretty terrible though it is good it survived. I assume you would get better gas mileage with a Highlander pulling this trailer?

Hi, Alex. Might want to change your transmission fluid after torture-testing it. See the manual.

please do a review for the 2024 Venza hybrid

Same mileage everything except I have a Honda Civic I towed a 5000 pound boat before for 2 hours and I got and oils leak over the valve cover I believe

Whats inside that brown plastic bag on the roof??? it's been there for ever LOL

Yes, but does it do burn outs.

Did you tried the apps Hybrid assistant and hybrid reporter? They provide some good information.

I wonder what others think about the idea of towing anything that exceeds the mfrs towing capacity spec. For the RAV4 hybrid, it's actually 1750 lbs minus the passengers, cargo and added equipment in the towing vehicle (e.g., the hitch, etc.). All that stuff adds up, esp. if you have two or three people in the RAV4.

Hi, interesting video for an European (Finn). Was it just me or was the camera in the summary section in the studio a bit tilted?

I love hat you guys are doing!!! I would love to know how an accord hybrid sport performs towing under 1200 pounds like a kayak trailer etc

Nice test !But I want know your RAV4 is AWD or E-Four system?