Toyota RAV4 Hybrid vs Mitsubishi Outlander Plug In | To Plug Or Not To Plug? 

We got 8k off our PHEV Outlander back in June and that's excluding the 5k in tax credits, so that could be something to consider

Well, fortunately for Mitsubishi, an all-new Outlander and Outlander PHEV is set to release in 2021/2022 for the 2022/2023 Model Year, so hopefully there will be improvements to the powertrain, and technology.

Good review however looks like this guy is more in favor to the Rav4 putting less effort explaining some of the adventages on the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I've owned PHEV for 2 years and for short city driving we get over 1000 km to a tank. For Long distance travel, the phev gets around 500km to a tank. Its a big difference but for a tank that's only 40litres it's still really good for a car that weight nearly two ton.

I saw an outlander phev today and It's pretty handsome.

Alex, Well done. You are really rising to the challenge of comparing that RAV4 Hybrid to anything on four wheels. BTW details on your channel are never 'excruciating' . #GotCharts

You do amazing reviews, i ordered a 2020 Rav4 Hybrid after watching some of your videos.

This is an excellent review and comparison. Thank you.

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid without thinking Nice comparison review

Your are the best @alex I made the same comparison before buying my premium Rav4

Best review so far.

I have to agree with everyone, Alex, you are very analytical and very detailed - an accountant’s ideal car reviewer. The more data, the better.

I’ve had a UK 16 plate outlander and now the 19 plate... the 2.4litre outlander replacing the 2litre smashes all its technical numbers. 70mpg over 25,000 annual miles all day, every day and will buy a third

I made this exact comparison 6 months ago. For us, the determining factor on fuel use/environment was the number of long trips we took. After calculations, even if we assumed we could somehow get 30 mpg from the outlander, the Rav still won out. Plus we prefer it in every way. Small but annoying additional thing about the outlander: the shifter feels like it’s made by Mattel.

i saw that mitsubishi on the road a few weeks ago it had hybrid written all over it, in fact it was the first new mitsubishi i seen in ages.

Thanks. Excelent info.

Goodness, the Out-lender again. Alex, your prounounciation is epic 😆 I have to check your Highlander (I mean High-lender) review...all fun (I love your vids)

Depends on whether you live in a city with or without public transportation. If your city does not have any light rails or subways (e.g Dallas, Houston, Amarillo, San Antonio, El Paso, Atlanta, Louisville, Cincinnati, New Orleans), the plug in won’t do much for you. If your city does have subway line (Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco), you can drive to your nearest station on electric range.

I don't think the new Escape is going to effect RAV4 sales much for people that need a useable 2nd row seat. Our local dealership has a 2020 with the 3 cylinder, and that second row is still a rock hard parcel shelf with door openings too small for a 6 foot person to use regularly. Though it is pretty; and I'm sure the Fords will be discounted a lot more (and more often) than the Toyota.

RAV4 Hands down.

Rav4 plug in hybrid! It’s coming Also Lexus nx hybrid is there soooooo

I really like the outlander phev. It needs 40 or 50 more hp and have a tow rating in the US to make it on my list.

Toyota hit it out of the park when they redesigned the RAV4.

I don't personally care for either of these vehicles over the escape, I'm just here to support Alex.

One thing to consider is soccer moms who only drive the kids 5-7 miles to school and maybe to the grocery store 80% of the vehicles life. The 22 miles of electric range means that gasoline engine will never turn on and the cost to operate the PHEV will be sigificantly lower. Honestly a PHEV is the best use of electric motors in vehicles for the next few years at least, as the ability to run around town on electric only but still be able to utilize gasoline when you need it, is just the best of both worlds. The toyota may get 40mpg but at 12 cents per kWh and a 12 kWh battery, you get a 1.44 dollars to charge the battery. So say we have someone who drove 7k miles (a city person or suburban soccer mom), and of that 5k miles was on electric while the other 2k was on gasoline vs the rav 4 that was all gasoline. The 5k miles of electric driving would consume 2,250‬ kWh of electric and at a cost of 12 cents per, it would total 270 dollars. Now add the other 2k miles on gas at an average of 3 dollars a gallon and you get 240 dollars for a total of 510 dollars in "fuel". The toyota rav4 at a flat 40 mpg with that same 3 dollars per gallon would cost 525. If you look at the breakdown, it cost almost as much in gas to go 2k miles as it did in electric to go 5k miles. If the outlander had a bigger battery, say a 16 kWh battery, so 33% bigger, and got 29-30 miles of range, and now you would have a 15 mile daily commute on pure electric and that bill will plummet. But if you drive a lot per year, say 14k or in my mothers case 25k miles per year, then the normal hybrid scales much better and would be an obvious choice, as the fuel economy savings would pay for the actual auto loan over the life of the loan

Can’t wait for escape phev and hybrid and the new crv hybrid all will be very interesting

Looking forward to seeing the CRV hybrid when it comes out next year.

would love to see charging speeds of the outlander phev at a chademo station if you can do that, not many videos on that at all, the only phev with fast charging, thanks

Very good. The numbers you gave for improving EV range and engine efficiency just happen to be exactly the reported performance of the Outlander PHEV that is on sale in Europe & Japan. Why is Mitsubishi selling a second rate product in the USA?

So many horror stories about Mitsu battery degradation Bought 2019 Rav4H and so far I love it. MPG 44 hwy/city

The RAV4 is the easy choice as once you get over Mitsubishis minimal 22 mile EV range it get 25mpg, compared to RAV4 40mpg. Add its faster, quieter, more refined suspension, more ground clearance, higher resale value and better drivetrain (proven Prius ECVT and drivetrain) the RAV4 is the logical choice. If you're going for all electric range I'd make the jump to full EV as there are much less parts and maintenance. With a PHEV when it's in battery mode it's pulling around a useless engine and when it's in gas mode is pulling around a large useless battery.

Not to nitpick Alex, but I've noticed this on a couple videos with ground clearance comparisons. From 2014 to 2020 the Nissan Rogue has had a couple different ground clearance numbers. But to my knowledge in each of those years the AWD variant had a higher GC number than the 2WD. For instance the 2019 and 2020 AWD currently has 8.4 inches of GC putting it near the top of the list VS. the 7.8 of the 2WD variant.

oh, nice review

The Outlander PHEV is the less expensive car if you can charge frequently, but the Rav4 hybrid is the better overall car. That said I look forward to the new Escape hybrid & especially the Rav4 PHEV once that arrives since I believe that car would really make the Mitsubishi redundant should it also have AWD.

Almost 200 comments and no one has mentioned that OpenPilot is only compatible with the RAV4. OpenPilot brings amazing Level 2 autonomy to almost 60 compatible vehicles now, dramatically reducing or nearly eliminating the stress of driving. The latest RAV4 Hybrid features Toyota's TSS 2.0, which raises the Lane Keeping Assist hardware to new levels. Pairing that up with OpenPilot gives you endless hours of relaxing drive time.

Adaptive cruise control, 360 camera, LED head lights are standard in Japan original model . The dealer in your country seems stealing your money for options.

Europe have new outlander 2.4 phev 240hp, full led and a S-AWC (4X4) ,same system as lancer Evolution, 360° view cameras , etc...

Be honest.....nothing like Toyota,those engines runs for life.

my mistake... of course before converter / inverter 244,8 V (6,5Ah x 244,8V = 1,591 kWh). My data was AC 650V

I DO NOT like any of these cars. But i still watch it cause Alex reviews them. And I'm glad I did. From 8:22, that answer that very question I always have : 'Is it worth going electric?'.

Now in 2022 with the higher fuel cost, when it comes to fuel economy, outlander phev has become a much better option than the Rav4

Mitsubishi Outlander 2019 with 2.4L Atkinson motor became a better choice by far in 2024 (in mechanics but also in general design imho)

I wonder if GM will ever bring back the Volt. I just got a 2013 used. love it.

Also unless you are driving more than 100 miles daily with no way to stop you can easily do almost all of your driving on nearly free ev charging, and no one should drive it with an empty battery it has a chg function for a reason so those economy numbers are worst case. You could run that outlander when you arent going on super long trips, which few people do more than 5 times a year, for practically nothing! I hope the next gen in a couple years ramps up that EV only range a bunch if so that would be outstanding!

Actual ground clearance 2019: The measurements are a bit strange since every car model uses cm so we have to translate it to inches. Grand Cherokee 8.26 - 11.02 (rejustable) (21-28cm) Forester 8.66 (22cm) Rogue 7.87-8.46 (20-21.5cm) (depends on model (motor and/or 4wd)) Rav 4 hybrid 7.48-8.07 (19-20.5cm) (Diffrent sites says diffrent things) CR-V 7.87 (20cm) Tiguan 7.87 (20cm) Outlander phev 7.48 (19cm) Rogue 7.28 (18.5cm) Sorento 7.28 (18.5cm) Sportage 6.69 (17cm)

Bear in mind that the federal tax credit is a non-refundable tax credit so it will only benefit the purchaser if, after all other deductions, refundable credits and non-refundable credits, you still owe $5,000 in tax. The state tax credits in some states is a refundable credit and so may well be worth far more. Of course, you can get both. Figure the cost for a 1,000 mile trip with only 22 miles of electric only driving and the remaining 978 miles at 25MPG . It would take 39.12 Gallons. With a cost of $3.00/gallon your trip would cost $117.36 (assuming you have your own Solar or wind source for free electricity) The RAV4 Hybrid at 40 MPG combined would take 25 Gallons. At a cost of $3.00/ gallon your trip would cost $75 Add to that the poor repair costs of the Mitsubitchi compared to the Sterling repair cost of the RAV4 and you can see why the Mitsu doesn't impress me. Of course you could throw a full electric car in the mix and fuel cost would be more in line with the RAV4, but then you would have to figure in the cost of a motel/hotel room for your overnight stay caused by the extra time watching the clouds roll by while you wait to recarge your batteries at least 3 times with a time of 2.5 hours per charge. Or an extra 7hours and 30 minutes.to drive that 1,000 miles.

Nice blue

If yiu drive mainly local, with the odd large trip, how can the rav be more economical of you charge regularly?

Other than 20-ish miles of all electric range, it's hard to see any compelling reason or use case to purchase the "OutlUnder" over the Rav4. The OutlAnder is obviously an older designed and probably adapted to electrification rather than designed for it from scratch. Take a look at Ford C-Max plug in. Nice car, but Ford sacrificed a huge amount of cargo space to house the battery pack high up and to the rear. Nice car (the C-Max), but compromised in PEV form. Pity Ford ditched it.

Toyota is now selling 36000 Rav4s a month, with about 25% of them being hybrids It will be the #4 best selling vehicle in America, behind the 3 pickup trucks It's sales this year have easily pulled away from Rogue, CRV, and any car on the market

There is no third row seating on the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid in the older model years.

Outlander need a 20kwh pack to give it more usable range.

If you commute 44 MPD then outlander fuel economy is 50 combined mpg compared with 40 in RAV4. Still a bargain.

I'll take the Mitsubishi Outlander

the outlander has a fast charger...that could have been worth mentioning?

You are missing in your review the fact that this car loses the acceleration when is going up hills for more than 10 miles since the cell battery gets depleted and at that point, the fan stop working and gets overheated. Did you try to go up hills in this car for more than 10 miles?

OH LOOK! A 3 WHEELED SUV

Alex, I understood that the 2019 Outlander had a 2.4L engine, prior to 2019 it was a 2.0L. Is that correct?

Choice # 1 in California---HOV lane access. Plus the PHEV fed, state and utility kickbacks. Another choice in SoCal---I park at level 2 chargers since they are usually close to the mall entrance at Christmas time.....

Alex, Did I miss the real world, on-the-road towing comparison? #AllWeAreSayingIsGiveItAHitch

The RAV4 Hybrid doesn't have a B mode on the transmission shifter. It has a sequential mode (S) and there are six simulated gears.

I owned a 2018 PHEV w LED head light, and is about average 45MPG , as I charge full daily. to work place about 20 miles away, so far pretty happy about it. one way to office, no gas at all. :-)

RAV4 has a spare tire, whereas the Outlander does not. That's pretty conclusive to me.

I hate Toyota Bias. I drive 8 miles a day so the Outlander makes way more sense

The Outlander looks better but it's such a complex system so between these two - RAV4 Hybrid is the winner.

If your commute is 20 miles and you charge both ends then Outlander PHEV will use only Electric and the Hybrid would use 1 gallon. As the Outlander does not use the full energy in the battery but around 10kW that would mean PHEV use would be 20kW. So that would mean that weekly cost (5 day) would be (Electric @ $0.12kWh Petrol @ $3.00) PHEV $12 and Hybrid $15 that is a 20% saving on commute cost and if your destination had free charging then that would be $6 or 60% saving. Now there is the weekend you saved $3 so that means on this video 25 miles for the PHEV plus the 20 miles of electric, so 45 miles for $4.2 and the Hybrid to balance that off would be 10 miles or another trip to work. With PHEV and Hybrids you have to balance off all your short journeys with you long journeys. And just to note with Fast DC charging the Outlander is 20 mins to charge to 80% (Battery Protection). I have had an Outlander PHEV for 18 months and lifetime MPG is 100.

Too bad Mitsu has software issues reducing range. There are a couple guys on here who discovered it.

Outlander battery is under driver floor not rear..

I'm with TR, the resale value and 40mpg are good reasons to buy the Rav4. With the Outlander you will spend all your extra time sitting at the dealership waiting for parts.

3:18 are you sure of these data? I found: Main battery in Rav4 is 6.5 Ah capacity The maximum voltage is 650V (6.5Ah x 650V = 4.225 kWh)

The plug in RAV4 won’t be available until 2021 instead of 2020 as mentioned unless Toyota just made a new announcement

If the RAV can get 40 mpg all the time, it's definitely better on fuel efficiency, right? The phev will only save you 22 miles of gas. If your total daily commute is only 22 miles, I guess that works. But you'll need to charge it every 22 miles. So much hassle. My ideal of going hybrid is so that I don't have to recharge/refill every so often.

The toyota looks kind of similar two the Mitsubishi in the rear

The split screen makes me dizzy.

"hollow-gen" headlamps. haha.

i own a phev 2015 model and when fully charged i get 26 to 30 miles on ev only, i have get good mpg ranging from 64 to 98 mpg. So should not be comparing a phev to a hybrid totally different. i have driven a rav4 and do like it but still think prices what to come down a hell of lot before buying a new hybrid.

Outlander: Can DO electric OR run as hybrid. RAV4 (never have to plug in??) - hybrid ONLY - CANNOT plug it in at all and CANNOT use electricity to AVOID use of gasoline.

it's interesting that he kept calling manufacturer name for Outlander but model name for Rav4.

When we bought our 2019 Rav, the dealer said they will not negotiate on the hybrids. 😳. I can’t figure out the BSM. Sometimes it comes on, sometimes not - I think it is me. Have to get it sorted.

I know it’s not in the same vehicle class but it’s crazy how the Pacifica E-hybrid would destroy this pair of CUVs Aside from AWD. It’s bigger sits 7 gets 33 EV miles (84mpgE beating the outlanders EV range, and fuel efficiency) & while the 33mpg is shy of the 40 in the rav4 the 33 gas-free miles takes about 5 gallons of non EV driving to match the Pacifica meaning if u can charge nightly and drive less than ~180 miles daily the Pacifica becomes more economical. Considering that Toyota has been in hybrids for over 20 years, Mitsubishi has refined the outlander phev for ~7 years and Chrysler’s first in house PHEV managed to still outperform on a larger heavier (granted different class) vehicle is pretty amazing.

carpool lane access in CA for the PHEV not for the rav4

He pronounces Outlander like it's a last name.

The Outlander PHEV is averaging over 44 mph on fuelly.com with many in the 70's. Seldom see a RAV4 hybrid over 40 mpg.

I think Toyota is talking porky pies on the cargo space. Those two extra suitcases are not going to fit in that RAV.

The CR-V hybrid is coming next year. Honda’s hybrid might be a better ‘EV’ like feeling just like accord vs Camry hybrid.

Still say... The winner is the Volvo XC40

Mitsubishi has lost their mojo over the years.....

RAV4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1x(9/25/22)….1….3:00..6:00…13:00…15:30…..

So - with a little research you would have dismissed the Outlander PHEV immediately as a car to even buy !! Why? Ongoing worldwide fault with the BMU and rapid reported degradation of the traction battery. This has been festering for years with Mitsubishi refusing to help. Owners are now doing home hacks and purchasing MUT III devices to try and restore their battery capacity. Mitsubishi have over the years re worded their warranty statements to avoid any hassles with degradation !!! So - compare all you like - but buying a Mitsubishi PHEV - good luck with that - you will need it.

Outlander PHEV Battery is under the floor not under the rear. What is under there is the rear electric motor.

Many americans dont like mitsu, but filipinos yes more mitsu on the road, im a filipino i dont like mitsu

The problem with the Outlander (aside from its age) is that it’s just not good at being an EV, not a hybrid or a CUV. It doesn’t have the range of an EV and people who want an EV to commute can get a far better EV for the price. People who want a hybrid can get a far better hybrid for the price, as demonstrated by this video as well. With 45mpg vs 25mpg, I think that’s clear. The Outlander PHEV also fails as a CUV. It’s outdated, with rear seats that need to have their cushions folded forward before the rear comes down. It has a low towing capacity, poor ground clearance and approach/departure angles and terrible driving dynamics. Its AWD system is also very suspect. What’s worse is that apparently it has a major flaw - a faulty battery management unit that reduces the battery’s capacity quite a bit in a very short time. After a year, people are seeing the maximum charge drop below 80%. Not good at all.

Am I the only one who hates tf out of the new RAV4?

Who on earth would choose the Outlander over the Rav4

Is this sponsored by Toyota I get 27 miles on a full charge He said the Toyota has a bigger boot but didn't even try to get the other 2 suitcases in

He talk fast on the time! Low ok.

no one cares about mitsubishi anymore. the comparison we want to see is the new CRV Hybrid vs Rav4 Hybrid!

Neither, used BMW X5 xDrive40e for me. I like to live dangerously.

Alex, Do you work for Toyota? Bottom line: We own a Outlander PHEV and we drive the same 13000 miles per year as the average American. We charge every night with 120 volt AC level one charger. life time MPG? 101! WE have been on one road trip consisting of 1100 miles during the two years we have owned the vehicle. This mixture of driving returns approximately 75% EV driving. My friend drives a new Rav 4, approximately the same mileage per year. His life time MPG 34.4! No comparison. Your assessment is dead wrong.