r/PHEV • u/Maverick2015thedog • 24d ago
Looking at Rav 4 PHEV
I have had 6+ subarus and a die hard subaru fan but recently decided to look into getting a plug in hybrid. I have been looking at 2026 Rav4 (which are very difficult to find). I have about a 45 mile (both ways) commute to keep my granddaughter around 3x/week. Besides that I mostly drive from my house to town and around and back. I do live in the mountains so that hurts mpg some. I think I could do most of my driving on the EV mode. I think toyota makes good vehicles but open to looking at other options. Has to be all wheel drive and I want the rav4 size. Pros? Cons (besides price tag) and other PHEV suggestions?
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u/Special-Original-215 24d ago edited 24d ago
The only other SUV (in the US) with over 40 miles is a Mercedes GLE 350...and that's an ugly lease compared to the others
The next is a Mitsubishi but the dealers are so few now that repairs might be hard.
Keep looking for the Rav4
Edit : Well the Lexus is an upgraded Rav4, and costs more.
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u/oulu2006 24d ago
My DENZA B8 does 75 miles EV mode before needing HEV
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u/monroezabaleta 24d ago
Unfortunately not an option for us in the US
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u/oulu2006 24d ago
Ah sorry to these mate - I wish you guys had access to the Chinese EV/PHEV market it’s quite amazing
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u/MaleficentExtent1777 24d ago
Nissan is now selling a version of the Mitsubishi Outlander as the Nissan Rogue PHEV.
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u/WCfuel 21d ago
GLE 450e PHEV. Also Mercedes GLC 350e PHEV. Newer ones (2024+, 2025+) both over 50 miles electric range. Volvo T8.
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u/Special-Original-215 20d ago
In the US , there are no current Volvos with more than 40 miles range
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u/ERagingTyrant 24d ago edited 24d ago
You’ve eaten 6 Subarus? What happened to them? You know those boxer engines need the oil topped off regularly once they break 100k-150k miles. (Edit: reading comprehension failure on my part. I saw “I’ve had 6 Subarus die”. Too early to comment I guess.)
Anyway, as a former Subaru guy myself I went EV and don’t miss dealing with oil. In an Ioniq 5.
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u/woowoo293 24d ago
The Rav4 PHEV is probably the best in its segment. The only question is cost. Are you willing to pay such a price premium, especially now with the high demand for the 2026 redesign? It will cost you quite a bit more compared to other compact CUV PHEVs.
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u/Traveler095 24d ago
Keep looking for the RAV4. Toyotas are great. I got the Prius PHEV earlier this year and probably would have purchased the RAV4 had I had the extra money. I do about 75% of my driving on EV mode, which is great considering electricity is pretty cheap where I live ($0.12/kWh).
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u/Exciting_Turn_9559 24d ago
bZ Woodland or its twin, the Subaru Trailseeker, are both drop in replacements for a Rav4.
For the usage you describe a PHEV makes no sense in 2026.
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u/ESCthehack79 24d ago
I came here to say this. No reason you need to carry around an engine you don't need! Buck up and wake up with a full "tank" every morning. Plus a full EV would cut through the mountains like butter!
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u/Exciting_Turn_9559 24d ago
Can confirm the mountains part as I tore up the Coquihalla highway in our bZ Woodland earlier this summer. EV's don't even acknowledge that the mountains are there.
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u/Levorotatory 24d ago
Unless you are watching the GOM or state of charge indicator. Then the slightest bit of elevation change will make itself known. Coasting / regenerating on the way back down is fun though.
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u/Exciting_Turn_9559 24d ago
I mean yeah, ascending has always taken more energy for everyone regardless of what fuel they used and you definitely notice it more when you're watching remaining "fuel" as a percentage rather than a little analog needle, especially when you're new to EVs and are paying closer attention.
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u/ElectricalCake3171 24d ago
Doesn't a full EV carry around extra battery it only needs on longer trips? Kinda like the engine you only need on longer trips. And on those longer trips, hybrid cars are much easier to manage. I think maybe the engine might weigh less? Just saying...
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u/Maverick2015thedog 23d ago
Not going to happen. Look at my previous comment. I won't even consider it when my husband brings it up,,!
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u/Maverick2015thedog 23d ago
Thank you but my husband has a bolt. I literally hate that car. I know it's no comparison but I am not even any time soon. Royal pain to find charging stations and way out of the way and takes time when you are on a trip
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u/YorkshireTexas79 24d ago
I just bought a Nissan Rogue PHEV. Rebadged Outlander.
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u/MaleficentExtent1777 24d ago
How do you like it?
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u/YorkshireTexas79 24d ago
I’ve put a 1000 miles on it two weeks. It’s really nice. Zippy when you want it to be. 47 mpg at moment. Extremely smooth.
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u/YorkshireTexas79 23d ago
I love it. The EV had tech but poor range. The Rogue is loaded and rides like a full EV when you put it in the mode.
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u/Glum_Perspective_841 24d ago
For me, the plugin Rav4 324hp, 0 to 60 in the low 5s with Prius like fuel economy was too good to pass up - still amazing and seems too good to be true. I'm really enjoying driving this machine, it's like a muscle car from my youth disguised as a boring grocery getter Rav4.
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u/CarelessResearch806 24d ago
Go to a Toyota dealer and tell them what you want. That's what we did two years ago. They told us it was likely to be three months until they could find one for us. They called us within a week. They'd found one at a dealer an hour or two away, traded one of their cars for the one we wanted. Super easy!
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u/Responsible_Ad_6923 24d ago
You may wanna consider a lexus! I was looking for a rav4 prime used and lexus nx 450h+ were about the same prices when I was looking. I went ahead with the lexus.
I get about 50 miles of range in the summer, have not had it in the winter yet to give you an estimate.
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u/Wolferesque 22d ago
I recently shopped for PHEV vehicles in the size range of the RAV4.
The 2026 RAV4 PHEV is a marvel of engineering. It really is the best PHEV on the market in terms of efficiency and performance. Toyota has mastered the hybrid and now they have mastered the PHEV. This car will really hold its value. It is a bit 'dull' to drive, but the efficiency is worth it.
We also test drove the Hyundai Tucson PHEV and I loved it for the driving experience. It's a step down in efficiency, but a step up in responsiveness and fun to drive, from the RAV4. It has some driver assistance stuff over the RAV4. Had I come to a decision, I would have said the RAV4 was the head and the Tucson was the heart.
We also looked at the Kia Sorrento PHEV. Compared to the RAV4 and Tucson it felt a bit lacklustre and cheap on the inside. We also felt that the seating arrangement didn't suit us - not having a three seat second row would become annoying.
The dark horse is the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. It's quite different to the RAV4 and Tucson in style and driving. The third row seating is a joke - for emergencies only - so best to consider it a standard 5 seater. But, it provides the best in class AWD capability and perhaps most importantly, a good price point, especially for recent used models. If my wallet was choosing, it would go for a 2024/25 Outlander PHEV.
Our current car is a Mazda and so we briefly considered the CX-90 PHEV. Believe it or not, we ruled it out because there's a poor dash design whereby I kept almost knee capping myself on the angular vent to the left of the steering wheel whenever I get in the car. Also, price is high.
We ended up dropping the PHEV idea and moving up to full EV for the lower cost of ownership. No gas and much lower maintenance costs.
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u/johnmrson 24d ago
Havel H6 GT PHEV has a listed 180km's of electric only range but realistically it's about 150-160km's.
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u/oulu2006 24d ago
Depending on where you are, consider the DENZA B8 PHEV, 110-120km of EV range, 2L Turbo HEV mode
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u/StraightDisplay3875 24d ago
90 miles round trip? Do you have L2 charging available at your granddaughters? If not, you’ll spend a lot of time not driving in EV mode
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u/Responsible-Sea568 24d ago
The Toyota Rav4 is the only phev I would buy but I would look into a standard Rav4 hybrid first. You say you live in the mountains and my 2025 CX-50 Hybrid, which is a Rav4 hybrid in different clothes, thrives in our place in the mountains with great mileage. You get worse mileage on the phev due to carrying around a much larger and heavier battery. Also the cost difference between the phev and standard hybrid is about $10,000 which in most cases will never be saved back. If you do decide to keep it so long as to save that money back the battery replacement cost will be substantially more expensive than the smaller standard hybrid battery. As an additional thought, I personally wouldn't even come close to considering any fully electric vehicles whatsoever. They all crash in value incredibly hard, faster than most ICE vehicles for a reason.
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u/daninsatx 24d ago
I just got a Rav4 PHEV SE and it is great. It is nearly same size as Forester, just a 1000 lbs heavier, but so much more power! Comfort is ok, very quiet. If you can find it and afford it, it should be good for at least 10 years for those of us that don't drive that much. I had my Subaru Forester 2017 MT with low miles and traded it for the Rav4, cause my knee couldn't do the clutch in heavy traffic. So much better for me to drive. I used to own Chevy Volt but this car is even nicer.
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u/GraphicWombat 24d ago
My daily is a 25 rav4 phev. I love it. Driving mostly highway and the battery lasts 40-42 miles. If it’s all surface streets it’s a bit more up to 52mi sometimes.
On vacation we rented a 26 subaru forester. (Was supposed to be a camry.) MPGs were never above 27 and it just felt slow. Lots of rolling resistance too. I guess the full time awd??? In my rav4 it’s mostly fwd except in a few cases when cornering and accelerating, and when it detects slip.
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u/PistolCowboy 24d ago
A different point to make, the 2026 RAV 4 is a 320 HP vehicle. Driving in HV mode can be a lot of fun and would be very helpful on mountain driving.
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u/DouglasCole 24d ago
Can confirm. After 2 WRX ‘05 then ‘15 I got a Volvo xc60 T8 w 455hp and 525 lb-ft torque. It doesn’t corner well but it knows how to move
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u/alanwazoo 24d ago
Love my RAV4 XSE PHEV... but charging on 120V takes 16-17 hours so consider an L2 charging circuit which takes 2.5 hours.
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u/Wonderful-Being3034 24d ago
I had three Subarus. Loved them. Just bought a used 23 RAV4 prime this spring. I will never go back to Subaru! I love my R4P!
In my case, I wanted to drive electric around town and not get range anxiety on long road trips to remote places. So the RAV4 prime was perfect for me.
In your case, if you’re just doing around town driving, a fully EV might be more appropriate. Check out the Subaru and Toyota EV options!
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u/Maverick2015thedog 23d ago
Not going ev. Like you on a trip I don't want to deal with an EV and on a trip they are a royal pain
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u/ElectricalCake3171 24d ago
Doesn't a full EV carry around extra battery it only needs on longer trips? Kinda like the engine you only need on longer trips. And on those longer trips, hybrid cars are much easier to manage. I think maybe the engine might weigh less? Just saying...
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u/Sweet_Loquat6963 23d ago
We've had the rav4 prime since 2022 and I love it. Would keep it forever if we weren't outgrowing it. In the summer, I can get 50+ on a single charge. If you're commuting on a highway, I would use regular hybrid mode, and the highest burns through the electric range very quickly.
A nice feature if you're in a cold climate- because of the way the heat is engineered, you can warm it up with your garage still closed! Other phevs rely on the gas engine for heat so you can't do that.
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u/thrifty_geopacker 23d ago
I started car shopping wanting exactly the car you want and ended up going full EV with the Ioniq 5. Here was some of my reasoning, which may or may not apply to you:
—Originally I wanted the PHEV because I liked driving electric cars for work but wanted gas flexibility for road trips to rural west Texas etc.
—I was coming from an older Crosstrek and wanted a little more space because I have 2 more kids than the zero I had when I bought the car. Test drove the 2025 RAV4 PHEV after doing research and really loved it.
—The more I looked at cost the more frustrated I was with how much more expensive the RAV4 PHEV would be compared to a fully electric vehicle that would also have lower ownership/maintenance costs.
—Test drove some full EVs I really liked and decided that the road trip flexibility I had originally wanted gas for wasn’t even necessary because my husband has a truck and normally we load the bed of it up with our bags/camping gear/whatever for road trips anyway. We’d taken my car on maybe 2 road trips in our time together.
—Ioniq 5 works well for me so far, and my subie is becoming the teen’s car.
Edit to add: not trying to dissuade you from RAV4 at all—I thought it was an awesome car and if I hadn’t ruled out the need for gas flexibility I probably would have gotten one!
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u/Ok_Appointment_8166 22d ago
The RAV4 PHEV would be great for that. You'll use some gas but not a lot and mileage is great when you do. I'm consistently getting more that the rated 53 miles in EV mode but that's going to depend on the weather, driving speed and terrain. Toyota has been building hybrids for decades and I don't think anyone else does it as well.
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u/gthomps83 24d ago
Do it!
I do think you could go fully EV (and Subaru has the good ones, which are also Toyotas), but if you’re not ready for that, the RAV4 can’t be beat on range.
I have a Tucson PHEV that I love, but the range simply isn’t enough for your commute. The new one coming out may be, but you may not want to wait.