2026 Toyota RAV4 First Look: America's Best-Selling Car Goes Hybrid-Only

• The Toyota RAV4 — America's best-selling car in 2024 — is all-new for 2026.
• This compact SUV gets new hybrid engines and a sporty GR model. 
• Better interior materials and new tech round out the changes. 

Fresh new looks

The old RAV4 didn't have much in the way of visual personality, and we're happy to report that's changed. The new SUV is boxier with far more curb appeal. And there are also different designs within the RAV4 lineup to help visually distinguish the models from each other.

The "core" RAV4 models — as Toyota puts it — are the LE, XLE and Limited trims. The "rugged" pillar is made up of just the Woodland trim right now, which has additional black plastic on the exterior, a chunkier-looking fascia, all-terrain tires and an extra 0.9 inches of ground clearance. Finally, the "sport" models are the SE, XSE and GR Sport, with the latter getting large wheels, lower-profile and stickier tires, and a big rear spoiler.

All hybrid all the time

All RAV4s are going to be hybridized in some way for 2026. There are two options here: a standard hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. The standard version combines a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a small battery pack and an electric motor. It can be had with either front- or all-wheel drive. 

Front-drive models make 226 horsepower and all-wheel-drive versions have 236 horsepower — those figures are both increases from the previous RAV4 hybrid. There is also a plug-in hybrid (Toyota is dropping the "Prime" name from its PHEVs). The plug-in has 320 horsepower and up to 50 miles of EV-only range. 

Not all RAV4s will get both powertrain options. Some are just the standard hybrid and some have the option of the plug-in.

Major interior upgrades

The RAV4's instrument cluster is now fully digital and now measures 12.3 inches. It also uses a completely new design — nothing like what you've maybe seen in the Camry, Prius or Grand Highlander. It can display a vast array of usable information and is where you monitor things like the safety warnings and adjust the adaptive cruise control. 

The other big change is the center display, which is better integrated into the design of the dashboard. A 10.5-inch infotainment screen is standard, but higher trims get a larger 12.9-inch display. There's a brand-new multimedia system built in, with multiple pages that can show a wide array of car info. There are also dedicated buttons for key features and a home icon to take you back to the main screen whenever you need to.

There's one small issue, though: The vast majority of the climate controls have been moved into the screen. The last RAV4 had knobs and buttons, but the new car only has buttons for the temperature and the defrosters. The rest of the climate controls — fan speed, A/C, heated seats, heated wheel and more — have all been moved into a dedicated climate control display in the center screen. 

Inside, there is a shelf for the passenger and a wireless charging pad beneath the screen that's flanked by another phone slot, plus another little cubby under that. The center console also has a neat trick up its sleeve. It has latches on both the driver's and passenger's side, and if you press them both, the lid pops out and can be flipped over and relocked into its original slot to reveal a small textured table. It's a perfect place on which to eat your In-N-Out Double-Double. 

In back, there's enough knee room for a 6-foot adult, but taller riders might find the lack of headroom a little irritating. The Honda CR-V, this car's nearest rival, does a much better job of giving its passengers more space in the back, but it's also a physically larger car. 

The 2026 RAV4's unknowns 

Even though we've had to chance to physically see the RAV4 and get a feel for it inside and out, there are still things we don't know. Toyota won't tell us how much cargo space it has, for example. 

Toyota also hasn't published fuel economy estimates for the new RAV4. The EPA rated the last RAV4 hybrid between 37 and 39 mpg combined, and we expect the new car to at least match, if not improve upon, those figures. 

But most importantly, we don't know how much the new RAV4 is going to cost. We expect it to start at around $33,000 for the base LE model and go all the way up to over $50,000 for the top-spec GR Sport PHEV. Toyota hasn't said if the pricing of the new RAV4 will be affected by tariffs either, so these estimates are purely speculative at the moment. We'll be sure to update you the moment we know more and how it drives once we get behind the wheel in the coming months. Stay tuned.