2026 Toyota RAV4 Tech Review: Much Better, But Not Perfect

• The 2026 Toyota RAV4 is all-new and now hybrid-only.
• Read about what it's like to drive here, or how it compares to its rivals here.
• It also gets a ton of new tech, so we take a look at the brand-new setup to see if it's a genuine upgrade.

Not only that, but the theme isn't just black or white — the widgets have color and real personality to them. It finally brings the RAV4 in line with competitors like the Honda CR-V and Kia Sportage, crossovers from two brands that have invested heavily in giving their software a distinctive look. 

The responsiveness of the screen has also taken a big step forward. Whether you're swiping through widgets, tapping through menus, or using the new search function, the RAV4 has more than enough processing power. It's snappy, responsive, and thanks to a high-quality screen, easy to make out everything you're looking for. 

Small but thoughtful additions have been made throughout the interface, too. That aforementioned search function is hugely helpful. There are four presets for the audio system’s bass/treble/mid-range adjustments so you're not stuck with your kid's tone-deaf setup. The settings for the driver aids have finally been moved out of the instrument panel. Those are now in the center display, logically under "Driving Assist." 

A whole new world (of instrumentation)

The instrument panel in front of the driver is all-new, too. It features plenty of different views that revolve around what information you want to see the most of. The views are controlled by the directional pad on the steering wheel — press left or right to scroll through any of the six different total views. Use the up and down buttons to control the info on the smaller customizable info panel lodged in the left half of the screen. 

Some of the views are pretty typical. There are two setups with dials — like the analog gauges you'd find in the old RAV4. There is also one that is designed entirely around live fuel economy, so you can track (at a pretty granular level) how well you're sipping fuel as you're on the go. It might be useful for eking out those last few miles on a long roadie. Scroll through the gallery below to see the different views.

The most interesting one shows an overhead map of your position when you don't have route guidance but turn-by-turn directions when you do. It also works with Apple CarPlay and will mirror directions (and the map display itself) from Apple Maps and Waze, but not Google Maps. All of these views are a huge step on from the last RAV4 and, in many ways, exceed what's offered by some of the competition. The CR-V, for example, has nowhere near as much integration as the RAV4 now does. 

What we still don't like

But nothing's perfect, and Toyota still has room for improvement. The biggest thing, as we mentioned when we first saw the new RAV4 in May of this year, is that the vast majority of the climate controls have been migrated to the screen. The implementation is fine — the menu isn't too crowded and it's easy enough to get the hang of. But the last RAV4 had large knobs and real buttons for all of these functions. Shoving them all in the center screen hurts overall usability, and we know Toyota could have come up with a better solution. 

Other smaller issues include the RAV4's hesitance to always connect to CarPlay wirelessly when we start it up — we had to manually reconnect our phone on a few occasions. Also, we tested a midgrade XLE model that didn't come with the optional JBL sound system, and, to our ears, it was middle-of-the-pack at best — audiophiles are definitely going to want to consider the upgraded JBL system. Lastly, the resolution of the backup camera, while better than before, isn't up to par with class leaders.

If Toyota's tech (or general lack thereof) has kept you out of one in the past, you can rest assured that the new RAV4 makes major gains in a lot of meaningful areas. 

Correction: A previous version of this story stated full connectivity for the new RAV4 ended after a 30-day trial period. That is not true, and the 30-day trial period applies only to the vehicle's in-car Wifi hotspot feature. The article has since been corrected, and the incorrect information has been removed.