2026 Toyota RAV4 Tech Review: A Quietly Excellent Experience

There's nothing flashy in the RAV4's game, but everything here works

written by Jake Sundstrom
edited by Greg Migliore
7/13/2026
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What's new: Toyota redesigned the RAV4 crossover for 2026.
Why it matters: The RAV4 comes standard with an excellent 10.5-inch touchscreen.
Edmunds says: Tech may have gone from Toyota's greatest weakness to a strength.

The redesign of the 2026 Toyota RAV4 feels like another belated step into the 2020s for Toyota. The compact crossover comes standard with a 10.5-inch touchscreen, adaptive cruise control and blind-spot warning. Best of all? These features work great.

We recently bought a RAV4 XLE Premium for our One-Year Road Test fleet, and I got behind the wheel for a road trip up to San Francisco. That gave me a lot of time to play around with Apple CarPlay, the various methods to charge my iPhone, and plenty of experience with the RAV4's various driver aids. We previously reviewed the interior and now we're zooming in on the technology.

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Apple CarPlay in full effect

Some less discerning automotive journalists might tell you that Apple CarPlay isn't all it's cracked up to be. They posit that manufacturers might be on the right track by going their own way when it comes to phone integration.

That is, I'm sorry to say, wishful thinking. And thankfully it's a nonissue on the Toyota RAV4, which comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I had only one hiccup with the wireless connection; the RAV4 and my phone both said I was connected to Apple CarPlay … but I was unable to bring up the application using the RAV4's touchscreen.

This was the only issue I had during my nearly 1,000 miles behind the wheel. The 10.5-inch display is crisp, responsive and loads quickly. Connecting my phone via Bluetooth took less than five minutes; that's not perfect, but it's not an issue.

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Plenty of ways to charge your phone

You get a pair of USB-C ports up front in the Toyota RAV4, both of which charged my iPhone 15 quickly. Keep in mind that the quality of your phone cable is just as important as what it's plugged into; so if you have an issue with slow charging on your phone, try replacing your cable first.

Of course, you've got wireless Apple CarPlay — so you don't have to plug in. Thankfully, the wireless charging pad worked great during my drive. Not only did it actually charge my phone, but the grippy pad kept it from sliding around. I was also pleased with how easy it was to find the correct spot for my phone on the charger.

Driver aids impressed

The two driver aids I used the most during my highway-centric trip were adaptive cruise control and blind-spot awareness. I was largely able to set and forget the cruise control. It did a nice job of keeping the RAV4 a safe distance from the car in front of me without feeling overly conservative.

It also paired nicely with the blind-spot warning system. If I came up behind a slow-moving vehicle (common on Interstate 5, which is two lanes most of the way), I could flick the turn signal, look over my shoulder and safely merge into the passing lane. If there was a vehicle in my blind spot, the RAV4 would beep (in a mostly helpful, mostly not annoying way) and I'd give it a few seconds before checking over my shoulder to make sure the lane was clear. The backup camera is also of excellent quality. The image is crisp and that made backing out of a tight hotel parking lot hassle-free.

Is tech becoming a strength for Toyota?

It wasn't long ago that tech was Toyota's Achilles' heel. That's no longer the case. I won't go as far as to say Toyota has the best tech out there, but it's not a glaring weakness, which makes the Toyota RAV4 much more competitive in a hotly contested segment.

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by Jake Sundstrom

Jake Sundstrom has worked in the automotive industry since 2017. He has written hundreds of car-related articles. Jake is currently an Editor for CarMax and has also contributed to National Hot Rod Association publications. When he's not driving cars, he's eating takeout inside of them (probably burgers, burritos or pizza).

edited by Greg Migliore

Greg Migliore is an accomplished journalist with more than two decades covering the auto industry. He was the editor-in-chief of Autoblog for more than seven years and also served as the editorial director of AutoGuide. He's also been an editor at Automobile and Autoweek magazines. A widely quoted industry expert, he has contributed commentary to Autoline After Hours, NPR, Yahoo Finance and America on the Road. He's a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University and the Yale Publishing Course. He is a member of the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards jury. When not writing, editing or driving the latest new vehicles, Greg can be seen driving around in his extremely low-mileage 2006 Dodge Charger.

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