2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime Consumer Reviews
Pricing
SE - $44,425 MSRP
$42,687
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2023 RAV4 Prime, so we've included reviews for other years of the RAV4 Prime since its last redesign.
Rav4 Prime XSE
Ray, 08/18/2023
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
Pros Smooth car to drive, very comfortable on a long trip. The hybrid system giving good power & acceleration when needed. Cons The many display options are not intuitive nor easy to set up. Owner’s manual is poor.
Much better than expected
Len, 05/08/2022
2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
37 of 41 people found this review helpful
Traded in 2019 RAV4 hybrid Limited for 2022 XSE Prime a few months ago and immediately was impressed. Much better than expected. Immediately I noticed a ton of improvements. My old 2019 RAV 4 was an excellent vehicle with a few annoyances for example brake pedal was clicking each time your press it and dealer told me that it was normal. Entertainment screen would often freeze and than reboot, 360 cameras sometimes would refuse to turn on, most of the buttons would lack an illumination, tires were super slippery in rain and snow to the point that it was hazardous to drive unless I moved super slow, also passengers seat was manual. Very loud engine and road noise would be so annoying. All of this shortcomings were addressed in 2022 Prime plus much more features were added like better integration with Toyota app, real time tire pressure information in the car display and on the app, 110 AC outlet in the trunk fast charging USB C everywhere etc. The driving experience of 2022 Prime reminds me of my 2013 Mercedes ML 350, it feels heavier than Hybrid models which is not a bad thing. Wider better quality tires make driving pleasant and they grip the road much better. I love quet ride, great acceleration and an exterior looks more premium. As far as fuel economy I get up to 57.5 miles on a single charge in all electric mode, of course to get that range a climate control must be off and the outside temperature shouldn't be less than 45 degrees, also I was diving no faster than 55 miles an hour with slow smooth acceleration. Otherwise I get between 36 and 42 miles on all electric mode. I love the fact that you can charge the battery while you drive and it charges it pretty fast. I am very happy with my RAV 4 Prime XSE despite a few imperfections and I have a wish list for Toyota to consider. Lets start. 1. High beams are not that great. Weak and aiming too low. 2. Adaptive lights are not working. I can't see them moving in any direction under any condition. 3. Premium JBL sound system doesn't sound Premium it all. 4. Entertainment screen could be higher resolution and so the cameras. Cameras are really not that sharp. 5. The steering wheel is a bit more disconnected than on my 2019 Hybrid 6. I would prefer a bit larger fonts on information display where the speedometer is. I can barely see the time, my trip odometer, range info etc. 7. Alexa is not working, multimedia apps are finicky, navigational system always chooses the worst route and "getting the directions from the cloud" feature sometimes freeze up navigation. (I use Google on my phone so I don't care about it that much) 8. Beautiful heads up display but I wish it would have more adjustments so I can turn it a bit clockwise to make it perfectly aligned with the road and horizon. 9. One pedal driving would be very nice All these imperfections doesn't bother me at all for most people it shouldn't be a deal breaker. I'm very happy with RAV4 Prime, it is ahead of many competitors and for the price you get a lot of options, quality and reliability. That's why I am giving 2022 RAV4 Prime 5 stars.
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Top pick for a fuel efficient AWD SUV
Alster, 04/30/2022
updated 07/12/2022
2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
29 of 32 people found this review helpful
My wife and I purchased our new 2022 RAV 4 Prime model SE on March 7 th this year. We put nearly 2200 miles on it so far and only put in 14 gallons of gas. This is my wife's car and her commute is anywhere from 32-36 miles round trip. She drives her commute on 100 % electric and when she returns home she normally has anywhere from 2-10 miles of electric range left, depending on weather conditions and if she makes any small trips out of her normal commute. We have a level 2 charger in which it takes on 4.5 hours to fully charge from an empty battery. Now when running just on the gas motor once the battery is depleted MPG is anywhere from 38 MPG to 40+ mpg. The other day I drove 130 mile roundtrip down the coast of Oregon from via Highway 101 from the Astoria / Seaside Oregon area. I used 49 miles of electric range and when the gas motor kicked in when the battery was depleted I quickly reset the gauge to display MPG. When I returned home the dash MPG displayed 49.5 MPG. for those 80 miles or so. Speeds where 25-55 MPH as Hwy 101 goes through several small towns. Weather was fair with temps in the mid 50's or so. There is no SUV Plugin All Wheel Drive vehicle that weighs close to 4,500 lbs that is this efficient.
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Great Plug in Hybrid-Research Before You Buy
Caroline, 07/08/2023
updated 01/10/2024
2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
I bought my 2022 SE just over a year ago, and so far have driven 15000 miles. I like my Prime. It’s roomy on the inside without being a big car. It’s sportier than a lot other CUVs. Its a smooth ride, and has plenty of power. The transition between EV mode and HV mode is seamless. Best of all, it’s easy on gas. I’ve driven the last 3,000 miles (warm weather, mostly to and from work, a 40 mile round trip) on less than half a tank of gas. Our home is solar powered, so I charge it every night with minimal impact on the environment or the wallet. It’s a great car, but I’m still not sure it’s worth the inflated price. Luckily prices are coming down now that the tax incentive is going away. The battery is supposed to have a pretty long life span, but it will be a major expense down the road. Right now I can drive over 50 miles on EV alone, depending on driving conditions including speed, hills climbed, use of air conditioner/heat, and temperature. It remains to be seen how that range will change over time. I have found that while the AC depletes the battery range slightly, using the heat has a huge effect. I try to use the heated steering wheel and forego the heat as much as possible in order to make it to work and home on a single charge. Unfortunately, I’ve found that if I want the comfort of a nice warm car to and from work during winter, my range dips to about 33 miles. It seems that this car may be best suited for mild climates. During warm weather, the dash usually tells me I have 56 miles EV when I start up, during winter it usually starts around 50. I could probably increase my range if I were to keep my speed around 40 and avoid hills. I’ve learned to switch out of EV when on the interstate and when climbing mountains, as they are a huge drain on the battery. Things I love about the car: I’m cutting down on CO2 emissions. I’m saving over $1,000/year on gas. It starts conversations and lets people know that better fuel economy is an option. Its roomy and comfortable on trips with the family. It looks sharp (if not a little robotic). A few other things I’m not crazy about: The average miles per gallon shown on the dash only goes up to 99.9. Come on, Toyota! It’s an EV. My mileage is way over 100mpg, and I’d like to be able to see it on the screen. The ICE motor can be quite loud sometimes, and there can be what seems like an excessive amount of valve clacking when it first starts up. The cloth interior seems pretty cheapy. I don't care for the red stitching. The heated steering wheel button is in a weird, hard to find place. It would make sense to put it on the steering wheel or beside the heated seat button. The dash is a little busy. I wish there was a physical on/off button for the entertainment display (as it is you have to navigate through 3 screens to get to it). The automatic trunk open button is hard to locate on the trunk. The space ship sound it makes at low speeds is really weird. Dual exhaust-why, when it’s supposed to be an eco friendly car? Most annoying of all-there is no way to disable the seatbelt warning sound! I am an avid seatbelt wearer, but I live on a farm with multiple gates that must be opened and closed on the driveway. That means I have to put on and take off my seatbelt three times as I creep down the gravel driveway to get to the road, or else listen to the incessant beeping. The tires that came on it are not great in wet conditions, and after a year it looks like they will need replaced soon. Something I just learned is that most tires are not recommended for EVs due to friction, weight & efficiency. I’m hoping to find a better tire that doesn’t compromise efficiency too much. Overall, I’m happy with the car, but l’d be a lot happier if I hadn't paid over MSRP just to get my hands on one. It came with a luxury price tag, but it is not a luxury car. Just a really cool car, that has to be plugged in every night. Before you buy, consider these things: 1. This car is not good for cold climate. (Heat uses up your EV) 2. This car is not good for interstate driving (high speeds use up your EV, it's best if you can keep it under 60) 3. Do you have a regular schedule and a place to charge it daily (it takes about 11 hours to charge with regular charger) 4. Does your commute fall within the EV range, or will you be using gas every day 5. What is the cost to charge-this will vary by location. If you have solar panels, that’s a plus. 6. Depending on your situation, the regular hybrid model may make more sense.
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Perfect car (other than the radio menu). Love it.
Physicist/Bassoonist, 05/16/2023
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
Drives nicely, all electric mode is great and will easily meet the 42 mile range promised (at least in summer). Seamless to switch between EV and Hybrid modes. Good handling and nice features. Only complaints (minor) are an obscured rear view to traffic (I was spoiled by my Subaru on that count) and that using the radio is very difficult due to poor menu planning, even when you are the passenger, even with the manual in hand. Hopeless if you are driving. Otherwise this car is perfect and I highly recommend it.
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