2024 Toyota RAV4 Prime Consumer Reviews
MSRP Starting at
$43,690
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2024 RAV4 Prime, so we've included reviews for other years of the RAV4 Prime since its last redesign.
Happy RAV4 Prime owner
Bob from CT, 06/12/2022
2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
27 of 27 people found this review helpful
The vehicle is all I hoped it would be and more. The ride is smooth and comfortable. I have 550 miles on the odometer and have yet purchased gas as I have only used a quarter of a tank so far. The vehicle feels solid and is quiet even when it switches over to gas operation. Most of the mileage has been on the battery as I obtain 44-48 miles on battery before it needs to be recharged which I do overnight. I am very pleased with the vehicle.
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Car geek delights
Retired Dave, 04/16/2023
updated 10/25/2023
2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
24 of 24 people found this review helpful
Perfect fit for retired car geek with solar panels at home. I took delivery December 3rd 2021, so I have nearly 11/2 years of hindsight. I drove 20,000 miles the first 12 months of ownership. Approximately 12,000 miles were on electricity my solar panels generated. I live in Wisconsin and did a couple of road trips to Boston and Denver. On the interstate I get 32 to 34 mpg. I am a Iead foot, not a hyper miler. I put a level 2 charger in my garage and get about 10 to 12 miles of charger per hour of charging. I am pretty diligent about keeping it plugged in between errands so I rarely run out of juice around town. The heat pump isn’t that good below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and I run the gas engine at the start of trips when it’s cold. I have the base version with the cold package the heated steering wheel is nice. Below 20 degrees the dash shows as low as 35 miles of range at about 68 degrees it shows as much as 53 miles of range! In the warmer months I can go 2 to 3 months without getting any gasoline if I don’t do a road trip. I also own a 3500 sprinter currently. I have a trailer hitch for a utility trailer for Home Depot runs . The versatility is great. I have not reset the dash mpg reading yet and it shows 78.9 mpg since new. I now have 24,000 miles on it and have done a couple of shorter road trips to Chicago and Iowa. I would guess that now at 24,000 miles today 14,000 miles have been electric. I can make the tires chirp with all the motors turned on but traction control kicks in. On ramps are definitely not a problem with all 300 hp, and I can leave the traffic behind me easily. Really it’s amazing to have an all wheel drive 4 passenger suv that has great cargo capacity and can pull a 2500 lb trailer that gets nearly 80 MPG over 24,000 miles. I have had zero problems and I’m just about ready to replace the crappy oem tires with some Michelins I expect to get fewer mpg with new rubber but perhaps better wet pavement performance. I have owned a 2003 mustang cobra tweaked to 600 rwhp dyno tuned, a 911 turbo cabriolet, BMW X5 with v8 and sport package ( pre m version loved to drive that one. Too many electrical gremlins to keep after lease expired) and a host of others. My first sports car was a 1967 mk3 triumph spitfire with a race prepped engine that was bulletproof. I love what Toyota hybrids can do with a gallon of gas ! I will add that on my road trip back from Colorado it was 109 degrees Fahrenheit around ft Collins and the air conditioner was great. My road trip to Boston was in February and white out conditions along lake Erie and single digits and heat was excellent. I never have range anxiety. Update 10/25/23 Coming up on two years of ownership and 35 k mixed driving. My mpg readout (indicator has not been reset since mile zero) is showing 95.6 mpg. I put new Michelins on it at 26 k and mileage improved noticeably. Not one issue other than minor recall. Comfortable and quiet and very different driving experience than non hybrid and base hybrid RAV4 due to battery weight and thicker glass. Also “made in Japan” quality!!! No range anxiety ever.
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Got my dream RAV4 Prime in 2 Months !
Rex Alexandra, 02/12/2023
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
24 of 25 people found this review helpful
Let me start by saying I’m a huge RAV4 Fan ! I bought my 1st one in 1997 and still own it. Old and well still good around town not best for lung highway trips. So when a good, highly functional RAV4 Hybrid finally came out a few years ago, I knew that’s what I’d be getting. After 25 years in my original RAV, I was ready. Then my brother told me about the RAV4 Primes. After loads of research and a test drive, I was gaga & all IN !! Even though they told me the wait to get my dream Supersonic Red SE trim with a Moonroof would be 10 to 16 months ! WHAAAT ?? I was determined to get it sooner & I just happen to find the right dealer. Even then it took 2 months to arrive ! The wait was worth it ! The handling is smooth & with the weight of the huge battery, it is so solid & stable. At the same time it has incredible power and acceleration. It felt like a rocket-powered tank in the best sense.. The incredible All-Wheel-Drive goes up hills effortlessly that I’d have to get a running start with in my 97 RAV. The comfort & warmth of drivers’ seat, & warmth of the heated steering wheel on cold mornings is so delightful and luxurious. The storage is ample & exactly where I need it. The back-up camera is a lifesaver. The overhead rear door is power-operated with buttons rather than brawn. It charges perfectly in 8-9 hours. One of the YouTube hybrid experts points out that LITHIUM Batteries do NOT like sitting around @ 100% charge for long periods of time. So charging it eight hours, or only up to 85% if it’s going to sit for 2-5+ days before driving, helps increase the battery life & increases speed of charging to the perfect level. He also points out: never block the vents under the rear seat. Keeping that huge battery cool is critical. So if you’re interested in owning a RAV4Prime, which I highly recommend, take a few months & learn everything you can by reading reviews & watching YouTube vids. Do your research BEFORE you get it. Plug-in hybrids are a different breed of car & they need to be handled, treated & cared for differently than original combustion engine cars. Do your homework while you’re waiting to get the one you want. The electric/hybrid/combustion engine is an amazing combination with the most versatility & an astonishing 500 to 600 miles per tank of gas !!! Plug-In Hybrids are the cars we should ALL be driving: and the RAV4 Prime is the PERFECT plug-in hybrid ! Go For It !!
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Great Car, Buying Experience is Challenging
Jerry O, 11/22/2022
updated 02/13/2023
2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
28 of 30 people found this review helpful
Two parts. Part one is the buying experience, part two is the driving experience. Part One: I have been shopping for this vehicle in CA since January 2022. It's a vehicle that's not readily available; dealers get one or two a month. The trend is for dealers to sell the vehicle in transit always above MSRP from between $3,000 and $20,000 depending on the dealer. I sent out a "wanted" flyer to 141 Toyota dealers in CA. I tracked it carefully. I received calls/texts from 21 dealers offering a deal or kindly responding that I could be on their list when one becomes available. All but one conversation was very pleasant and professional. One conversation was purely based on greed; I kept it short. I eventually purchased a Prime SXE from the I-10 Toyota Dealership in Indio, CA. I did all the contract via DocuSign and flew there the following day to finish up and drive the vehicle home. The dealer was very nice. One person at the dealership kept on telling me I was so lucky. I didn't feel lucky at all. The deal was made through hard work on my part shopping and working a deal. I drove the car home, about 550 miles or so. Part two: My drive home was smooth with a 41 MPG efficiency. I've had the car for about a month with no difficulty learning all the features in the SUV. I have spent some time daily reading the Owners Manual and checking out everything. It will take a week or so I get everything familiarized. I have been getting about 44 miles EV so far. The HV is like any other hybrid, it's smooth and very quiet. In EV mode, the heat pump works fine for me. After 10 minutes on high, I usually turn it off. Since my daily commute is about 22 miles, the EV mode is 100% of my driving. In this first month, I have used HV very little. One thing that wasn't explained at the dealership was how to install the cargo net accessory. I couldn't figure it out. I YouTubed it and got it. If you want a Plug-in Hybrid, this is my model of choice and would recommend it if you can get a reasonable deal. UPDATE: I've owned a 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE for 3.5 months and have driven it 3,200 miles. Comfortable car over all. Fuel economy is 42ish EV on a full charge then 40ish MPG on gas. I'm in CA and use PG&E as my utility. The best rate plan equals an EV fill at about $3.85/gal doing the conversion from EV charge to gasoline. I wouldn't buy it again because I can never recoup the added cost of the plug-in feature. May as well buy a hybrid. I received $1,000 rebate from CA and a $3,750 tax credit federal. I spent a year trying to find a good deal on this vehicle. In the end I paid $5,000 over MSRP when I had to buy a car or walk. My decision, I'll live with it. BTW, already had one new windshield replacement due to rocks. New Toyota glass windshield was $1,596 from Speedy Glass in Davis, CA. State Farm Insurance covered it with zero deductible on my comprehensive coverage.
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I bought a 2023 plug-in Subaru and switched RAV4
Paul in Oregon City, 07/30/2023
updated 02/02/2024
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
We bought a 2023 plug-in Subaru Crosstrek and switched it out for a 2023 RAV4 Prime Plugin. The RAV4 SE Prime has exceeded my expectations and we have not yet bought gasoline, with 1,800 miles and it still shows and third of a tank of gas left in the tank. We have taken 3 longer round trips of over 150 miles to the most part. My wife has a lead foot and her RAV4 is surely quick. After I retired, we have had a 2008 Prius, 2013 Prius V (great cars) and Tundra and Tacoma trucks and I bought a Audi Q7. However, we thought as seniors ageing in place, we might go with a 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Plug-in and my wife was not happy with that decision, as it was to small and the batteries left little room in the trunk space. It cost us some money, to swap out the Crosstrek with a RAV4 SE Prime, but now my CEO, CFO, and COO is now happy, and that makes life better. I should have been listening to my bride of 61 years, but the Toyota dealers wanted 5K over MSRP and that shoved me to the Crosstrek. We just wanted a new more reliable vehicle at this time and at our age, to enable travel with and the grand kids are gone, and the 2013 Prius V had over 150K in miles on it. Our son had recently bought a new all electric car, and within his lifestyle, and his kids now in college, he now is experiencing the limits of all electric range and this lack of charging stations in all of the places he and his wife go. It has forced him to take a very long look his mother's RAV4 SE Prime, as a result. The lack of availability of the RAV4 Primes and the ability for us to work a deal to switch out of the Crosstrek Plugin also influenced the features we got with the RAV4 Prime SE. We must say, that the RAV4 Prime is a bolder and good-looking car, and the functional space inside the vehicle is not compromised. Update 02/02/2024, and edited, we went 3,200 miles before we had to buy gas, with the RAV4 Prime and it took only 10.5 gallons and I hand filled the gas to the brim, as I thought that it would take more gas. As we drove the RAV4 into the winter conditions, we only went 2,500 miles before we again had to put more gas into the vehicle and it took again, 10.5 gallons of gas. In winter condition, driving with the RAV4 Prime, and to get the full benefit defrosting and heat it needs the engine to warm up to aid in making that happen, so we are using the gas engine more in the winter. However, the big difference between Crosstrek Plugin, is that it goes from EV to gas with with much less EV range and with barely attempting to go faster, so you are using the gas engine 90% more, with the Crosstrek Plugin. Also, the Crosstrek Plugin "batteries" reduce the net cube of rear storage area by maybe 40%, which made it much more difficult for my wife as she could not hold all of the shopping bags and our standard poodle when going to the store. The total cost per mile of the RAV4 Prime is just excellent in comparison too, the Crosstrek Plugin. For Edmund's to rank a Crosstrek Plugin, higher than a RAV4 Plugin, is something that I cannot understand. In owning both of these 2023 Hybrid - Plugin vehicles and now getting close to 50 miles in all electric EV range with the RAV4 Plugin and having a total of 650-mile total range with a full charge and a full tank of gas is hard to replicate with any Hybrid Plugin cars. The ROI, and I think in those terms from my early business life, the total cost of ownership, to me makes the RAV4 Prime SE Plugin a Best Buy. The RAV4 Plugin is my wife's car, and she is not a slow driver, and she is on a freeway's a lot in her activities, and she is going 75+ MPH in EV mode, as she has this lead foot, and it allows her to maneuver impressively. She likes how RAV4 performs and handles and as a small person in stature, she can get the seat up and forward and she likes the good vision she gets of the road. However, the only downside is me, in the passenger seat, as it is not as equally adjustable. We have had some great cars, and my wife had a new Porsche 944 and loved it, up and until these grandkids that could not fit into it. I recently had a Audi Q7 and this was again a great car, but what the Q7 had, were these great memory seat that you could adjust anyway you wanted with both front seats. My wife could get into the Q7 and press one button and it would restore the seat to exactly where she liked it the best. When I got into the Q7, I could do the same thing. If the RAV4 Prime had that, there would be virtually no drawbacks, where couples share their vehicles.
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