2025 Toyota RAV4 Review

The perennial compact SUV continues to impress with great features and innovative hybrid technology. We take a closer look at the RAV4 in our review.
2025 Toyota RAV4 - toyota.com

2025 Toyota RAV4 – toyota.com |  Shop 2025 Toyota RAV4 on Carsforsale.com

What is new for the 2025 Toyota RAV4 ?

Five years into its 5th generation, not too much has changed with the RAV4. For 2025 Toyota has dropped the Prime badge from its PHEV lineup. Additionally, Toyota has dropped the TRD and Adventure models from the lineup this year leaving the Woodland Edition as its only off-road inspired trim.

Carsforsale.com Score
9/10
Powertrain
Score
9/10
Interior
Score
8.75/10
Technology
Score
8.75/10
Value
Score
9.25/10
Body Style

Starting Price

MSRP $28,850

Drivetrain

Drivetrain

FWD / AWD

Drivetrain

Fuel Economy

27 City / 38 Hwy

Number of Seats

Seating

Seats 5

The Breakdown

Generally, a handsome vehicle

Decent off-road with multiple drive modes

Choice of ICE, PHEV, or Hybrid drivetrains

Poor acceleration

We miss the TRD

Expensive upper trim levels

The RAV4 leads in fuel economy and safety

2025 RAV4 Specs

Trims & Pricing

LE - $28,850
LE Hybrid - $31,900
XLE - $30,360
XLE Hybrid - $33,410
SE Hybrid - $34,595
Woodland Edition Hybrid - $35,120
XLE Premium - $33,250
XLE Premium Hybrid - $36,300
Limited - $37,155
XSE Hybrid - $37,560
Limited Hybrid - $40,205
SE PHEV - $43,865
XSE PHEV - $47,735

2025 RAV4 Drivetrain 9/10

2025 Toyota RAV4 Side Exterior - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Side Exterior - toyota.com

If there’s one thing the auto industry is missing, it’s the variety of engine options native to one model, like older cars and trucks often have. You might not get a choice of four, six, or eight cylinders like you used to, but the RAV4 fixes this with ICE, hybrid, and PHEV options galore.

The base ICE powerplant is perfectly fine, a 2.5-liter, naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine developing 203 horsepower and paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. For your trouble, you get zero to 60 times in the low eight-second range and 27 MPG city and 35 highway for fuel economy with leeway between the front and all-wheel-drive.

2025 Toyota RAV4 Rear Exterior - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Rear Exterior - toyota.com

The hybrid powerplant adds a couple of electric motors, a 1.6 kWh nickel-metal-hydride battery, and an eCVT pack to the party. Great for fuel economy, bringing 41 MPG in the city and 38 on the highway. But not so much for performance; we’re talking a zero to 60 sprint in the mid-sevens.

But here’s the real kicker. If you are accustomed to pokey, slow RAV4? Well, the RAV4 PHEV proves you wrong. Along with an engine tune that gives more low-end torque than the hybrid model, the RAV4 PHEV has 302 horsepower at its disposal. That works out to a scarcely believable 5.5-second zero to 60 sprint. A superior acceleration and an amazing 94 MPGe combined fuel economy? Sign us up!

2025 RAV4 Interior 8.75/10

With dimensions of 181x73x67 inches, the RAV4 is within the margins of competitors like the Hyundai Tuscon and Honda CR-V. With this in mind, interior space is similar between the three. Rear passengers in the RAV4 are treated to 37.8 inches of legroom, in contrast to 41.3 in the Tuscon and 41 in the CR-V. So, the Toyota is not the most spacious in the segment, but it’s hardly a GT-86 in the back, either.

Cargo space is also solid, 37.6 cubic feet with the rear seats extended and 69.8 cubic feet when they’re in the stowed position. A bit less than a CR-V, admittedly, but not so egregious that most would see it as a deterrent from purchasing a RAV4.

2025 Toyota RAV4 Interior Cargo Space - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Interior Cargo Space - toyota.com

There’s still plenty of space to go around, plus a breadth of solid build materials. No leather seats, unfortunately, but the SofTex vegan leather native to the range is no less supple. The fabric seats with polygon patterns elsewhere in the range are definitely a throwback that we don’t mind indulging in. Add it all together, and the RAV4 is competent where it needs to be, even if it’s not a class leader in interior space.

2025 RAV4 Specs and Features 8.75/10

2025 Toyota RAV4 Interior Infotainment System - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Interior Infotainment System - toyota.com

Nearly $19,000 in options, extras, and drivetrain choices separate the base ICE-only RAV4 and the range-topping PHEV trim. In that space, you’d expect plenty of variety in the level of tech and features.

As far as center screens go, lower-trimmed RAV4s make do with an eight-inch infotainment unit with iOS and Android connectivity. You also get Toyota’s Safety Connect 4G emergency assistance feature for a staggering ten years. Right from the jump, even the base trim gets a tantalizing selection of different drive modes through the available Multi-Terrain Select feature.

A seven-inch digital gauge cluster comes standard on lower trims, in line with most new vehicles sporting screens behind the steering wheel even on lower trims. Moving up the range, you net goodies like a larger 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 10.5-inch touch screen. That’s creeping up on a 25 percent increase in center screen size over the base trim.

2025 Toyota RAV4 Interior JBL Audio System - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Interior JBL Audio System - toyota.com

An 11-speaker JBL audio system should make the top end of the range feel more exciting, with USB-C connectivity up front and in the back adding to the convenience. The padded two-tone dashboard in higher trims aids in this premium feel as well.

The Toyota Safety Sense suite of driver assistants seems space age if you’re only familiar with older RAV4s. In truth, it’s about on par with the rest of the industry. But this is a very tasteful, well-thought-out set of features with lots of little things executed well. It’s about as Toyota-pilled as you can get in 2025.

2025 Toyota RAV4 Trims & Pricing

2025 Toyota RAV4 LE - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 LE - toyota.com

LE – $28,850

The entry point to the RAV4 family, a basic screen, SofTex vegan leather seats, and a digital display cluster standard even on the base trim. Not bad for around $30 grand.

2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid LE - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid LE - toyota.com

LE Hybrid – $31,900

Same trims and features as the ICE LE, but with a more efficient battery-hybrid drivetrain for more power and better fuel economy.

2025 Toyota RAV4 XLE - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 XLE - toyota.com

XLE – $30,360

Trim-specific 17-inch alloy wheels are the best telltale sign of a RAV4 XLE. Also, you get fabric seat coverings with funky patterns instead of SofTex.

2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLE - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLE - toyota.com

XLE Hybrid – $33,410

Same trims and features as the ICE XLE, but with a more efficient battery-hybrid drivetrain for more power and better fuel economy

2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid SE - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid SE - toyota.com

SE Hybrid – $34,595

The mid-range of the RAV4 Hybrid line nets you a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, and a headliner trimmed in soft-touch black fabric with matching black 18-inch alloy wheels.

2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Woodland Edition - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Woodland Edition - toyota.com

Woodland Edition Hybrid – $35,120

A funky off-road trim decked out with Falken all-terrain tires and native all-wheel drive to go along with the fabric-trimmed interior and 18-inch TRD flow-formed alloy wheels and black lug nuts.

2025 Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium - toyota.com

XLE Premium – $33,250

Special 19-inch alloy wheels, the largest fitted to a 2025 RAV4, make the XLE premium stand out from the rest. You also get SofTex seats over fabric seats and the option of the larger 10.5-inch center screen and digital rearview mirror.

2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLE Premium - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLE Premium - toyota.com

XLE Premium Hybrid – $36,300

The exciting additions of the XLE Premium trim paired to the RAV4’s hybrid drivetrain.

2025 Toyota RAV4 Limited - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Limited - toyota.com

Limited – $37,155

The Limited Trim adds a power-tilt, one-touch moonroof, and the larger center screen as standard, along with the 11-speaker JBL sound system.

2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XSE - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XSE - toyota.com

XSE Hybrid – $37,560

The penultimate RAV4 Hybrid trim is specked out similarly to the ICE limited trim but with the Bose sound system locked under an options package. As is The Smart Key System applied to all four doors plus the rear liftgate

2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited - toyota.com

Limited Hybrid – $40,205

The range-topping RAV4 Hybrid comes with all the bells and whistles on offer from the factory as standard, plus dark black metallic alloy wheels to distinguish it from its straight-ICE cousin.

2025 Toyota RAV4 SE PHEV - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 SE PHEV - toyota.com

SE PHEV – $43,865

The plug-in hybrid RAV4 is a very different beast from the rest of the range and has a price point that matches. All the goodies of the high end of the range are available to you, save for the JBL audio unit. All with a zippy 300-plus horsepower PHEV drivetrain.

2025 Toyota RAV4 XSE PHEV - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 XSE PHEV - toyota.com

XSE PHEV – $47,735

Everything you have in the SE PHEV, plus an 11-speaker JBL audio unit, standard two-tone paint with a black metallic roof, and trim-specific 19-inch wheels. In short, it’s the most powerful, capable, fastest, and well-equipped RAV4 Toyota’s ever produced.

Carsforsale.com Overall Value 9.25/10

In truth, we think the RAV4’s biggest competition comes not from Honda, Ford, Chevy, or Hyundai. Rather, it comes from the rest of the Toyota lineup. The slightly smaller Corolla Cross and Corolla Cross hybrid offer nearly as much value and arguably even more efficiency than a RAV4, and an RAV4’s higher trims put it right in line with the all-electric bZ4X. When you reach the flagship PHEV trims, you’re way past the larger base Crown Signia in price and very nearly in Grand Highlander territory.

Holy moly! If overwhelming trim and feature options are a common complaint with new cars these days, the RAV4 is among the worst offenders. Seriously, it’s almost Jeep Grand Cherokee levels of staggering trim selection. But what that means for you is there’s a RAV4 trim for every family in America.

Carsforsale.com Overall Score 9/10

2025 Toyota RAV4 Exterior - toyota.com

2025 Toyota RAV4 Exterior – toyota.com |  Shop 2025 Toyota RAV4 on Carsforsale.com

Compared to its rivals, the RAV4 might be a little smaller and a little less spacious. Still, Toyota makes a yearly routine out of beating Honda, Hyundai, Ford, and Chevrolet in this market segment for a reason.

Never before has the SUV space been so thoroughly saturated by one OEM the way Toyota manages nowadays. In their own rights, the Corolla Cross, Grand Highlander, and Crown Signia are spectacular value in their own right. But the RAV4 proves it’s still the king of the roost with superior selection.

2025 Toyota RAV4 FAQ

2025 Toyota RAV4 Wheel Close Up - toyota.com
2025 Toyota RAV4 Wheel Close Up - toyota.com

How much does a Toyota RAV4 Cost?

Nearly $19,000 in options, extras, and drivetrain choices separate the base FWD RAV4 LE at $28,850, and the range-topper XSE PHEV at $47,735.

What is the best RAV4 trim level to buy?

Our money goes to the SE PHEV at $43,865. A sweet drivetrain, all the features you could want, save for a fancy sound system, and phenomenal fuel economy.

What is the 2025 RAV4’s warranty?

Three years/36,000 mi basic, 5 years/60,000 mi powertrain. 10-year/150,000-mile limited hybrid battery warranty coverage.

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Benny Kirk

As one of the youngest automotive/aerospace journalists in North America, Benny Kirk's writing prowess can only be described as rooted in the deepest pits of nerd and geek culture. Only after he acquired a degree in journalism did his penchant for scouring the internet at two in the morning to learn cool but useless facts about cars, airplanes, spaceships, and computers become remotely useful. But now, Benny has experience under his belt that journalists twice his age can't claim. This includes live coverage at major North American international auto shows, racing events, NASA space launches, and a portfolio of test drives and reviews from major OEMs in both the automotive and powersports sectors. As of recent, he's even started covering nuclear energy news as a special beat project, just for the kick of it. The point is, there's nothing Benny's afraid to write about. But he's more than happy to apply his craft to give some genuinely helpful consumer advice.

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