Most people hear “RAV4” and think “reliable.” I do too. It is one of the safer bets in the compact SUV world. But there are a few ugly problem years and some patterns that keep showing up. Stuff like transmissions that fail early, engines that drink oil, and the 2019-plus models with weird shifting and … Read more
If you just want the short answer. For most people the best years for the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid are 2020 to 2022. The best budget years are 2017 and 2018. I avoid 2016 and 2019 because they show more problems in complaints data and early hybrid bugs. In general the RAV4 Hybrid is a solid … Read more
I am talking only about used U.S. RAV4s here. All generations. There is no single perfect year for everyone. A budget commuter, a big family, and a mileage nerd all need different things. So I am going to give you one best all-around year, then the best backup years by budget and use case, plus … Read more
I’ve owned and wheeled a bunch of compact SUVs. The RAV4 is the one I see absolutely everywhere. This guide is your map. Year by year. Generation by generation. Gas, Hybrid, and Prime. I’m focusing on U.S. models, since the U.S. lineup runs a little different from Europe or Japan. The first RAV4 hit the … Read more
Key takeaways – Toyota RAV4 best and worst years What are the best and worst Toyota RAV4 years? I’ll give you the short list first, then the detail. Big picture, the RAV4 is one of the more reliable small SUVs on the road. Owner complaints, recall data, and long-term surveys all put it near the … Read more