2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Review and Test Drive

Toyota's bestselling SUV remains competent and efficient.

Austin Lott | 

May 2, 2025 | 6 min read

Austin Lott | Capital One

The 2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid comes in LE, XLE, XLE Premium, Limited, SE, XSE, and Woodland Edition trim levels. Base prices for Hybrid models start from the mid-$30,000s to the low $40,000s, including the destination charge to ship the SUV from the Georgetown, Kentucky, factory that builds it to your local dealership.

For this review, I drove a 2025 RAV4 Hybrid XSE in the Dallas area. Optional equipment highlights included the XSE Technology Package, the XSE Weather Package, a digital rearview mirror, and a panoramic glass roof, which brought the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $43,509, including the $1,395 destination charge. Toyota provided the vehicle for this RAV4 Hybrid review.

Austin Lott

Is the 2025 Toyota RAV4 a Good SUV?

The RAV4 is likely to be a solid SUV choice for a lot of people. The Hybrid version made up nearly half of the RAV4s sold last year, and after spending some time in one, it's obvious to me why so many buyers are choosing it.

That said, the RAV4 Hybrid competes in a crowded segment, with rivals including the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-50, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, and Subaru Forester. Some of those, such as the Forester, have been redesigned more recently, too.

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The RAV4 Hybrid Makes Efficiency Look Easy

The RAV4 Hybrid has a 2.5-liter four cylinder engine combined with a pair of motor generators and a continuously variable transmission. All Hybrid models come with all-wheel drive. The RAV4 Hybrid is rated for a total of 219 system horsepower, which felt adequate in all of the driving situations I encountered.

When merging onto a busy highway, the powertrain didn't feel overly loud or obnoxious. Despite the rear badge suggesting an EV connection — the HEV badge stands for "hybrid electric vehicle" — the RAV4 Hybrid feels absolutely ordinary from the driver's seat. Everything is seamless, and it didn't take me long to forget I was driving a car I'd only gotten the keys to a few days prior.

There's no plugging in to recharge the battery with the RAV4 Hybrid. If that's your thing, the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid — previously called the RAV4 Prime — offers more power and 42 miles of all-electric range. The regular Hybrid? Just a few miles of all-electric range at low speeds in EV Mode. But simplicity is where the RAV4 Hybrid plants its flag, and it excels.

Since the RAV4 Hybrid is capable of running on all-electric power for short distances, I was curious to see how noticeable the transition from gas to electricity would be. Behind the steering wheel, the only indication I had that the car had switched over into all-electric operation was a small green icon on the information display. While slowing down, the only way I could tell the RAV4 had switched from regenerative braking to conventional brakes was guesswork on my part, as I watched the gauge sweep down into "Charge" as it slowed.

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The RAV4 Hybrid gets Toyota's Safety Sense 2.5 system of advanced driver-assistance tech. Engaging adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist was easy, and the system kept the RAV4 comfortably in the lane on both multilane interstate and two-lane highways. The Road Sign Assist feature reliably detected and displayed changing speed limits on the instrument display.

During my weeklong evaluation, the RAV4 served as my runabout. I took trips to and from my kids' activities, up and down the interstate (with posted speed limits of 70 mph), and out some rural two-lane highways. The 2025 RAV4 Hybrid with AWD is rated by the EPA for an estimated 41 mpg in the city, 38 mpg on the highway, and 39 mpg combined. After nearly 300 miles of driving I saw an indicated 39.3 mpg combined.

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Capable Tech and a Comfortable Interior

The RAV4 cabin is roomy and comfortable, and the XSE I test drove was trimmed in SofTex, which is Toyota's synthetic leather material. Some of the optional extras included rain-sensing wipers, a wireless phone charger, and a heated steering wheel — heated front seats are available on all but the LE model and are standard on the XSE and Limited trims. On a chilly morning the driver's seat and steering wheel warmed quickly but weren't uncomfortably hot.

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The XSE Technology Package adds a number of features, including a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. The standard infotainment screen is 8.0 inches on all but the top two trim levels, which get a 10.5-inch screen; wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is standard across the board.

Being a green-check person, I paired my Android phone and used that to navigate and play music. Pairing was simple, and the RAV4 consistently recognized my phone and resumed Android Auto whenever I started the vehicle. The same can't be said for every car I've driven with wireless smartphone-mirroring systems. The optional JBL sound system includes a subwoofer, and I was pleased by the clarity as I played a few of my favorite songs.

Austin Lott

The RAV4 Hybrid has enough room to comfortably seat four adults and carry their luggage. By the numbers, it'll fit 37.5 cubic-feet of cargo behind the second row and up to 69.8 cu-ft with the back seats folded down. Towing capacity is a maximum of 1,750 pounds, which means the RAV4 is designed to handle the smaller cargo trailers commonly used for moving, bike racks, and other light-duty hitch-mounted accessories.

The XSE Technology Package also includes a hands-free power liftgate and extends the smart-key system to all of the doors. I could grab any door handle and unlock the car with the key fob in my pocket, which made loading and unloading children easier. However, I could not get the hands-free liftgate to trigger consistently no matter how I waved my foot, so I switched to using the button or key fob.

Austin Lott

The 2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is efficient, comfortable, and competitively equipped. The Hybrid model in particular delivers many of the benefits of electrification without the hassle of range anxiety and finding a plug-in station to charge the battery.

I'd argue that the best technology is the kind that fades into the background while doing something remarkable behind the scenes. When you're talking about the bestselling model for the world's largest automaker, ordinary can be considered a good thing.

Austin Lott

Austin has been in the automotive industry since 2014. Before joining Capital One, he got his start at Motor Trend magazine in his native Southern California. Since then, he's written for publications such as Edmunds, The Drive, Super Street, Automobile, Hagerty, and Diesel Power. In his free time, Austin works on older cars and enjoys interesting experiences — once he even got to operate a 1948 GE diesel-electric locomotive.