Toyota RAV4’s gas mileage is a major selling point for the compact SUV. We review the generational milestones that have made it the fuel sipper it is today.
Toyota introduced the world to its Recreational Active Vehicle with four-wheel drive (RAV4) in Japan in 1994. An instant success, Toyota brought the RAV4 to the United States in 1996.
For almost 30 years, the RAV4’s gas mileage has played a big role in its success. In addition, it dominates the compact SUV segment because of its impressive capability and reliability, with 2020 numbers, outselling the Honda CR-V by nearly 100,000 units and the Ford Escape by over 250,000.
As fuel economy standards get stricter, and with full electrification on the horizon, more and more automakers are broadening their lineups to include not only more fuel-efficient internal combustion models, but hybrid and plug-in hybrid models too.
Today, Toyota’s lineup includes a gas-only RAV4, a RAV4 Hybrid, and a RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid. Over the course of five generations, the RAV4 has led the pack in terms of fuel economy. Years of innovation and refinement have pushed the RAV4’s average mpg figures to the highest they have ever been.
Toyota RAV4 First-generation (1995-2000)
At launch, the first-generation Toyota RAV4 came in three-door and five-door configurations. All first-generation RAV4 models come equipped with a 2.0-liter in-line four-cylinder engine and are mated to either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission.
The 2.0-liter in-line four-cylinder engine produces roughly 120 horsepower and 130 lb.-ft. of torque. EPA fuel economy estimates for the first-generation RAV4 with the five-speed manual are 24 city/30 highway mpg.
With the four-speed automatic, the first-generation Toyota RAV4 gas mileage returns an estimated 24 city/29 highway mpg. Even with all-wheel drive, the Toyota RAV4’s fuel economy figures only take a minor hit compared to its front-wheel-drive counterparts.
Way ahead of its time due to the State of California’s commitment to a zero-emission future, Toyota launched the RAV4 EV in 1997, an all-electric version of the popular compact SUV. Only available through Toyota’s lease program (with many owners requesting to purchase at the end of the lease), the first-generation RAV4 EV was just the beginning of the electric revolution.
Using a 27 kiloWatt-hour nickel-metal hydride battery, the original Toyota RAV4 EV has a range of 95 miles, can be fully recharged in five hours, and is capable of reaching a top speed of 78 miles per hour. The original RAV4 EV was produced until 2003, even though Toyota launched the second-generation RAV4 for the 2001 model year.
Toyota RAV4 Second-generation (2001-2005)
After seeing much success with the first-generation RAV4, Toyota redesigned the RAV4 with more conventional styling language than its predecessor.
A new 2.0-liter in-line four sits in the engine bay, boasting an additional 21 more horsepower and 10 more lb.-ft. of torque over its predecessor compliments of Toyota’s variable intake-valve timing with intelligence (called VVT-i by Toyota).
As with the first-generation RAV4, the second-generation came available with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission and was offered with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The front-wheel-drive five-speed manual Toyota RAV4 gas mileage attains an EPA-estimated rating of 22 city/28 highway mpg (24 combined).
With the four-speed automatic, a two-wheel-drive RAV4 loses a couple mpg and delivers 21 city/26 highway mpg (23 combined). Adding all-wheel drive to the five-speed manual RAV4 drops mpg estimates further to 20 city/25 highway mpg (22 combined). However, mpg figures remain the same for the all-wheel drive and four-speed automatic models.
For 2004, Toyota upgraded the RAV4 to a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine good for 160 horsepower and 162 lb.-ft. of torque. While power output increased for the Toyota RAV4, fuel economy suffered a slight decrease.
With the upgraded engine, both the five-speed manual and four-speed automatic, front-wheel drive RAV4’s attain an EPA-estimated 21 city/27 highway mpg (23 combined).
Adding all-wheel drive to the five-speed manual drops mpg estimates to 19 city/25 highway mpg (21 combined). Switching to a four-speed automatic will return fuel economy figures of 20 city/24 highway mpg (22 combined).
Toyota RAV4 Third-generation (2006-2012)
The third-generation Toyota RAV4 launched in 2006. At a time when gas prices were skyrocketing, buyers were shying away from the mega-SUVs that dominated the 1990s and very early 2000s and turning to alternatives like the RAV4.
For the first time, Toyota offered a V6 engine as an option for the RAV4. Featuring Toyota’s dual variable valve timing (dual VVTI-i) on both the intake and exhaust cams for improved emissions and efficiency, the 3.5-liter V6 is mated to a five-speed automatic and produces 269 horsepower and 246 lb.-ft. of torque.
For the 2006 to 2008 model years, the Toyota RAV4 uses a base 2.4-liter in-line four-cylinder engine, which was upgraded over the previous generation RAV4 to 166 horsepower and is mated to a four-speed automatic. A manual transmission was no longer offered for the RAV4.
For the 2009 model year, Toyota replaced the 2.4-liter with an all-new 2.5-liter in-line four-cylinder engine mated to a four-speed automatic. The new 2.5-liter churns out 176 horsepower and 172 lb.-ft. of torque, which turned out to be more powerful and more fuel-efficient than the engine it replaced.
Starting with the base 2.4-liter engine, the front-wheel-drive Toyota RAV4 gas mileage is rated at an EPA-estimated 21 city/27 highway mpg (24 combined). Switching to all-wheel drive, the RAV4 returns 20 city/25 highway mpg (22 combined).
For the 2009-2012 model years using the 2.5-liter four-cylinder, the Toyota RAV4’s EPA-estimated fuel economy figures improved slightly over the outgoing engine. Front-wheel-drive models return 22 city/28 highway mpg (24 combined). Adding all-wheel drive lowers fuel economy numbers slightly to 21 city/27 highway mpg (24 combined).
Upgrading to the 3.5-liter V6 returns slightly lower fuel economy figures compared to the four-cylinder option. The front-wheel-drive V6 RAV4 and is good for an EPA-estimated 19 city/27 highway mpg (22 combined). Adding all-wheel drive to the V6 engine option drops mpg fuel economy slightly, but only on the highway, to 19 city/26 highway mpg (21 combined).
Remember the Toyota RAV4 EV? In 2012, Toyota launched the second generation for sale only in California. Developed jointly with Tesla, the second-generation RAV4 EV features a Tesla-sourced electric powertrain and lithium metal-oxide battery which produced a maximum of 154 horsepower, has an estimated range of 100 miles (or more), can fully recharge in six hours, and can reach a top speed of 100 mph. The second-generation Toyota RAV4 EV ended production in 2014.
Toyota RAV4 Fourth-generation (2013-2018)
Toyota brought out the fourth-generation RAV4 in 2013. The V6 engine option was dropped due to declining sales. The base 2.5-liter in-line four-cylinder from the previous generation RAV4 carries over for the 2013 update.
An all-new six-speed gearbox replaces the old four-speed, which features tall overdrive gears, new software, and a new torque converter to improve fuel economy. Power is delivered through front-wheel or all-wheel drive.
In 2016, Toyota refreshed the RAV4 and added a hybrid model for the first time. Under the hood sits a 112 horsepower 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle in-line four-cylinder mated to an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission. Two electric motors sit at the front and rear of the RAV4 Hybrid. Each motor produces 67 horsepower and 103 lb.-ft. of torque.
In total, the RAV4 Hybrid produces a combined 194 horsepower and 206 lb.-ft. of torque. The RAV4 Hybrid is only available in all-wheel drive.
For the gas-only RAV4, EPA-estimated fuel economy figures for the front-wheel-drive model are 23 city/30 mpg highway (26 combined). Adding all-wheel drive RAV4 drops fuel economy ratings to 22 city/28 mpg highway (25 combined).
Switching to the RAV4 Hybrid, which is more powerful than the regular RAV4 counterpart, returns impressively better fuel economy than the gas-only model. Given the added weight of the hybrid components, the RAV4 Hybrid achieves an EPA-estimated 34 city/30 mpg highway (32 combined).
Toyota RAV4 Fifth-generation (2019-present)
The fifth-generation Toyota RAV4 went on sale in 2019. For the current-generation Toyota RAV4, the automaker pulled out all the stops when redesigning its best-selling SUV. The current lineup of RAV4 includes a gas-only, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid model.
Toyota’s gas-only RAV4 uses an all-new Dynamic Force 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Developed on Toyota’s new global architecture, the 2.5-liter produces 203 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque credited to the use of high-speed combustion technology and variable control system. Using an eight-speed automatic, the RAV4 can be had in front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
The RAV4 Hybrid, first introduced alongside the gas-only RAV4, was the more powerful RAV4 (until the RAV4 Prime came along). The RAV4 Hybrid uses a 176-horsepower and 163 lb.-ft. of torque 2.5-liter in-line four mated to an elector motor, which sends 118 horsepower and 149 lb.-ft. of torque to the front wheels and 54 horsepower and 89 lb.-ft. of torque to the rear wheels.
While the math is confusing, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid produces a combined 219 horsepower. The hybrid powertrain uses an electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission to power all four wheels on demand.
For 2021, Toyota upped the RAV4 game by introducing the automakers’ first plug-in hybrid RAV4, the RAV4 Prime. The RAV4 Prime is the most powerful and fuel-efficient of its RAV4 siblings. The RAV4 Prime is also Toyota’s second-fastest vehicle in its entire lineup, which is just behind the Toyota Supra.
The RAV4 Prime uses the RAV4 Hybrid’s 2.5-liter gas engine but trades the nickel-metal hydride battery for a lithium-ion battery. The RAV4 Prime also uses more powerful motor-generators which boost power figures up to a combined system output of 302 horsepower.
In terms of fuel economy, all RAV4 models return impressive mpg figures when compared to the competition. Starting with the regular Toyota RAV4, front-wheel drive models achieve an EPA-estimated 27 city/35 mpg highway (30 combined). All-wheel-drive models deliver slightly lower fuel economy numbers at 25 city/33 mpg highway (28 combined). In total, the regular RAV4 tank can achieve 400 miles of driving range.
The RAV4 Hybrid is the second-most fuel-efficient RAV4. The electric motors and nickel-metal hydride battery pack help the RAV4 Hybrid deliver a class-leading EPA-estimated 41 city/38 highway mpg (40 combined). With improvements to the hybrid components, the RAV4 Hybrid can operate in an “EV Mode”, which offers a short range of electric-only driving if the battery has a sufficient charge. Thanks to electrification, the RAV4 Hybrid enjoys a total driving range of over 500 miles.
RAV4 Prime is the most fuel-efficient RAV4 model Toyota offers. The plug-in hybrid powertrain allows the RAV4 Prime to achieve an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 40 city/46 mpg highway mpg (38 combined). However, these figures are misleading. The RAV4 Prime can travel up to 42 miles of electric-only operation.
When factoring this in, the RAV4 Prime is able to achieve 94 combined MPGe, the EPA-equivalent of gasoline fuel efficiency when factoring in electrification. The RAV4 Prime takes between 2.5 hours to 12 hours to charge, depending on the level of charging cable. In total, the RAV4 Prime can achieve a total driving range of approximately 600 miles.
2021 Toyota RAV4: More Powerful and Fuel Efficient Than Ever
Toyota RAV4 gas mileage has seen significant improvements since its introduction to the market. Refined technology and designs and electrification have all had an impact on the RAV4’s capability.
As the industry marches toward an all-electric future, Toyota has proven it can deliver the most capable RAV4 that can be gas-only, electric-only, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid.
Photos: Toyota
