2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime

With more power under the hood than both the regular and hybrid RAV4 variants, a decent all-electric driving range, and leading fuel economy figures, the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid improves on all of the RAV4's sought-after qualities and rids itself of the model's biggest drawbacks. Though equipped with the same 2.5-liter inline-4 engine found throughout the RAV4 lineup, two electric motors give it all-wheel drive and surge outputs to 302 horsepower, while the 18.1-kWh battery pack avails it with a 42-mile all-electric driving range. It's still not particularly engaging to drive, partially thanks to the CVT gearbox, but there aren't many plug-in hybrid electric compact crossovers out there, with just the Ford Escape Hybrid and Hyundai Tucson Hybrid competing within the niche classification the Prime occupies. The RAV4 Prime is more powerful and better balanced, but the Escape Hybrid is the more economical compact 5-door crossover, and the Tucson Hybrid is more pleasant to drive. There's almost no reason not to recommend the RAV4 Prime to prospective buyers, until you evaluate its performance. But with its fairly high pricing, you may still want to give it a deeper evaluation.

Equipping the RAV4 with the 302-hp, 2.5L plug-in hybrid powertrain improves its performance significantly and plays to the hybrid crossover's other strengths. The regular gasoline-only RAV4 suffers from rather lackluster acceleration responses and a noisy engine at higher speeds, which the RAV4 Hybrid quells a bit. However, with its 5.7-second 0 to 60 mph acceleration time and 302-hp, the RAV4 Prime really is the jewel in the crown of the RAV4 line. Not only is it fast, but it's also the only model in the line that can drive exclusively on electricity. The Toyota RAV4 Prime has an electric driving range (42 miles) and it's also the most economical model with gas mileage returns of 38 mpg or 94 MPGe combined. As for charging the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime, a Level 2 charger needs just 2.5 hours to rejoice the battery.

With a maximum towing capacity of 2,500 pounds, the RAV4 Prime can't tow nearly as much as the regular RAV4. Inside, the RAV4 Prime is comfortable and spacious with plenty of cargo space. A review of the Toyota RAV4 Prime has to take a lot into consideration. Here you have a compact SUV that's comfortable, capable, has a fair all-electric range, currently qualifies for federal tax credit, and has the performance of a hot hatch in a straight line. Back that up with Toyota's excellent reliability record, and the RAV4 Prime may not be the best in any one particular area, but it's a dominant all-rounder.

With its $40,300 starting price, the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime crossover incurs a price increase of $2,200 over last year. Only available in two models, the top-spec RAV4 Prime XSE comes in at an MSRP of $43,625 for 2022. Prices are exclusive of any tax, registration, and licensing fees and don't include Toyota's destination and handling charge at a cost of $1,215. As a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with an 18.1-kWh battery capacity, the 2022 RAV4 Prime crossover could qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit and other incentives and rebates depending on your location within the USA.