2021 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in hybrid

Small SUV · plug-in hybrid

★ Open to everyone — one of the ten most-registered models this year.

Fuel economy
—1
CO₂ 44 g/km · 71 g/mi · charge-weighted2
NRCan
Fuel cost
—3
Power
177hp4
engine only
EPA
Crash rating
—5
4 recall campaigns · US data6
NHTSA
Kerb weight
1,950kg8
4,300 lb
NHTSA
Warranty
3yr10
60,000 km
Toyota
How much to run it—
Fuel economy
—1NRCan
Tailpipe CO₂
44 g/km2NRCan71 g/mi
charge-weighted composite: electric miles credited at zero tailpipe · 71 g/mi
Fuel cost
—3
not estimated
How it performs177 hp
Power
177 hp4EPAengine only
the combustion engine's rating alone — EPA test-car data; the basis is confirmed by NHTSA's vPIC engine record
Engine
2.5 LNRCan
as listed in the NRCan fuel-consumption file
How safe4 recalls
Crash rating
—5NHTSA
Recall campaigns
46NHTSA
NHTSA recall register (US) · as of 2026-09-10
4 campaigns, what and when
  • 2020-11-12Exterior lighting · headlights — Adjusting the horizontal headlight beam can increase glare, reducing the visibility of an oncoming driver or the vehicle operator, increasing the risk of a crash. 20V698000
  • 2022-04-13Electronic stability control (esc) · control module · software — Driving with a deactivated stability control system increases the risk of a crash. 22V239000
  • 2023-02-02Electrical system · propulsion system · hybrid management · power control unit/module (hpcu) — An engine stall increases the risk of a crash. 23V041000
  • 2023-07-12Electrical system · propulsion system · dc/dc converter — A short circuit can cause the DC-DC converter to overheat, increasing the risk of a vehicle fire. 23V478000
Complaints per 10,000 built
—7NHTSA
Complaints on file
1077NHTSA15 severe
NHTSA complaint file for this model year, nameplate scope
What owners complain about
Electrical system38Unspecified26Fuel/propulsion system19Service brakes16Forward collision avoidance · automatic emergency braking8

See these complaints at NHTSA ↗

How big1,950 kg
Kerb weight
1,950 kg8NHTSA4,300 lb
the maker's stated figure (its 49 CFR 565 filing to NHTSA); corroborated by the EPA test weight
EPA test weight
2,041 kg9EPA4,500 lb
EPA equivalent test weight class — the loaded class it was tested at, not kerb weight
Class
Small SUVNRCan
the publisher's own vehicle class
Body
SUVNHTSA
as NHTSA lists it
Ownership3 yr / 60,000 km
Warranty
3 years10Toyota60,000 km
Toyota's published 2021 warranty statement, compiled into carstandings.com's warranty table
On the road in New York
3,45711NY DMV
NY DMV registration file, 2026-09-02

Notes and sources

  1. Fuel economy: not published. A fuel-economy figure was published for this car (39.2 mpg) and is withheld here: it is not comparable with the other cars in this list.↩
  2. CO₂: NRCan's charge-weighted composite — the miles it assumes are driven on grid electricity are credited at zero tailpipe — 44 g/km, or 71 g/mi. It is lower than the tailpipe rating a petrol car states, and it is not what the car emits with the battery empty.↩
  3. Fuel cost: not estimated. A plug-in hybrid's fuel use depends on how much of its driving is done on the battery, so no cost is computed for it.↩
  4. Power: 177 hp is the combustion engine's rating alone, from EPA test-car data; the basis is confirmed by NHTSA's vPIC engine record. The whole car's output with the electric motor is not published by any free source, so it is not stated.↩
  5. Crash rating: not published. NHTSA lists this car (15827) and publishes no overall rating for it: it rates a car overall only when it has run the frontal, side and rollover tests on it.↩
  6. Recall campaigns: NHTSA's count for this variant (RAV4 PRIME), as of 2026-09-10 — a US register. Each is repaired free of charge by dealers.↩
  7. Complaints: NHTSA holds 107 for the 2021 RAV4, 15 of which describe a crash, fire, injury or death. The rate per 10,000 built is not computed: complaints no VIN places, or production no fuel code places, make the rate uncertain by more than 5%.↩
  8. Kerb weight: the maker's stated figure (its 49 CFR 565 filing to NHTSA), 1,950 kg (4,300 lb); corroborated by the EPA test weight.↩
  9. EPA test weight: 2,041 kg (4,500 lb) is the equivalent test weight class EPA tested this configuration at, not the kerb weight.↩
  10. Warranty: 3 years or 60,000 km, from Toyota's published 2021 warranty statement, compiled into carstandings.com's warranty table.↩
  11. Registrations: 3,457 RAV4s of this model year on New York's roads, from the NY DMV registration file as of 2026-09-02.↩
  12. This car is measured on the plug-in scale: litres per 100 km on fuel, a charge-weighted CO₂ rating that credits its electric miles, and engine horsepower. MPGe and the plain tailpipe rating do not apply to it.↩
  13. Price: no free, resellable source publishes a price for any 2021 car sold in Canada, so none is shown for any car in this market.↩

Sources: NRCan · NHTSA · EPA — about these sources →