2021 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in hybrid
Small SUV · plug-in hybrid
Fuel cost
—3
How much to run it—
How it performs177 hp
Power
the combustion engine's rating alone — EPA test-car data; the basis is confirmed by NHTSA's vPIC engine record
How safe4 recalls
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
What owners complain about
Electrical system38Unspecified26Fuel/propulsion system19Service brakes16Forward collision avoidance · automatic emergency braking8
How big4,300 lb
Kerb weight
the maker's stated figure (its 49 CFR 565 filing to NHTSA); corroborated by the EPA test weight
EPA test weight
EPA equivalent test weight class — the loaded class it was tested at, not kerb weight
Notes and sources
- Fuel economy: not published. A fuel-economy figure was published for this car (38.0 mpg) and is withheld here: it is not comparable with the other cars in this list.↩
- CO₂: EPA's charge-weighted composite — the miles it assumes are driven on grid electricity are credited at zero tailpipe — 72 g/mi, or 45 g/km. It is lower than the tailpipe rating a petrol car states, and it is not what the car emits with the battery empty.↩
- 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.↩
- 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.↩
- 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.↩
- Recall campaigns: NHTSA's count for this variant (RAV4 PRIME), as of 2026-09-10. Each is repaired free of charge by dealers.↩
- 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%.↩
- Kerb weight: the maker's stated figure (its 49 CFR 565 filing to NHTSA), 4,300 lb (1,950 kg); corroborated by the EPA test weight.↩
- EPA test weight: 4,500 lb (2,041 kg) is the equivalent test weight class EPA tested this configuration at, not the kerb weight.↩
- Warranty: 3 years or 36,000 miles, from Toyota's published 2021 warranty statement, compiled into carstandings.com's warranty table.↩
- Registrations: 3,457 RAV4s of this model year on New York's roads, from the NY DMV registration file as of 2026-09-02.↩
- This car is measured on the plug-in scale: miles per gallon 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.↩
- Price: no free, resellable source publishes a price for any 2021 car sold in the United States, so none is shown for any car in this market.↩
Sources: EPA · NHTSA — about these sources →