2021 Toyota RAV4

Small SUV · gas

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

Fuel economy
30mpg1
28 city · 35 highway
CO₂ 290 g/mi · 180 g/km2
EPA
Fuel cost
$1,9873
per year · estimate
EPA · EIA
Power
203hp4
rated
EPA
Crash rating
5of 5 ★5
frontal 4 · side 5 · rollover 4
1 recall campaign6
NHTSA
Kerb weight
—8
Warranty
3yr10
36,000 mi
Toyota
How much to run it30 mpg · $1,987 / yr
Combined
30 mpg1EPA
EPA test cycle, combined · configuration RAV4
City · highway
28 · 35EPA
EPA test cycle, mpg
Tailpipe CO₂
290 g/mi2EPA180 g/km
tailpipe rating, driven as rated on the test cycle · 180 g/km
Fuel, per year
$1,9873EPA · EIAestimate · $9,934 over five years
estimate — 13,800 mi at $4.319 per gallon, EIA US regular, 2026-09-14
How it performs203 hp
Power
203 hp4EPArated
the rated figure — EPA test-car data
Engine
2.5 L, 4 cylindersEPA
as listed in the EPA fuel-economy file
Transmission
Automatic (S8)EPA
as listed in the EPA fuel-economy file
Drive
Front-wheel driveEPA
as listed in the EPA fuel-economy file
How safe5 of 5 ★ · 1 recall
Crash rating
★★★★★5NHTSA
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, front-wheel-drive 2021 RAV4 · as of 2026-09-10
Frontal · side · rollover
4 · 5 · 4NHTSAof 5 stars each
the three tests behind the overall rating
Recall campaigns
16NHTSA
NHTSA recall register, campaigns naming RAV4 (2021) · as of 2026-09-10
1 campaign, what and when
  • 2023-12-20Air bags · sensor · occupant classification — An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury. 23V865000
Complaints per 10,000 built
6.967NHTSA254 complaints, 33 severe · 364,861 built
computed here: 254 complaints ÷ 364,861 built (NHTSA early-warning production, 2026 Q1); no publisher states the rate
What owners complain about
Air bags101Unspecified42Engine30Electrical system28Power train16

See these complaints at NHTSA ↗

How bigSmall SUV
Kerb weight
—8
EPA test weight
—9EPA
Class
Small SUVEPA
the publisher's own vehicle class
Body
SUVNHTSA
as NHTSA lists it
Ownership3 yr / 36,000 mi
Warranty
3 years10Toyota36,000 mi
Toyota's published 2021 warranty statement, compiled into carstandings.com's warranty table
On the road in New York
15,63011NY DMV
NY DMV registration file, 2026-09-02

Notes and sources

  1. Fuel economy: EPA combined test-cycle figure for the configuration RAV4 (28 city, 35 highway). EPA data dated 2026-09-09, the latest modifiedOn date EPA records in vehicles.csv.↩
  2. CO₂: EPA's tailpipe rating for the car driven as rated on the test cycle — 290 g/mi, or 180 g/km.↩
  3. Fuel cost: an estimate — 13,800 mi a year at the EPA combined figure, priced at $4.319 per gallon (EIA US regular, 2026-09-14). Five years: $9,934. No publisher states this figure.↩
  4. Power: 203 hp is the rated figure, from EPA test-car data.↩
  5. Crash rating: NHTSA's overall rating for the front-wheel-drive 2021 RAV4 — frontal 4, side 5, rollover 4 stars. NHTSA data as of 2026-09-10.↩
  6. Recall campaigns: NHTSA's count for this nameplate (RAV4), as of 2026-09-10. Each is repaired free of charge by dealers.↩
  7. Complaints per 10,000 built: computed here from NHTSA's complaint count for the RAV4 nameplate (254, of which 33 describe a crash, fire, injury or death) and the 364,861 vehicles NHTSA's own early-warning production reports place on it (2026 Q1). No publisher states the rate itself.↩
  8. Kerb weight: not published. No source states a curb weight for this car.↩
  9. EPA test weight: not published. EPA values disagree.↩
  10. Warranty: 3 years or 36,000 miles, from Toyota's published 2021 warranty statement, compiled into carstandings.com's warranty table.↩
  11. Registrations: 15,630 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 petrol scale: miles per gallon, the tailpipe CO₂ rating and whole-car horsepower. MPGe and charge-weighted CO₂ are electric-scale quantities and do not apply to it.↩
  13. 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 →