5 Reasons to Choose RAV4 Hybrid Over Prime

In this video I test drive a RAV4 Hybrid and compare to my Prime and provide 5 reasons to consider the Hybrid over the Prime.

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[carlkettler]

Your math is a little off for California. I don't live there, but I have friends who do who have shared some details on their electricity costs ... 1) Most homeowners charging at home are on time-of-use electric plans which significantly discount the electric rate when charging their vehicles 2) California has the highest adoption of solar electric panels on home rooftops - almost 45%. For these homeowners, their true cost of electricity is significantly lower than the standard daytime rate. 3) While you adjusted the cost for 100 miles to the CA electricity rates, you did not adjust the 100 mile gasoline cost to the CA cost of gas, which is often $1/gallon higher than the US average. So you over stated the cost per 100 miles for the average electricity cost and under-stated the 100 mile cost for gasoline purchased in CA.

[alfontana]

Thanks for your video. My wife and I purchased our new 2022 RAV 4 Prime model SE with the sunroof package back in March 2022 at MSRP and not a penny more. We received the Federal Tax credit, $7, 500 in full and also the State of Oregon Electric Vehicle Rebate check of $2, 500. Combined $10, 000 off the MSRP placed the price in line or maybe even a little lower than a comparable RAV 4 Hybrid so it was a no brainer for us to make the purchase. Electric rates in NW Oregon on the coast are currently at .125/ per KWH with all cost included, calculated by total bill divided by KWH used. Calculated this week. It used to run about .11 / KWH last year.

Now with early summer we have been getting 45+ miles of all electric range and 45+ MPG just on regular gas with a depleted battery. My last fillup in pure Hybrid Mode, miles calculated when the vehicle switches from electric to the gas engine, was 49.7 MPG calculated by miles driven by gallons pumped. Pretty close to what our old 2010 prius would be getting.

Last week we drove well over 200 miles and never used a drop of gas living here on the N/W Coast of Oregon. Another plus for the Prime is that going down a long mountain grade you battery is large enough to keep filling up with electricity by regen where a hybrid would fill up and after that all that gravity would be wasted for regen.

[supermodestmouse]

i got a 2024 rav4 prime XSE from my 2004 4Runner (300K miles). I've had the rav4 for a little over a month. I've gone a little over 1100 miles now, and have used about a tank and a half of gas despite making 2 trips from san diego to la and back. its worked out pretty nicely.

[LVTR-krrz]

At last, I got 2023 RAV4 PRIME XSE PREMIUM yesterday. It was worth the waited time in 2 years with updated info screen and a full digital instrument cluster.

[fredcdobbs]

I love my new 2023 RAV4 Prime: even without the tax incentive! It's such a pleasure to drive! Time will tell as far as how much it is costing me in electricity. But each charge gets me closer to the 50 mile mark per charge. For my commutes around town this is more than adequate. And my "Optimus" (my name for my prime) has power when I need it, as well as quiet around town. I love everything about it. Thanks for the informative videos. You and your wife helped me a lot to make this decision!

[laura-ann.]

The decision to go for a PHEV Rav4 Prime or Prius Prime, instead of the non-PHEV versions, really comes down to the cost of gasoline and the cost of residential electricity where you live. In my specific case: I live in a city served by a not-for-profit Municipal Utility District, which provides me with home electric rates of 10¢/kw-hr between October 1 and April 30, and 12¢/kw-hr in the summer months; this is the special EV charging rate and applies from midnight to 06:00. There are also several free L2 chargers around town, at City Hall, at an Amazon Hub 7 miles from my house, at some Libraries and Movie Theaters, and at a big shopping mall. Gasoline is $4.50/gallon currently. In my Prius Prime, over the 37, 000 miles I've owned it, I've calculated that I've run the car for about 12, 000 miles on externally supplied electricity, costing about 3¢/mile from my home EVSE, although since I use free chargers as often as possible, it's actually less than that. The rest of the miles driven were on gasoline, costing about 9¢/mile. So there is a clear advantage to owning a PHEV in my city, at least as long as you are using electric charging for at least 40% of your driving. For someone who rarely takes long road trips, and can maybe run 70% of the time on electric, the savings will pay for the extra cost of the PHEV version within the first 100, 000 miles.

Now lets turn it around, and consider the case of a person who lives somewhere with cheap gasoline, say $2.75/gallon (Oklahoma City, New Orleans), but maybe 30¢/kw-hr for electricity. Or, they live in an apartment with no way to charge at home and are thus dependent on for-profit public chargers like EV-Go and Electrify America, that charge 48¢/kw-hr. Or, they live in northern Minnesoto or Winnipeg, where winters are brutally cold and last 6 months. A PHEV would offer no benefit at all under those circumstances, and you would be far better off with the non-PHEV version of the Rav4 Hybrid. I know that I live in a bubble here in California: crazy-expensive gasoline, cheap electricity, and a State Government that's hell-bent on forcing people out of fossil-fueled vehicles into EV's as quickly as possible. But the charging infrastructure is no where ready for a massive shift to pure EV's, and battery technology is still limiting passenger-car EV's to about 250 miles range, so a PHEV is a compromise for the next few years, while Governments and car manufacturers work on solving those issues.

[NagyFamilyVideos]

As other commentators have implied, people who own solar panels look at the RAV4 Prime (and plug-in hybrids in general) differently. Your video assumed that the main reason for choosing to buy either a Prime or Hybrid is the dollars and cents costs of owning and driving comparing electricity costs/100 miles with gasoline costs/100 miles. That is important and one of the reasons we bought a Prime, but we have a different way of looking at the electricity costs. We own a RAV4 Prime and solar panels and our solar panels generate enough power to run our house and enough excess power to charge our RAV4 Prime most every day. So, if we just do limited (<40 mile) trips around town each day (which is pretty much what we do), we can actually drive our RAV4 Prime most of the time with NO fuel costs. We have only owned our RAV4 for about 4 months, so I can't tell you definitively that we will actually be able to do all of our driving in EV mode every day, so, I admit, it is somewhat theoretical. But it seems reasonable. (Of course, we will need to run the gasoline engine in hybrid mode periodically, so it won't be strictly an electric vehicle.)
Beyond, that, though, there is a completely different value I see in a RAV4 Prime (or any other plug-in hybrid). Our reason for owning solar panels (which are paired with backup batteries) is not just so we can save money on electricity, but also so we can have electricity in the event of a grid breakdown (such as a major equipment failure or perhaps even terrorist activity). It is also our belief that major disruptions could occur in gasoline production and delivery. (We are old enough to have seen it happen.) What would that be like? No gasoline would mean no gas or hybrid cars can run. However, with a RAV4 Prime and solar panels, we can still drive at least 40 miles a day. That seems like a benefit that is very apparent but which cannot be quantified in terms of dollars and cents.
My guess is that most people don't own solar panels, so for most people this may be a moot point. But I just wanted to present another side of why someone might want to pay $8, 000 more for a RAV4 Prime than a RAV4 Hybrid.

[rncondie]

In 2021 it made sense to buy the Rav 4 Prime. I sold back our 2019 Rav 4 Hybrid xLE for $33, 900 or $6, 500 more than I paid in 2019.

Purchased a 2021 Prime for MSRP in 2021 $41, 000.

Subtract $7, 500 tax credit and my before the out door price was $33, 500.

One more point, our Prime in hybrid mode actually nets the same or a little better mpg than our 2019 hybrid Rav 4 did because the battery is bigger so it will accept more regenerative breaking and downhill energy recovery than the much smaller battery in the hybrid only model of the Rav 4.

[mitchellsmith]

Your math is off for California: I can have solar and a battery, and put energy back onto the grid each day under NEM 2.0. As my solar loan payment is a fixed cost, the electricity needed to charge the Prime is basically free. That’s about a $2, 000 savings on gasoline each year, so I think I’ll forget the Hybrid and stick with the Prime.

[Chris-ewmh]

CA is crazy with their electricity prices but something tells me the gas prices are also MORE than the $3.50 per gallon average. According to AAA it's $4.86 per gallon right now which puts it at $12.15 for that 100 miles of driving and would still save money. With the loss of the tax credit and your on a budget the Hybrid is fine, but for me the extra power and option to drive in EV mode for shorter trips well outweighs the 2 MPG that the Hybrid can get over the Prime. When I bought mine in 2021 it was a no brainer with the $7500 Federal and $1000 State tax credit, best decision I've ever made with purchasing a car as it dropped my operating costs significantly compared to a 25 MPG SUV I was driving before.

[MrMutak]

I'm from Poland and landed here. Would you consider buying used 2021 prime over 2024 hybrid? So the new media system is in 2024 of course and some otger tiny things

[VeilsideZ]

I have a 2022 Rav4 Prime XSE i fill up gas once a month city driving not necessarily need to charge most of the time is regenerating. I don’t charge it to full no need 85% best for a Rav4 and what it is it’s already good enough .

[Doc]

I use to own a 11 Rav 4WD Limited with the 269hp 3.5 V6.
Last year I decided to sell it and replace it with another Rav AWD Limited Hybrid. I looked at the 23 Rav and the fit and finish was subpar. The comfort was horrible. Road and engine noise was pronounced. It wasn’t near the quality of my 11 Rav.
I LOVED the Venza Limited but was unable to get anything except for gloomy, drab, depressing, outdated, bland 34 year old Gray or Black interior colors. The interior colors made me feel claustrophobic. Those colors were a throwback from 1990.
I was disappointed to say the least because we’ve been driving Toyota’s for 40+ years.
I then looked at the Mazda CX50 and was going to buy it, but again I couldn’t get it with Classy, Sophisticated Tan or Brown interior unless I bought a turbo.
I didn’t want a turbo because they simply don’t last as long as a naturally aspirated engine.
I then looked at a Subaru Forester Touring. I fell in love with the car and its Beautiful Saddle Brown Leather interior.
I bought my Forester.
After selling my Rav and adding the Forester my insurance premiums DROPPED by over $300 a year. I asked my agent why my premiums dropped and she told me that the Forester and the Outback were the safest vehicles in the road and the accident avoidance was top notch. Furthermore Subaru’s are less likely to be stolen.
We live in a very mountainous area of north central WA state and get 5-7 feet of snow every winter. We live 5 miles from town and 20 miles from a city and live on a private road that we have to plow and maintain ourselves.
Every winter I had to put studded tires on my Rav.
I drove the entire winter with the factory tires that came on my Forester.
The traction is Superior over any other 4WD or AWD vehicle we’ve ever owned.
My 85 year old dad lives with us and is wheelchair bound. My Forester is the first vehicle that we’ve ever owned that I don’t have to fold down the rear seats to accommodate his wheelchair.
Whenever he rides with my wife and I, my wife gets into the back seat, which are heated, along with the steering wheel.
The outward visibility is Amazing.
I cannot say enough Great things about my Forester.
After owning my Forester for a few months I decided to surprise my wife by buying her a new car for her 50th birthday. I chose an Outback for her. It has the Ivory interior, which she Loves.
She had been driving her Toyota for 18 years and even though it ran perfect, it was a good time to buy my wife something she deserved. I found one in Cinnamon Brown Pearl, ( she loves dark brown cars).
I’m retired but she still has a few more years before SSI.

So now you know why I decided Not to buy another Toyota, especially the Rav. I was so Unimpressed with that Rav AWD hybrid Limited.

[kurtburkhardt]

We bought a 2024 Rav4 hybrid. We would have liked to buy a Prime, but they were unobtanium in the Chicago area. As it was we paid over sticker for our car. Unfortunately, we didn't have the time to wait or search the whole country to find a Rav4. We were lucky to find one at all. Someone cancelled an order so we bought theirs. We do love the car, however I've never paid over sticker and will never again! Being price goughed and having no option stinks and Toyota needs to increase supply and reign in these dealers! We love our 4Runner but won't get a new one (may go to another brand) until this issue is solved!!

[RPRosen-kifk]

Does the Rav4 Prime offer V2L (vehicle to load)? That would be so useful during an extended power outage. Also can you charge the battery from empty to full by just driving on ICE, without using a charger?

[stevendelgado]

If you have solar panels and Tesla batteries like I do, then I don't pay anything for my charging. I recently drove over 500+ miles to attend a conference and still had 1/4 tank left. Had a all gas Rav4 for a while. it would only go 325 miles on a tank of gas.

[cbatiau]

Only one reason in my book to not buy a RAV4 Prime over the "mild hybrid", non-plugin "Hybrid" RAV4: you don't have the capability to charge it daily. Otherwise the Prime is orders-of-magnitude better, ignoring purchase price. Yeah, we got our 2021 RAV4 Prime SE for under $40k new and got $9k back in federal tax credits ($7500) and state rebate ($1500). But I'd still pay the extra money without the tax credit now because the Prime is so very superior to the "mild Hybrid" in almost every way. If you can plug in, your "fuel" costs should be way cheaper with the Prime than the "Hybrid"; in local driving, we went from filling up on gas about once a week with our old Highlander to filling up once every 2-3 months with our Prime (driving mileage unchanged), with our total "fuel" costs now about 1/3 to 1/2 what we were paying before. Plugging in every night is so much nicer than visiting gas stations so often (driving out of our way to a gas station, standing in horrible weather while pumping gas and stepping in spilt gasoline, etc.), and we're contributing so much less to the most corrupt industry that the world has ever seen (the oil/gas industry), as icing on the cake.

And if you like to drive, driving in all-electric is much more fun in the Prime, as it has good torque from stop and you can drive with your pedal to the floor all the way to 86 mph without the ICE coming on; the weak ICE in all RAV4s are underwhelming, and driving with the ICE on is the worst part of driving the Prime, frankly; with the "Hybrid", you're basically stuck with that crappy ICE coming on and going off all the time, ad nauseum. And there's much more standard features in the base Prime than in the base "Hybrid", unless things have changed; we got the bare minimum and still have heated front seats, blind-spot-assist lighting in the mirrors, ACC, power driver seat, power rear hatch, CarPlay -- basically all that we need.

[MRLV]

Does prime have power front seats and heated front seats?

[paulholterhaus]

No One seems to consider a Persons tolerance for am 80 and need the peace of electric way over the noise of vibrating

[titomendoza]

You can easily find a prime in Maryland