2021 Toyota RAV4 Reliability & Resale Value Compared to the Competition | RAV4 Prime, Hybrid, LE, SE

Why is Toyota’s RAV4 the best selling vehicle in America other than full size pickup trucks? Toyota sold around 450,000 RAV4s in 2019. I think a lot of consumers base their car buying decisions with reliability and resale value in mind.

If you are interested in seeing a test drive, please check other channels as there are a ton of them out there. This video will cover reliability and resale value of the RAV4 so you can make a more educated decision on your next car purchase.

Expected Reliability:
According to Consumer Reports’ 2020 Auto Issue, the Toyota RAV4 and the RAV4 Hybrid are both expected to have average reliability. That was a bit of a surprise as most Toyotas rank high in reliability. This may be because the 2019 model year was when the RAV4 was completely redesigned and first year models tend to have some kinks to work out.

I looked at the 2018 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid reliability ratings and they were both much better than average. I would expect Toyota to be in the better than average category again when the 2020 data comes out.

Resale Value
Now let’s talk about the 2021 RAV4’s resale value. The expected 3 year resale value of the RAV4 is 65.5% of the initial price. That’s excellent. For comparison, the Honda CR-V will retain 71% of its value after 3 years. The Chevy Equinox will hold 60.7% of its value over 3 years. Not a huge spread between the best selling SUVs.

Where it starts to get interesting is that after 5 years, the RAV4 will retain 59.7% of its value. The Honda CR-V will retain 58.4% and the Chevy Equinox will hold 44.5% of its value

If you decide to sell your RAV4 after 7 years, this is where Toyota 's reputation for quality and longevity really kicks in. The RAV4 will still be worth 50.5% of its initial price after 7 years. The Honda CR-V will retain 46.9% of its value and the Chevy Equinox will only retain 30.9% of its value.

So if you plan to hang onto your car longer, the Toyota will have the best resale value.

As for which model you should get for the RAV4, that’s a difficult choice since there are 12 different models. My preference is first the RAV4 Prime since it has excellent acceleration, great EV only range of 42 miles, and unbelievable total range of 600 miles.

My second favorite is the RAV4 Hybrid for its improved power and fuel economy over the standard RAV4. I like that it includes e-AWD as standard so that the price difference between the non-hybrid and the hybrid all wheel drive models is only $1000.

Finally, the gas versions are great as well and it's neat that Toyota’s got so many choices. You can select the more luxury oriented LE or XLE versus the more sporty SE or XSE. Or you can go for the cool looking Adventure trim or the TRD Off-Road for those looking for off pavement fun.

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I own a 2021 rav4 prime xse premium, i have 3.6k miles on it. i wonder how much its gonna depreciate. Right now Im the only one in TX that owns a production model.