2026 Toyota RAV4: Five Things You Need to Know

Here are the most important factoids about Toyota's updated RAV4 SUV

2026 Toyota RAV4 Woodland driving

written by Steven Ewing^{Director, Editorial Content
Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.}
edited by Kathleen Clonts^{Copy Chief
Kathleen Clonts has worked in the automotive industry since 2014 and has copy-edited thousands of vehicle reviews and stories about cars and the auto industry in that time. Kathleen is the Edmunds editorial team's copy chief and previously worked as the senior copy editor for Automobile magazine.}
5/21/2025
Share:

The 2026 Toyota RAV4 is one of the year's biggest automotive debuts.
Toyota sold more than 475,000 RAV4s last year.
The new RAV4 has hybrid powertrains, great tech and a new GR Sport trim.

The RAV4 is an incredibly important vehicle — and not just for Toyota. Last year, more than 475,000 Toyota RAV4 models were sold in the United States, making it America's best-selling vehicle. In fact, Toyota sold more RAV4s in 2024 than all of its other SUV models combined.

There's a brand-new RAV4 coming later this year, with revised engine options, new tech, and specialized sporty and off-road models. Here are the five big things you need to know about the 2026 Toyota RAV4 before it hits dealerships later this year.

See All for Sale

Consider These Recommendations

2026 Toyota RAV4 GR Sport charging

1. It's only available as a hybrid

There are seven versions of the new RAV4: LE, SE, XLE, XSE, Woodland, Limited and GR Sport. No matter which one you choose, you'll get some form of electrification. The base hybrid setup can be paired with either front- or all-wheel drive — making either 226 horsepower or 236 horsepower, respectively — and is available on all trims except the range-topping GR Sport. But if you fancy a bit more EV-ness in your RAV4, the SE, XSE and Woodland can be had with a plug-in powertrain that offers 320 hp and a Toyota-claimed 50 miles of electric-only driving range. Weirdly, however, only some models have Level 3 DC fast-charging capability.

2026 Toyota RAV4 interior

2. There's new multimedia tech inside

Every RAV4 now has a fully digital instrument cluster that's increased in size to 12.3 inches. There's a new standard 10.5-inch center screen, too, which runs a new multimedia system that's cleaner, crisper and quicker to respond to inputs than what the RAV4 used before. We don't love that a lot of the climate controls are housed within the screen now, but at least this allows for a cleaner look on the dashboard.

2026 Toyota RAV4 GR Sport rear 3/4

3. A new GR Sport trim level joins the lineup

While not a true high-performance car like the GR Corolla, the RAV4 GR Sport has unique styling inside and out, as well as a few tweaks that ought to make it more entertaining to drive. Toyota says the GR Sport comes with stickier tires, larger brakes, and new calibrations for the suspension and steering, which should make it a tick more engaging than your run-of-the-mill RAV4. The GR Sport is only available with the plug-in hybrid powertrain, and it'll be the most expensive RAV4 — likely cresting $50,000.

2026 Toyota RAV4 Woodland front 3/4

4. The RAV4 Woodland is made for the outdoors

Toyota offers Woodland versions of many of its models. And while these aren't proper off-roaders like a TRD trim, the Woodland offers a bit more go-anywhere capability than the rest of the RAV4 range thanks to all-terrain tires and an extra 0.9 inch of ground clearance. The Woodland has chunky plastic cladding on the exterior and a unique front-end treatment, and you can get it with either the base or plug-in hybrid powertrain.

2026 Toyota RAV4 front 3/4

5. It should start below $35,000

We still don't have the final details about pricing or fuel economy, but it's safe to say that Toyota will keep the RAV4 relatively affordable to start. Expect it to come in around $33,000 when it goes on sale later this year, with the GR Sport priced at or above $50,000.

by Steven Ewing

Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.

edited by Kathleen Clonts

Kathleen Clonts has worked in the automotive industry since 2014 and has copy-edited thousands of vehicle reviews and stories about cars and the auto industry in that time. Kathleen is the Edmunds editorial team's copy chief and previously worked as the senior copy editor for Automobile magazine.

Get More Edmunds Car News in Your Inbox

Join Edmunds

Receive pricing updates, shopping tips & more!