Used 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime Consumer Reviews
Used RAV4 Prime for sale
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
Great value, favorite vehicle I've owned
Prime in New England, 12/14/2020
2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
175 of 179 people found this review helpful
I'd looked at and test drove the audi Q5 and Volvo xc60. Q5 is definitely nice but the performance, tech, value and environmentally friendliness made the Rav4 Prime the winner hands down. What I like: Quiet but sci-fi like sounding electric motor, smooth as silk ride, fast acceleration. Nice mid-point range size between my former Outback and my wife's Highlander. Went with a white SE trim. I think it looks nicer than the xse, I don't need any of the extras and it's much cheaper. However, the weather package is a must have and not much more $. Moonroof, power lift gate. Heated steering wheel is luxurious and extremely rare at this price. Heated back seats. Cool under reported feature- remote start included via key fob. Warms/cools your Rav4 to your auto temp setting. Ike remote start. Was worried the loud pedestrian warning sound it makes when reversing would be annoying but got used to it quickly. Only freaked out one neighborhood dog so far. Safety Sense features were easy to get used to and really are well done. Never had rain sensing wipers before. Accessories I chose: Side body moldings - regret those. Looked much nicer without them. Can be removed but leaving them on for now. Homelink mirror- also kind of regret. Doesn't look as nice as standard mirror and range isn't great. Expensive. Toyota installed tow hitch - definitely recommend. Unlike after market hitches, this one the dealer installed is the exact right height, they expertly cut it into the rear bumper and looks like it is supposed to be there. Thought about but skipped the roof rack and glad I did. Overall terrific value. After federal tax credit and state rebate costs about the same net as an XLE hybrid and much more value.
Optimus Prime it's not. It's better from my POV
JT2QUICK, 11/23/2022
2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
36 of 36 people found this review helpful
I Bought my 2021 Rav4 Prime SE 06/06/2021. As of 11/21/2022 driven it 26247 miles. Fuel/electric cost is below. Wanted to drive it for over a year before really posting a review from my POV. Not gonna get into tech and specs. Plenty of articles out there already. To give you a better idea whether it "Might" be a good fit for you. I drive 67 miles round trip 4 days a week. Saturday and Sunday driving about 40 miles a day. Towing small 4 X 6 Trailer once every month or so, hauling total of about 1200 lbs. No problems at all. That E-10(forget it) use only good non-ethanol 87octane. Fuel cost for me is higher as I use Top Tier Fuel everytime, about $.40 to $.60 average higher than cheapy regular gas. Road traveled, generally level overall. Located 1260 feet above sea level. Only use Level one home charging. No level TWO Charger. Conservative driver but at times forget now and then to plug-in, only human. No off-roading, no pedal-to-metal drag racing, fast and furious wannabe. Just a regular smuck. No Moon/Sun roof. No fancy 20 speaker JBL ear popping entertainment system. Pros: Two times I got 61 miles just on one charge alone. But I was driving like Miss Daisy and it was the summer time. Vehicle itself is very easily adaptable and accesorizable. Easy to install DRL, Change rear turn sequential turn signals, DIY trailer hitch, customizable B pillars, dash cam cable routing poses no problems. Inside rear hatch dome 20 LED Lights. DIY Engine hood assist struts. Ability to run trailer wiring harness inside of vehicle for ready use with no problems. The DIY maintenance on this is super easy. Filters, Air, fluids. Good ground clearance to not even need to jack it up. DIY oil change a breeze with EZ Drain plug valve. Door handles extremely customizable. DRL easy install. CURT trailer hitch installed myself (easy). Modified side mirror mods also easy to install. Tinted windows 30% more really felt the difference in the OK heat. Overall driver view is great. LTA and other adaptive safety features, pretty good. One touch door locking from outside with using FOB is nice, prevents wear and tear on the FOB. FOB AC/Heat one touch use in Winter time, while inside the garage??? OOH...Yeah baby, A definite nice touch. No Gas, No Fumes, No Mess. Most importantly...living in Oklahoma severe winter ice and snow at times, able to put on and drive with 235/65R17 104 BW BRIDGESTONE BLIZZAK WS70 WINTER TIRES. My OEM is 225/60/R18. For the record, bought the winter tires 11/2013. Used them on old 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. Used them on 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe... Now on Angel. Runs great, with no snags, no scraping, no rubbing on other parts. Clearance is good..so no worries. Due to the Prime's heavy weight, snow tires combined performed extremely well in my opinion during my test run when OKC Airport was shut down 02/02/2021 due to really severe weather. She ran solid with good traction. Even posted a video on youtube about it. Real good for seniors. due to higher ground clearance and how Prime is contructed, my 87 year old mother can get in and out the vehicle without having to squat. Now put on Bridgestone Weatherpeak All-Weather Tires- very nice and worthwhile tires. Cons: Only Now and then during cold weather, under 40 degrees Farenheit, when turning on the heat "Driving" hear a weird groaning noise. People on Rav forum site says, it's normal due to the heat/pump, but nothing to damage the vehicle. Not gonna get into the driver comfort and how others say road handling is not up to par. Maybe because I'm not driving it like it's a sports car, but here's the bottom line about this vehicle. It is one super-efficient, practical, fully capable, customizable, dependable and fun SUV to drive. My recommendation to you is to test drive it and see for yourself. I bought mine out of state right at $41400, after the tax credit, I got of $7250, I ended up really paying just $34150. Is it worth it? A Most Definite "YES"!!!! Here's my fuel/electric cost to give you an idea: Overnight Charge from 0Ev-56EV showing was 14.4kwh @$.0945=$1.37 (so for roughtly 50plus miles of driving it cost me $1.37...not too shabby. City Driving gets me WAY BETTER MILEAGE than Highway driving due to the efficient Re-Generative Charging system of the Prime. Average hybrid gas mileage I was achieving was around 45 HV Average mileage per full charge I was getting was around 51 EV, because at times the gauge would show 48EV after a fuel charge in the winter time, and in the warmer months at times it would be around the 57EV range 1 month’s worth of driving: Drove 1700 miles, with Electrical usage of 381.9kwh @ $.0945kwh per hour - $36.09 and fuel cost of $39.76 = $75.85 and that’s the total driving cost to drive 1700 miles. FYI used 9.96 gals. 6 months Total cost Fuel + Elec= $369 1yr Usage below: Fuel- 131.2 gals KWH- 4133 1 year’s cost of driving: 4133 kwh @ $.0945 per kwh = $391 + (150.16 gals) $512 . Means total cost for me to drive 20,000 miles is $903 (that is not bad for combined electric and fuel cost) FYI: Cost of kwh in my area is $.0945 Now my take on who this vehicle might be a good fit for: 1. Couple with a pet or family of Three. 2. Mostly city drivers (super-efficient in the city) 3. People who do not want to totally rely on just an EV. 4. Need that extra space for hauling stuff 5. Towing stuff under 2500lbs 6. Need a dependable and reliable vehicle. 7. Easy vehicle to maintain like DIYers. 8. People with a garage 9. People who are not in a rush. Been charging mine overnight since I got my Angel. Works just fine for me. 10. Your kwh cost is like mine around $.0945 per kwh, if it’s around $.50kwh well think about it. Tips for saving extra money: 1. Don't get a sunroof/moonroof (they'll leak in time). 2. Don't get the premium entertaiment system, extra $3000, just get yourself an android box, like I did. 3. Forget the rack on top, unless absolutely needed. Can fit a 2ft x 10ft lumber inside with no problem. 4. Purchase a lifetime Alignment at Hibdon's for $99 think about that one. 5. Same for lifetime tire rotations at places like discounttires 6. Use Top Tier Fuel (you'll save yourself and the car in the long run) 7. Purchase a Curt trailer hitch and install it yourself (you can do it, plenty of vidoes out there to help) 8. Don't waste your money on that dealer "extended warranty"(think about what it says it covers and What it “Really” will cover. 9. Shop around for the best "Overall price" in the country. Bought mine out of state, paid $740 to have it transported from Missouri to Oklahoma. Hint, Hint. 10. Last, don't pay for any extras the dealers want to throw at you. Tips when you get one: 1. Re-tint the windows even though it already has the factory tint. 2. Protect the dash with a dashcover 3. When or if you install a trailer hitch, just keep the harness inside, no need to route it under the Floorboard, and out towards the hitch. Rear door hatch will still close properly with no problem 4. Protect the B pillars with a cover. 5. Use Top Tier fuel, when possible, not that junkie E-10 type. Your vehicle will thank you for it. 6. In very Wintery locations, buy yourself dedicated Winter Tires 7. Go beyond the regular maintenance schedule, and change the oil every 5,000 miles same with air filters (don’t be cheap on that $45000 plus vehicle you have). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDIvhcOVCCo
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime for sale near you
3 of 13 listings
- XSE Plug-In Hybrid 4dr SUVMSRP: $30,495In-stock online
- XSE Plug-In Hybrid 4dr SUVMSRP: $38,998In-stock online
- SE Plug-In Hybrid 4dr SUVMSRP: $37,968In-stock online
See all 13 listings
Very quiet ride in EV & HV
Sierra Nevada, 03/11/2021
2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
34 of 35 people found this review helpful
The ride on EV mode is so smooth. Hybrid mode is a bit louder but I could hardly hear it. Very quiet ride. I wished the backup siren (it’s not beep beep beep😹) were not as loud but I guess it being loud would spook the cat away, so it is effective. You can program via the dash when to allow charge to take place to take advantage of the lower electricity rate during off-peak time. Ample cargo space and back seat folds down completely. It’s responsive and very quiet. It’s great that rear cross-traffic warning is standard on the XSE and SE trims. luv it!💕
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Beautiful car for City Ride and Performance
BananaNuke, 07/08/2021
2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
43 of 45 people found this review helpful
I have owned the Prime SE for over 3 weeks now and have about 900 miles on the ODO. I paid the sticker price of 42,018.00 and it came with Weather&Moonroof package, roof rack cross bars, mudguards, all weather liners, bodyside moldings. I get about 45 miles of EV range driving in the Normal model with Eco AC ON. My dirving is mostly town and backroads, so the speed limits are between 25 and 40 mph. On the highway, I get about 40 mi range on EV, cruising at 70 with Eco AC. Even the hybrid yields a decent milage in city and highway driving. I live in a hilly area where it is mostly windy. On a 250 mile trip last weekend that has both highway and city driving, I noted the Hybrid to roughly give me about 42mpg, which I think it pretty good for a car this size with 2 passenders. I have enjoyed driving this car so much but there are some issues as well.. For a car this expensive, I have noticed trim rattled in the doors and trunk area which are hard to locate. I checked with the dealer and they said they'd look into it when I bring the vehicle for the 5k service. These rattles aren't a big issue but when you're driving in the EV mode, it could be pretty distracting. Overall, very satisfied with the car :)
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Incredibly Versatile Vehicle
cdavis, 11/06/2020
updated 11/12/2024
2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl gas/electric plug-in hybrid CVT)
91 of 100 people found this review helpful
(Nov 2024 update - 91K trouble free miles. As far as I can tell, the battery has lost no range at all.) (May 2023 update - almost 3 years, 53K miles, and zero issues. I know I should trade it in at this point, but I can't think of anything that would do the job better... we are just going to keep it!) If you live someplace with snow in the winter and all-wheel drive is important, if you need to tow things every so often (a small trailer will let you do most pickup truck jobs), if you’d like to commute each day for pennies with 40 miles of real world electric range, and if you live someplace the air quality could use some help... the Rav4 Prime is a great deal. Add in properly quick acceleration when you ask for it, and you have an overall package that’s hard (perhaps impossible) to beat for the price. I picked up a base SE with a few additions for just under $40K. With the $7.5K tax credit, $32.5K isn't bad for a vehicle that can do all these things with an excellent 150K mile drivetrain warranty and Toyota's reliability/dealer network. (And no, I don't work for Toyota.)
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value