Toyota RAV4 SUV

2.5 PHEV Design 5dr CVT [2025]

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Toyota has made quite a few SUVs over the years, and last year celebrated the 30th anniversary of its RAV4.

It's a car credited with starting the first ripples in the water many years ago, which later led to the huge wave of SUVs and crossovers that now populate our roads.

A lot has changed over the years, though – and the RAV4 will undergo another shift later this year when its sixth-generation model goes into production. That's good news for anyone wanting to lease a current model, though, as you can possibly expect reductions galore.

And, even if you're the type to experience FOMO ('fear of missing out') by not having the latest model, there are many good reasons to consider the current RAV 4.

While it’s available globally in numerous configurations, over here it’s exclusively a plug-in hybrid – and a very economical one at that. That makes it attractive to people who might otherwise be put off by the assumption that a reasonably sized SUV can only equal poor fuel economy and high emissions.

But how good is the RAV4, really? After all, in an era where premium brands are rolling off SUVs by the bucketload, and Kia appears to have plunged itself into the future with its striking (and very large) EV9, Toyota has been a little on the quiet side.

Given its sixth-generation model looks markedly different, it seems Toyota is on the way to addressing that. However, the fifth-generation model isn't exactly bad-looking – and it’s arguably still got some fight left in it.

We're not here to make the case for the RAV4, though – it has to do that itself on its own merit. So, we’ve taken one for a spin to see if it’s truly made of enough rough stuff.