5th gen Toyota RAV4 2019–2025

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

• Hesitation and lurching at low speed 2019 One source so far

  What to check: Drive it slowly in traffic and from a stop, and feel for hesitation or a lurch.

  The top complaint for the 2019 on CarComplaints.com, ahead of leaking roof rack rails and parking brake faults.

  Sources ¹

• Grinding as the AWD connects and disconnects 2019 One source so far

  What to check: Listen for grinding or a moan as the AWD driveline engages and disengages on a test drive.

  Two owners of 2019 Adventures in Edmunds' owner reviews report grinding when the AWD driveline disconnects or engages.

  Sources ²

• Hybrid fuel tank will not fill 2019–2020 One source so far

  What to check: Fill the tank and check the gauge reads full, and ask whether the tank was replaced.

  Toyota put it down to variation in the tank's shape, and offered a replacement tank as a stopgap that might not stop it coming back.

  Sources ³

• Prime stalling in EV mode 2021 One source so far

  What to check: Ask a Toyota dealer whether the software recall was done.

  Some 2021 Primes could shut down under hard acceleration in cold weather. Toyota recalled them for a software update.

  Sources ⁴

• Corroded high-voltage cable 2019–2022 One source so far

  The Car Guide, a Canadian site, reports that Toyota extended cover for early corrosion of a high-voltage cable on select 2019–2022 RAV4 Hybrids, to 8 years or 160,000 km, and that it seems not to cover the Prime. No US program was found in the sources read.

  Sources ⁵

What buyers say

Reputation: what owners and the press report

• Sought after: The 2021 2021 One source so far

  SlashGear lists the 2021 among the used RAV4s to consider, and puts it on top of the 5th gen for its Consumer Reports reliability rating, though owner satisfaction is lower.⁶

• Avoid: 2019, the first year 2019 Less sought after

  CarComplaints.com rates the 2019 as the worse year even though the 2002 has more complaints, with hesitation and lurching at low speed the 2019's top complaint.^7,1

Before you pay

Open the buyer's checklist

Every warning and recall for this generation, with a box to tick.