I also own a 2021 RAV4 Prime which we are very happy with. 46,000 miles without any problems. I liked this vehicle sooo much that we also bought a 2022 RAV4 Prime. Reliability, Economy, and just plain Fun. Best cars I have ever owned. We also get 45 to 48 miles EV range and barely use any gasoline. Amazing Toyota quality.
Thanks for watching and sharing. Toyota really set the bar high with this Prime. Maybe that's why they haven't made another one yet. I can't wait to see what they do with the 2026 though.
Hey Darrell. I purchased my RAV4 Prime last year (October 2023) new. Just wanted to say thanks for posting the spreadsheets I downloaded in your previous videos. I used them in my search for a vehicle. Although I wound up using the services of an auto broker directly, those spreadsheets were very educational. As a result, I was able to find my RAV4 Prime in the color I wanted, the desired trim and within the price range I was willing to pay. Like you, I really enjoy my Prime. Love the flexibility it provides (I make a point to gas up once a month), but could go much longer just using electric if I wanted. So far, it's a great car!
17 months and 19K miles in with my 2023 Rav 4 Prime XSE (I still wish I had the premium package!). Power on demand, and effortless. I can tap the accelerator to speed up just enough to boost me when I want to. Barely use gas as I use it to drive to work daily and for local errands. I perform regular maintenance (still under warranty ). Battery gives up to 60 miles per charge max in summer and fall; and about 42-45 in the winter. Toyota has built in safeguards to maximize battery life. I don't understand why the PHEV is not promoted more. It is for me definitely the way to go in the early 2000's.
We own two Rav 4 Primes I am 60 years old and in 37 years of marriage and probably 20 cars between my wife and myself I can confidently say hands down best automobiles we have owned. After 4 years 1 month of ownership on the first and 3 years 2 months on the second we have charged daily and the range is still great except in the winter where any EV takes a hit. Smart limiting the battery size to 40 miles. For ate driving needs that provides us enough for my wife to drive round trip to work and for me one way and with a public free charger at my work I am driving 56 miles round trip for about .70 cents in electricity from our level 2 charger in the garage. 4 years and probably more than 2,000 charges the charger on Amazon was one of the cheapest and has never given us any problems. The charger is a Mustart which cost us less than $200 4 years ago and it has been great. I would recommend over kill. We went with a 40 amp and the cord never gets warm.
We own a 2022 rav4 prime se. 32000 miles and 40 - 45 + electric range. Gas mpg in pure hybrid mode with a depleted battery. 42+ mpg. Last fillup was 45 mpg. Looking forward to next generation.
Hi Darrell, greetings from the UK. It's a great video with useful details about RAV 4 Prime. I currently own a Prius PHEV 2020, which is a very reliable car. I will buy RAV 4 PHEV when I am ready. Thanks, Dayo from The UK
Hi Darrell. Another viewer from the UK. Had my rav4 phev for a year now and love it. Was thinking of the bz4x however i also have a golden retriever and the bz is not big enough in the back. My rav is a 23 model with the new infotainment system and digital gauges so Toyota has sorted out the issues. In the uk I'm getting 64 miles of range but in reality it's easy to get 50 miles on normal driving. A really great car.
Also thinking of getting RAV4 PHEV and love most things about it. Was very disappointed with the ride in back seats. Seems to come crashing down over potholes. Kodiak/Tiguan PHEVs also alternative and the mild hybrid are definitely more refined over bumps - but worried about long term reliability and maintenance cost whereas hoping RAV4 would be pretty bomb proof. Any thoughts on ride in the back of RAV4?
@@radsci5168 - Because the Rav4 Prime has the AC-to-DC charge converter located under the back seat, the seat cushions for the rear seat don't have very much "cushion" to them. Kids probably wouldn't notice, but most adults over about 150 pounds weight will probably find them too stiff to be tolerable for a drive of more than 2 hours.
I have some comments to add to Darrell's video. Toyota's advertising puts most of it's emphasis on the 302 horsepower drivetrain's ability to launch you like a bullet away from a stop light, but it has other advantages, too: on long, steep freeway upgrades, the 180 hp MG2 motor helps the car climb hills without having to run the ICE engine at power levels where it would be objectionably noisy: my 2023 Rav4 Prime SE can climb a 5% upgrade at 55 mph with the ICE turning at only 1,900~2,000 rpm. At 65 mph, it would be turning 2,800 rpm, but that's still not so much that it's "noisy". By contrast, my 2019 Prius Prime which had only 70 hp in it's MG2 motor, had to spin the ICE engine at nearly 4,000 rpm to climb freeway upgrades at 65 mph, and the engine was so loud at that speed that I worried that I was over-stressing it. The Rav4 Prime can back up steep driveways into a garage effortlessly, with perfect control, at dead slow speed, thanks to that powerful MG2 motor and the 53 hp MGR motor in the rear axle. As for charging: Darrell is correct that you can charge a Rav4 Prime in Level 1 mode from a standard wall outlet, and the car does come with a Level 1 EVSE charger, but there are couple of reasons that you might want to consider using a Level 2 EVSE: 1. Level 2 EVSE's are at least 2-1/2 times faster than the Level 1 EVSE that comes with the car. A 16 amp Level 2 EVSE will fully charge a Rav4 Prime in about 4 hours, compared to 11~12 hours for the Level 1 EVSE. A 32 amp EVSE - the most powerful type that can be used with a Rav4 Prime equipped with the 6,600 watt charger - can fully charge the car in 2-1/2 hours. NOTE: Rav4 Prime SE's made before the 2023 model year have a 3,300 watt charger. Primes with the XSE Premium package came with a 6,600 watt charger. For the 2023 and 2024 model years, all trim levels come with the 6,600 watt charger. If you have a 30-amp/240 volt outlet in your garage, it can be used with a 16-amp Level 2 EVSE without having to do any wiring modifications, but 16 amps is the maximum power setting that I would use, because 30 amp dryer outlets are wired with only 10 gauge Romex, and while the breaker may be rated "30 amps", that's the maximum safe momentary surge current. Continuous power should not exceed 75% of the breaker's rating, and that's 22 amps. Limiting your EVSE to 16 amps on a clothes dryer circuit adds extra safety margin, and won't overheat the wiring or the wall outlet on a long over-night EV charge session. 2. Efficiency. Level 1 EVSE's are limited to 1,440 watts, the maximum (80% of the circuit breaker capacity) that can safely be drawn from a 15-amp, 120 volt wall outlet. So let's say you have your Rav4 Prime plugged in and charging with the Level 1 EVSE that came with the car, and you then plug in an OBD-II scan tool into the car's diagnostic port, and monitor the actual power being delivered to the battery: at best, you will only be seeing about 1,100 watts. What happened to the other 340 watts? It was lost, as resistive heating in the supply circuit, the on-board charger, and the battery cells themselves. That 340 watts is 23.6% of all the power you are drawing through your electric meter! You're paying for it, and it's being lost as heat before it ever even gets to the battery. Now switch to a 16 amp Level 2 EVSE, which can be run from your existing electric dryer outlet. This will be drawing 16 amps at 240 volts, which is 3,840 watts. Your OBD-II scanner will show an average power flow of 3,200 watts into the battery. 640 watts is being lost to resistive heating, but that's only 16.7% of the total. I have a 24 amp Juice Box charger in my garage. It draws 5,760 watts from the meter, and delivers 5,000 watts to the battery; the resistive heat loss is 13.2%. One of the reasons that the Juice Box is showing a lower loss rate, is that it's wired to a 50 amp breaker with 6 feet of 6 gauge Romex; neither the outlet box nor the Romex cable get warm to the touch at all, so there is almost no line loss in the supply wiring, that 13% is being lost in the on-board charger and the battery cells. Over several years of ownership, you will save a few dollars a month on the electric bill by using Level 2 charging instead of Level 1, and if you ever have an actual EV, like a BZ4X or a Tesla, you will pretty much have to install a 50 amp, 240 volt outlet: Charging a 70 kW-hr battery, typical in most EV passenger cars, with a Level 1 EVSE takes not less than 48 hours.
We have a 2023 Rav4 hybrid. Ours has about 10,000 miles. We are thinking about getting a second Rav4 Prime. I know it is hard to find one, but we are not in a hurry so will probably order one or get one that is inbound. Good to hear yours is going well.
did you have any corosion with your electric cable under the rear axle ? I know your are maybe in a more clement climat , but its been an issue for years for rav4prime owners, ,, thanks for your feedback
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I also own a 2021 RAV4 Prime which we are very happy with. 46,000 miles without any problems. I liked this vehicle sooo much that we also bought a 2022 RAV4 Prime. Reliability, Economy, and just plain Fun. Best cars I have ever owned. We also get 45 to 48 miles EV range and barely use any gasoline. Amazing Toyota quality.
Thanks for watching and sharing. Toyota really set the bar high with this Prime. Maybe that's why they haven't made another one yet. I can't wait to see what they do with the 2026 though.
Hey Darrell. I purchased my RAV4 Prime last year (October 2023) new. Just wanted to say thanks for posting the spreadsheets I downloaded in your previous videos. I used them in my search for a vehicle. Although I wound up using the services of an auto broker directly, those spreadsheets were very educational. As a result, I was able to find my RAV4 Prime in the color I wanted, the desired trim and within the price range I was willing to pay. Like you, I really enjoy my Prime. Love the flexibility it provides (I make a point to gas up once a month), but could go much longer just using electric if I wanted. So far, it's a great car!
NICE.. So gratifying to hear that I helped a bit. Thanks so much for sharing. Luv the Prime !!
17 months and 19K miles in with my 2023 Rav 4 Prime XSE (I still wish I had the premium package!). Power on demand, and effortless. I can tap the accelerator to speed up just enough to boost me when I want to. Barely use gas as I use it to drive to work daily and for local errands. I perform regular maintenance (still under warranty ). Battery gives up to 60 miles per charge max in summer and fall; and about 42-45 in the winter. Toyota has built in safeguards to maximize battery life. I don't understand why the PHEV is not promoted more. It is for me definitely the way to go in the early 2000's.
Thanks for sharing !!
The only reason why it wasn't promoted. Because people live in apartment buildings, not single family, where they actually charge it?
We own two Rav 4 Primes
I am 60 years old and in 37 years of marriage and probably 20 cars between my wife and myself I can confidently say hands down best automobiles we have owned.
After 4 years 1 month of ownership on the first and 3 years 2 months on the second we have charged daily and the range is still great except in the winter where any EV takes a hit.
Smart limiting the battery size to 40 miles. For ate driving needs that provides us enough for my wife to drive round trip to work and for me one way and with a public free charger at my work I am driving 56 miles round trip for about .70 cents in electricity from our level 2 charger in the garage.
4 years and probably more than 2,000 charges the charger on Amazon was one of the cheapest and has never given us any problems.
The charger is a Mustart which cost us less than $200 4 years ago and it has been great. I would recommend over kill. We went with a 40 amp and the cord never gets warm.
Thanks for sharing your experiences !!
We own a 2022 rav4 prime se. 32000 miles and 40 - 45 + electric range. Gas mpg in pure hybrid mode with a depleted battery. 42+ mpg. Last fillup was 45 mpg. Looking forward to next generation.
Me too.
I love your car. Currently drive Prius Prime. Question: is the speedometer on the 2021 Rav4 Prime available or customizable in a digital format?
Only the center part of the speedo is digital. The new one's (2023) I believe are fully digital and customizable.
PS - just found a video under rav4 2021 speedometer that shows how to change display from analog to digital if you're interested.
Hi Darrell, greetings from the UK. It's a great video with useful details about RAV 4 Prime. I currently own a Prius PHEV 2020, which is a very reliable car. I will buy RAV 4 PHEV when I am ready. Thanks, Dayo from The UK
Thanks for watching and commenting !! APPRECIATE IT!!
Hi Darrell. Another viewer from the UK. Had my rav4 phev for a year now and love it. Was thinking of the bz4x however i also have a golden retriever and the bz is not big enough in the back. My rav is a 23 model with the new infotainment system and digital gauges so Toyota has sorted out the issues. In the uk I'm getting 64 miles of range but in reality it's easy to get 50 miles on normal driving. A really great car.
Hey there Mr. Pete.. thanks for sharing. Such a great car. Good move on not getting the BZ4x!!
Also thinking of getting RAV4 PHEV and love most things about it. Was very disappointed with the ride in back seats. Seems to come crashing down over potholes. Kodiak/Tiguan PHEVs also alternative and the mild hybrid are definitely more refined over bumps - but worried about long term reliability and maintenance cost whereas hoping RAV4 would be pretty bomb proof. Any thoughts on ride in the back of RAV4?
@@radsci5168 I have never rode in the back seats. Sorry.
@@radsci5168 - Because the Rav4 Prime has the AC-to-DC charge converter located under the back seat, the seat cushions for the rear seat don't have very much "cushion" to them. Kids probably wouldn't notice, but most adults over about 150 pounds weight will probably find them too stiff to be tolerable for a drive of more than 2 hours.
I have some comments to add to Darrell's video. Toyota's advertising puts most of it's emphasis on the 302 horsepower drivetrain's ability to launch you like a bullet away from a stop light, but it has other advantages, too: on long, steep freeway upgrades, the 180 hp MG2 motor helps the car climb hills without having to run the ICE engine at power levels where it would be objectionably noisy: my 2023 Rav4 Prime SE can climb a 5% upgrade at 55 mph with the ICE turning at only 1,900~2,000 rpm. At 65 mph, it would be turning 2,800 rpm, but that's still not so much that it's "noisy". By contrast, my 2019 Prius Prime which had only 70 hp in it's MG2 motor, had to spin the ICE engine at nearly 4,000 rpm to climb freeway upgrades at 65 mph, and the engine was so loud at that speed that I worried that I was over-stressing it. The Rav4 Prime can back up steep driveways into a garage effortlessly, with perfect control, at dead slow speed, thanks to that powerful MG2 motor and the 53 hp MGR motor in the rear axle.
As for charging: Darrell is correct that you can charge a Rav4 Prime in Level 1 mode from a standard wall outlet, and the car does come with a Level 1 EVSE charger, but there are couple of reasons that you might want to consider using a Level 2 EVSE:
1. Level 2 EVSE's are at least 2-1/2 times faster than the Level 1 EVSE that comes with the car. A 16 amp Level 2 EVSE will fully charge a Rav4 Prime in about 4 hours, compared to 11~12 hours for the Level 1 EVSE. A 32 amp EVSE - the most powerful type that can be used with a Rav4 Prime equipped with the 6,600 watt charger - can fully charge the car in 2-1/2 hours. NOTE: Rav4 Prime SE's made before the 2023 model year have a 3,300 watt charger. Primes with the XSE Premium package came with a 6,600 watt charger. For the 2023 and 2024 model years, all trim levels come with the 6,600 watt charger. If you have a 30-amp/240 volt outlet in your garage, it can be used with a 16-amp Level 2 EVSE without having to do any wiring modifications, but 16 amps is the maximum power setting that I would use, because 30 amp dryer outlets are wired with only 10 gauge Romex, and while the breaker may be rated "30 amps", that's the maximum safe momentary surge current. Continuous power should not exceed 75% of the breaker's rating, and that's 22 amps. Limiting your EVSE to 16 amps on a clothes dryer circuit adds extra safety margin, and won't overheat the wiring or the wall outlet on a long over-night EV charge session.
2. Efficiency. Level 1 EVSE's are limited to 1,440 watts, the maximum (80% of the circuit breaker capacity) that can safely be drawn from a 15-amp, 120 volt wall outlet. So let's say you have your Rav4 Prime plugged in and charging with the Level 1 EVSE that came with the car, and you then plug in an OBD-II scan tool into the car's diagnostic port, and monitor the actual power being delivered to the battery: at best, you will only be seeing about 1,100 watts. What happened to the other 340 watts? It was lost, as resistive heating in the supply circuit, the on-board charger, and the battery cells themselves. That 340 watts is 23.6% of all the power you are drawing through your electric meter! You're paying for it, and it's being lost as heat before it ever even gets to the battery.
Now switch to a 16 amp Level 2 EVSE, which can be run from your existing electric dryer outlet. This will be drawing 16 amps at 240 volts, which is 3,840 watts. Your OBD-II scanner will show an average power flow of 3,200 watts into the battery. 640 watts is being lost to resistive heating, but that's only 16.7% of the total. I have a 24 amp Juice Box charger in my garage. It draws 5,760 watts from the meter, and delivers 5,000 watts to the battery; the resistive heat loss is 13.2%. One of the reasons that the Juice Box is showing a lower loss rate, is that it's wired to a 50 amp breaker with 6 feet of 6 gauge Romex; neither the outlet box nor the Romex cable get warm to the touch at all, so there is almost no line loss in the supply wiring, that 13% is being lost in the on-board charger and the battery cells.
Over several years of ownership, you will save a few dollars a month on the electric bill by using Level 2 charging instead of Level 1, and if you ever have an actual EV, like a BZ4X or a Tesla, you will pretty much have to install a 50 amp, 240 volt outlet: Charging a 70 kW-hr battery, typical in most EV passenger cars, with a Level 1 EVSE takes not less than 48 hours.
@@laura-ann.0726 thanks so much for sharing!!
Thanks for sharing and Go Bucks! O-H!
Thanks for watching !!
We have a 2023 Rav4 hybrid. Ours has about 10,000 miles. We are thinking about getting a second Rav4 Prime. I know it is hard to find one, but we are not in a hurry so will probably order one or get one that is inbound. Good to hear yours is going well.
Good luck. You'll love it. Watch my video on the EV lease loophole which can save you around 6K.
Tried the loop hole move. Now TFS will not let me purchase. Sent check over a mother ago. Good luck with TFS
@@darrylmckeel Wow.. What did they say?
Just keep telling me takes time. In meanwhile paying 2 car payments for one car. Paying TFS and paying bank
did you have any corosion with your electric cable under the rear axle ? I know your are maybe in a more clement climat , but its been an issue for years for rav4prime owners, ,, thanks for your feedback
Yeah, I haven't gotten underneath to look at that particular issue. I probably need to check that out. Thanks for the reminder.
yeah seems good vehicle only rear motor is weak for off road capability, must be at least 80kw
Maybe the new one in 2026.
Hi Darrell
Hi !!