2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Features, Redesign, MPG
2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Features, Redesign, MPG – As the company’s best-selling SUV in Canada and its top seller overall, the 2026 Toyota RAV4 EV continues to be a significant car. This year’s features include an enhanced driver-assist and safety system, a new multimedia system with wireless connection, and bigger infotainment and instrument cluster displays.
All RAV4 EV trims now also feature standard all-wheel drive (AWD), with the base LE no longer available in a front-wheel drive configuration. It’s available with both plug-in and conventional hybrid powertrains, but the one tested here is the gasoline-only version. The lineup starts at $34,520 – including a non-negotiable delivery fee of $1,930 – but this top-end Limited checks in at $46,180 before taxes. 2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Features
2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Redesign and Update Plan
Exterior and Interior
All trim levels receive a larger infotainment screen. Lower trims go from a seven-inch to an eight-inch display, while the Limited swaps its previous nine-inch tablet for a 10.5-inch screen. Regardless of size, all get a new multimedia system with subscription services, including up to a three-year trial for remote connectivity, and a 10-year trial for service and safety connection. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay needed a cable in last year’s RAV4 EV, but they’re now wireless in all trims
In addition to the standard safety assist features, the base trim includes heated front seats, all-weather floor mats, windshield de-icer, variable intermittent wipers, and LED headlights. Moving up the trim levels adds such items as a power sunroof, roof rails, a heated steering wheel, cargo privacy cover, cargo net, rain-sensing wipers, and a wireless charger. 2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Features
2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Specs
The RAV4 EV features easy-to-use controls, with large temperature dials that can quickly be grabbed and turned with a minimum of distraction. The steering wheel controls show their longevity – they were originally meant to mimic the circular switch on an iPod – but they’re equally simple.
The Limited’s new larger touchscreen abandons its previous menu hard buttons for icons on the screen, and they’re still effective. But my tester’s connectivity system, with voice control that answers to, “Hey, Toyota” to bring up functions or navigation destinations, could be slow to load and properly respond after vehicle start-up, especially in the cold.
Engine and Performance
A 2.5L four-cylinder engine with 203 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque sits under the hood, and it transfers that power to the all-wheel drive system via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Although it can be noisy when using the heavy throttle, overall it accelerates smoothly from a stop, has sufficient power to pass on the highway, and when riding at a comfortable speed, it operates quietly.
Among its closer rivals, it has more power than the Tucson at 187 hp, the CR-V at 190 hp, and the Ford Escape’s base engine at 180 hp, although that model also offers a 250-hp turbocharged 2.0L engine. 2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Features
2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Fuel Economy
The RAV4 EV is rated by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) at 9.5 L/100 km in the city, 7.2 on the highway, and 8.5 in combined driving. I had it during a bitterly cold week and came in much higher at 11.0 L/100 km. That official rating is close to that of its AWD competitors, where the Ford Escape rates at 8.4 L/100 km with its base engine; the Honda CR-V at 8.4; and the Hyundai Tucson at 9.3.
2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Safety Features
In crash testing, the RAV4 EV earns the highest five-star rating from the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It also earns a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It falls short of the highest Top Safety Pick+ designation due to the IIHS modifying its front- and side tests to better simulate being struck by a larger SUV. The RAV4 EV earns “Acceptable” ratings in these, one below the top “Good” score.
All trims come with a number of driver-assist and safety features, including adaptive cruise control, emergency front braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keeping assist, automatic high-beam headlights, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and the rearview camera that’s mandatory on all new vehicles. For 2026, the forward collision warning system has been updated with pedestrian detection in low-light situations, emergency steering assist, and intersection assistance; it detects and, if necessary, brakes for oncoming vehicles when you’re turning left, or for pedestrians at intersections in either direction. The Limited trim exclusively adds 360-degree cameras and emergency rear braking. 2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Features
2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Price and Release Date
The RAV4 EV in base LE trim starts at $34,520, a rise over the 2026 price but with standard all-wheel drive and upgraded features, and midway in the segment where the Tucson starts at $32,424 and the CR-V at $38,990 (all prices are for AWD and including delivery). My top-line Limited was $46,180, more than many rivals but with a lot of features for that price tag.
While the move from gas-only to the RAV4 EV Hybrid varies in price depending on the trim, it’s an additional $1,600 to go to the gas-electric Limited and which might be money well spent, especially for its smooth performance and fuel efficiency . 2026 Toyota RAV4 EV Features