Here Is the Major Reason Why Owners Went with The RAV4 Hybrid and Not the RAV4 Prime

With the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime getting phenomenal gas mileage, why did people choose the RAV4 Hybrid over the RAV4 Prime?

The 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid may be the more popular option than the RAV4 Prime even though the Prime is more practical than the hybrid for many reasons. With the RAV4 Hybrid being one of the best-selling compact SUVs, why did a lot of people shy away from the Prime? Reliability? Size? Maybe even price? Well, I can say it was almost none of those.

While the RAV4 Prime costs a pretty penny, compared to other models, it’s honestly a bargain. You would be filling up once a month or once every 2 months for regular average driving and you wouldn’t need to worry about pumping gas and breaking your wallet.

However, this got me thinking, if the RAV4 Prime is a better option in terms of practicality between the two, why did people get the RAV4 Hybrid more? Turns out I was not the only one thinking this and someone had asked the same question on the ether.

On Facebook’s Toyota RAV4 Hybrid group, Darren Farrell asked, “Why have none of you bought the Plug-In (Prime)?” Now most of the reasons were about the same, having to do with the insane waiting times which I have covered multiple times as well. But also, people shy away from the price which I think is a bad decision. For now, let’s take a look and see what some owners said.

Lynn said, “I’m in BC Canada. Put a deposit of the plug-in hybrid March 2021. I’m told I am almost at the top of the list and should get a 2023.” Now see she’s one of the many Canadians who have to wait several years in order to get their RAV4 Prime. I have even heard of some Canadians having to wait until 2025! And they ordered in 2021. Be sure to check out my article from yesterday on that.

Kristen Patino said, “Nowhere to charge at home. I live in a rented duplex where utilities are paid, and big-ticket uses of power are frowned upon.” Granted, you could always use an extension cord from your home to outside and it would work perfectly fine. It would just take longer to charge.

I think that the whole reason of pricing is a pretty illogical choice for a lot of people. Right now, you cannot get the $7500 dollar rebate on the new Prime because of sales and how it is phasing out. However, I wholeheartedly think that gas prices are not going to get any lower than $4 average until the next presidential term if that even happens. What I do know is that instead of filling up once a week with a regular car, you can fill up once every 2 months with the Prime and save all that money over the course of 2-3 years and that would almost double the amount you spent over what you would’ve spent on a Hybrid.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

Harutiun Hareyan is reporting Toyota news at Torque News. His automotive interests and vast experience test-riding new cars give his stories a sense of authenticity and unique insights. Follow Harutiun on Twitter at @HareyanHarutiun and on YouTube at Toyota Time for daily Toyota news.