Toyota RAV4 Prime Owners Report Their Real MPG – Wow

Work for Torque News, follow on Twitter, Youtube and Facebook.

Submitted by Jeff Teague on December 6, 2021 - 8:59AM

We hear from people who own RAV4 Prime about their real-world gas mileage.

A vehicle window sticker lists several important pieces of information that people may find useful or important.

We can learn what features are standard, what is optional, and what additional accessories have been added. Pricing is detailed on a window sticker, too, along with safety ratings.

And we also know miles per gallon.

2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime MPG

Fuel efficiency is listed on a vehicle window sticker. But this is not the exact gas mileage you are sure to get with your car, truck, or SUV. Rather, it is an estimate of what you could get under the right circumstances.

A 2021 RAV4 Prime, for example, is listed at 94MPGe. This is a combination of “Electricity + Gasoline” as stated on the window sticker. Drivers can expect around 38mpg if only gasoline is used without the help of electric power.
If in EV electric mode, a RAV4 Prime can travel up to 42 miles on one single electric charge. No gasoline.

How Your Miles Per Gallon is Determined

Many factors determine a driver’s real-world fuel mileage. Temperature, weather conditions, flat versus hilly roads, tire pressure, and how you drive your vehicle all play a part in the all-important miles per gallon.

Driving modes on a Toyota RAV4 Prime absolutely impact how often you must fill up at the pump. When traveling, you can choose between “HV” and “EV” modes. HV is Hybrid Vehicle and utilizes a combination of gasoline and electric. EV is Electric Vehicle and only uses electric power that has been built up and stored.

People Report on RAV4 Prime MPG

I am a member of the Facebook online forum “Official Toyota Rav4 Prime Group.” Members post and comment on all things RAV4 Prime – including miles per gallon.

This question was recently posted, and it gave me great insight into how people were doing with fuel efficiency:

“All the Rav4 prime owners. Are you really getting 94mpg like the sticker says? What are you really averaging?”

Wade responded this way. “Between 64-69 usually. I have a 40-mile one-way commute though to work three days a week.”

“99 mpge currently. Perhaps more. Currently utilized a lil over a quarter tank and at 517 miles since full up.” Added Ali.

Bonnie answered. “80 MPGe.”

“I've been getting 2.8 mi/kWh now that the weather's colder, which is about 94 MPGe. In the summer I was getting upwards of 3.4 mi/kWh, or 114 MPGe!” Commented a thrilled Brian.

Wendy said. “I think I’m around 180 mpg. Currently over 1800 miles with about 1/4 of my first tank left. about 20 miles round trip. Around town errands is usually <40 miles. So, I’m pretty much all electric other than going out of town.”

“Dash readout will only go up to 99.9. Infotainment screen/stats will be able to show more. Think my wife was around 115 before we reset it for a trip.” Commented Kyle.

Michael calculated his RAV4 Prime fuel efficiency. “I do about a 50/50 split (hybrid and electric) and I average just over 70mpg. I drive sensibly most of the time.”

Rick had several thoughts on the matter. “Depends on your driving needs. I am at about 85mpg. 2 tanks of gas at 2200 miles. but if I drove a great distance all at once, this is going to drop to a bit over 40mpg since I would be running in Hybrid mode only after first 40 miles. This car to me, works great for my normal daily needs; commute daily in EV mode mainly; gas for day trips. People who are looking at EV's, Plug-in Hybrids, Hybrids, really need to examine what their habits and usage will be. And choose what fits best. If I could not plug in at home, this car would not make sense; other than satisfying my "want" for acceleration performance.”

“I'm 28,000 miles in, with several cross-country trips under my belt. My lifetime MPG is just over 53.” Keep it up Margie.

“52.5, but I've taken a number of multiple day-long trips with only the first 42 miles fully EV.” Added David.

“About 90, but I’ve yet to fill up in 3 months.” Lisa you just gave support to one of the biggest reasons people might want to buy a Toyota RAV4 Prime.

“Depends how long your average trip is in between charges. I have a charger at work and home, so I average >99.9 MPGe.” Dropped Ben.

And then there is Roman, who has my favorite comment of the day. “Who cares? Such a fun and fast car! And most of my driving is on electric mode anyway. Zippy.”

Time for Your Toyota RAV4 Comments

Do you drive either a RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, or RAV4 Prime? If so, how do you like it so far? How is your miles per gallon efficiency?

How about any tips on getting better gas mileage that have worked for you?

Thanks for reading everyone. See you next story when I discuss what owners are seeing with their RAV4 Hybrid mpg.

VIDEO YOU MAY LIKE: I compare RAV4 Prime SE vs XSE

Follow Jeff Teague on Social Media:

- My "AutoJeff Reviews" YouTube channel - Car reviews and people stories
- My Torque News / Toyota News column
- My "ToyotaJeff Reviews" YouTube channel
- My Toyotajeff website
- My Facebook page
- Instagram @toyotajeff1
- My Twitter page

Thank you everyone for following me.

I have a 2016 Toyota Rav Hybrid Ltd. I rarely if ever have gotten the advertised 31 hwy miles! When I questioned the Dealer I was told it's probably the way I drive. That was a dubious statement. I feel mileage is misrepresented by Toyota!

I would do a mileage check. Fill it up, record the mileage, set the trip meter then drive a specific amount, first in town, then do it for highway mileage. Push it on the company. Google a previous client who sued due to incorrect mileage claims.

Maybe not. Of you have a hybrid, and do longer freeway trips, the gas mileage will be more like an ICE version. With little to no regenerative braking recharging and drag from higher speeds, it's running on gas.

Case in point: our Pacifica PHEV gets about 50mpg+ for short errands. Round trip to SF from my home, about 70 miles, I get about 30 MPG. Taking the family to Seattle, it's a bit less than 20 MPG.

PHEVs are like BEVs for very short trips and like ICE for very long. City driving gives lots of stops to Regen, freeway doesn't.

I'm not a dealer, I'm a physicist. That's just the way they work.

The Rav hybrid mileage has got far better with the newer models. Yours was made in japan, the newer ones since 2019 are made in Canada. Mileage on my 2020 Rav hybrid is 45 mpg, combined.

People like to pass often, for full highway speeds, use cruise control and not drive with terrain. I'm an exceptionally effecient driver and always exceed the MPG rating of ANY car. If you were a better driver and didn't use your cruise control that causes the car to rev high on hills only the brake on levels it would improve. It's hard to teach someone how to drive better but you also need to listen to your car and not drive near gear changes and maximize your mpg by using the transmission properly. Just because a cat is automatic doesn't mean the transmission doesn't matter.

This is very true...I am an efficient driver also...a few years ago due to a car crash, I was given a Dodge Challenger to use for a week..when I got in, the mileage indicator read 12 l per 100 km. I told the rental guy I could get that down to 8...he laughed and said 'good luck with that!'. I had the car for just one week...and got the number down to 7! The rental guy could not believe it.

I get almost 45 mpg...5.3 litres per 100 km during summer on the same vehicle. 2020 Rav 4 hybrid. Right now in very cold temperatures, I am getting 6.1 litres per 100 km, a loss of about 12 percent .

You're pretty lucky. I have a 2021 RAV4 hybrid. I do around 5.5L/100km in the summer but winter has destroyed fuel economy getting around 7.8L/100km which is a significant drop.

Submitted by Brendan L Riley (not verified) on December 6, 2021 - 7:14PM

Permalink

We own a Rav4 Prime XSE and love it. Bought it for the MSRP in February after two months on a waiting list. We get 148 MPG according to the onboard display. We get well over 1,000 miles per tank. Phenomenal car and zero range anxiety. Most of our trips are all EV, less than 40 miles.

How many owners have confirmed the dash display to be accurate, by noting milage at filling and doing the math?

Is the cost of charging via plugging in ever considered, when calculating the cost per mile?

Does the car recharge the battery while running, like a gas-only car’s alternator does?

I have a 2019 AWD Limited, gas only. The dash display is entertaining, but if I want to know, I do the math.

No, I didn’t shop and compare; in August 2020 I desperately needed a car right away. I went to look, and drove away in a last year model clearance Rav. Leather seats, nice trim package, heated seats & steering wheel, remote start, midnight black. No, I don’t get the mileage that the electric and hybrids get. I’m ok with that, it’s the nicest car I’ve ever had, was available the day I needed it, and was even the right color!

Cost/mi is a bit more complicated. MPGe is calculated using a constant that 1 gal of gas contains 33.7 kWh of electricity. To calculate cost per mile you would need both fuel and electricity cost and consumption separately. That being said. My crude calcs from here suggest it's about $0.04/mi electric and $0.08/mi on gas based on 0.11 kWh electricity and $3.00/gal gas

I have Toyota rav4 prime. Boston MA. Electricity 0.25 kWh and about to go up by another 25%(I got an email from eversource). Gas is ~3$ but for the last 5 years, it used to be more like ~2$. I fill up my car with electricity only when it is free charger or super cheap one (next to my office).

Yes, the best way to determine is not a normal metric such as that if MPGs. In reality, because it is Plug-in Hybrid, there is a choice between EV or HV, which can skew the MPG calculation. Cents per mile converted from cost per gal/kWh let's potential buyers know if using gas is cheaper than electric. In my case, charging after midnight while it's at the cheapest rate, is appx 3-4 cents per mile. Whereas gas ($4.65 gal) is appx 12.5 cents. I never charge outside of super off peak hours and I try to use up all electric before using any gas. With a 48 mile commute round trip, I use appx 8 miles on ICE daily. So far my tank is on pace to be 2800 miles before a fill up is needed. Everyones results will vary greatly depending on speed, weather and terrain.

I actually got BETTER mileage than indicated..the estimate on the number of kilometres for the tank was 840..I got 860 based on the odometer. That was combined driving with most on the highway at 100 kmph. Note I have NOT got that minor issue fixed regarding the tank level. I put in 43 litres of fuel to fill, just over 11 gallons.

It really depends on your proportion of electric driving. I do 90%+ of my daily driving on electric, and in warmer weather got up to 53 miles of range per charge @ $.15 per kWh charging at home. Road tripping on a full tank I have gotten 38-41 mpg in HV mode only (so I could do the calculation myself) Purchased in September and have a out 3600 miles on it at the moment. Love the car, meets my desire for all electric daily driving with the flexibility of hybrid for bi-monthly road trips to see family.

Submitted by Jim (not verified) on December 6, 2021 - 10:22PM

Permalink

We bought our Rav 4 Hybrid in early Oct 2021. We have 2300 miles on the odometer and avg. 41.7 MPG. we love the vehicle. It has exceeded our expectations so far.
Only thing I didn't like was The State of Ohio charging additional $125.00 for annual license fee due to hybrid. I am not certain the additional gas savings will recoup this additional tax.

We had the 2021 Rav4 Hybrid. Head on collision in August 2021 and demolished the vehicle. We both survived. Over 60mph. All airbags went off. Glass everywhere. Legs banged up bad. We had all the features. $40,000. We had 2 Priuses. Avg 48 mpg. 2021 Rav4 was a straight 40 in Florida. We only had it 3 months. Very sad.

Submitted by Tyler Yoder (not verified) on December 6, 2021 - 11:10PM

Permalink

I have a 2021 rav4 prime xse. I average about 3.2 miles/kwh on all electric, & my combined is over 99.9 mpg. I can drive 48 miles on all electric, which is about my commute to work, which is also mostly a highway commute, btw. Luckily, i can charge at work when the spot is open, so i cam get home on all electric too. I drove 2200 miles before needing to fill up with gas for the 1st time. This put my average mpg at 180 mpg based on how many gallons it needed to fill up.

Submitted by Jonathan Tuck (not verified) on December 7, 2021 - 4:33AM

Permalink

We bought a 2019 used Rav4 hybrid ltd last year with just over 14k miles on it. During winter months we average around 40 and during warmer weather have achieved 50-55 on numerous day trips that were over 150 miles. Wife couldn't be happier.

Submitted by J (not verified) on December 7, 2021 - 8:51AM

Permalink

I don't have a RAV4 but I do have a Tucson plug in.
The Tucson does not include battery usage in mileage (mpge) and I suspect the RAV4 does the same.

That means even if you climb a steep hill in electric mode, you'll see 999mpg avg until the gas engine kicks on at some point.

Can anyone confirm/deny this about the RAV4 prime?

Submitted by Rekaksky (not verified) on December 7, 2021 - 11:48AM

Permalink

The issue with the comments here is like "I can 1up that!" "No, I can name that song in 1 note!". Brag blah brag blah... You need to state how you drive and the road you drove on.

I have a Rav4 Hybrid XSE. Depends on how I drive. Moses Lake WA to Everett WA via I-90, that is approx 200 miles, if I peg my cruise control, mostly at 70mph and pass semi or turtles at 80mph and back to the slow lane, I get 35mpg. If I feel like a grammy that morning and not much cars around me, between 65mph to 75 mph, I get 38mpg. But real time driving cruise at 75mph and pass at 85mph, I normally get 32mpg.

Submitted by Tracy (not verified) on December 7, 2021 - 2:45PM

Permalink

I have a 2021 rav4 hybrid. I drive usually about 80 miles a day in heavy northern virginia traffic. I am averaging 44 to 45 mpg. Love it.

Submitted by Jason (not verified) on December 7, 2021 - 10:33PM

Permalink

Some of the comments here are nonsense -- namely the ones using gallons of gas to calculate MPGe; they refer to miles driven per gallon of gas used, without saying how much they recharge. MPGe is measure of how far you go per Kwh - without using gas. If you go 2.97 miles per kWh, then your mileage is 100 MPGe. If you get 2.79 miles/kwh, you're getting the advertised 94MPGe; people who drive <40 miles per trip and always recharge between, that is, never use gas, can measure this. Conversely, if you never charge your car (or if you take a real long trip without charging), then you can only measure your MPG which should be around the advertised 38MPG. When you've used both electric and gas (like most people), its impossible to calculate either MPG or MPGe. Best you can do is take the kWh and gallons of gas used, multiply by 2.79 and 38, add together, to get the number of miles toyota says you should get -- to compare your miles to.
At least the sensible comments here look positive, they're not so positive at kbb.com