The fifth-generation Toyota RAV4 is getting up there in age. It went on sale in 2019, got an update late in 2021, and soon, Toyota will replace it entirely. Despite its age though, the RAV remains one of the best-selling vehicles in the country, with 350,000 units sold through the first nine months of the year, which means Toyota won’t want to upset that success with a radically new SUV.
The next-generation RAV4, which already rides on the automaker’s TNGA-K platform that underpins the updated Camry, will likely receive an evolutionary update. We expect the company to borrow styling cues from other recent models as it freshens the RAV4’s design, revamps its technology, and switches to hybrid-only powertrains. So long, gas-only engines.
We don’t know when Toyota plans to debut the new RAV4, but the company’s recent launches could offer some clues as to what we can expect from the redesigned SUV. The new RAV should go on sale for the 2026 model year—here’s what we know so far.
What Will It Look Like?
We haven’t caught Toyota testing any next-generation RAV4s in public yet, so its design remains a pretty well-guarded secret. That said, we don’t expect the automaker to stray far from the brand’s latest styling ethos. Our rendering predicts Toyota will apply the tougher, boxier-looking Tacoma and Sequoia styling to the next-generation crossover while removing some of the gaudy cladding.
We expect it to have a larger, trapezoidal-shaped grille, with an upright front fascia flanked by high, slim headlights. The boxier styling carries over to the rear, too, where slim taillights wrap around the quarter panel and into the fender. It has a much more traditional design than the current crossover.
We don’t know what the new cabin will look like, but it should follow the layout established in the other recently launched Toyota models, with a large central screen, a digital instrument display, and plenty of physical buttons. It should have a redesigned center console, as well, and an instrument panel with a new dashboard layout.
What Will Power The New RAV4?
Toyota recently updated the Camry for 2025, dropping the entry-level, non-hybrid engine from the sedan. We expect the 2026 RAV4 to likely follow suit and drop the base engine for an all-hybrid lineup of powertrains.
Toyota already offers a RAV4 Hybrid, which should become the new entry point with the 2026 model. Currently, the powertrain consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a rear-mounted electric motor, which should carry over into the new crossover with a handful of updates to make it more efficient.
Toyota also offers the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid (no longer the Prime). That version should carry over into the new model year. It uses an enhanced version of the RAV’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, but Toyota pairs it with two electric motors instead of one for a total system output of 302 horsepower and a 0-60 mph time of 5.5 seconds.
The RAV4 Prime uses an 18.1-kilowatt-hour battery that provides up to 42 miles of electric-only range, and we hope Toyota can squeeze out a few more miles for the next-gen model.
How Much Will The 2026 RAV4 Cost?
The RAV4 competes in a crowded and popular segment where consumers expect good value, so we don’t believe Toyota will increase its starting price by much. The popular crossover starts at $30,245 with the $1,395 destination charge for 2025, a $175 increase over the 2024 model. The next generation should arrive with a price tag in the low $30,000 range if Toyota wants to continue to entice buyers.
The redesigned 2025 Chevrolet Equinox, which is now just going on sale costs, starts at $29,995 (all prices include their respective destination charges), and the 2025 Ford Escape is a smidge cheaper at $29,645 to start. However, the Nissan Rogue and Honda CR-V are more expensive than the RAV4, $30,620 and $31,450, respectively, but that’s for the entry-level combustion-powered model expected to disappear with the next-generation variant.
The 2025 RAV4 Hybrid, which should become the entry-level offering for 2026, starts at $33,295. It should better reflect the expected price tag for the new iteration.
When Does The New RAV4 Debut?
We expect the sixth-generation RAV4 to go on sale in early 2026 for the 2026 model year, with a reveal happening sometime next year. Toyota hasn’t said anything about a possible debut date, and we haven’t seen the automaker testing any prototypes in public yet, so it could be several months before concrete details begin to emerge about the new crossover.
