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Rav4 Hybrid good for intermittent driving?

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Mardi

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello All,
I'm looking at purchasing a new car. I am currently driving a 2010 Rav4 4WD V6. I love this car but it's time for a new car. Prior to the Rav I had a 4Runner (also V6). Owned both over 13 years with only maintenance so I like Toyota's reliability. I made the rounds of all the mfrs and have narrowed it down to 2 very different options. Rav4 Hybrid and Honda Passport (compact hybrid vs mid-size ICE). I am trying to decide as there are some issues with both. I'm hoping you can help answer questions on the Rav4 Hybrid.

The first 2 cars I test drove were the Rav4 ICE and Highlander ICE. Was disappointed in the Rav ICE because of engine noise, seemed to struggle on hills and shifted harder than I'm used to (I live in a hilly area and on top of a hill - love the V6). While I liked the Highlander engine (4 cyl. turbo - they longer come with V6) - hills good, shifting good, good power, not as noisy. There were other things I didnt like - so the Highlander is out and the Rav4 ICE was also off my list. I wish they offered the 4 cyl turbo in the Rav4. After doing research, I learned the Hybrid Rav had more power and shifting would not be an issue due to the ecvt. My research also turned up the following issues:

Battery drain - The 2024 should have the battery drain issue resolved but I'm retired now and don't drive every day. My trips out are more errand based, a couple times a week (short trips 3-5 miles) and occasional longer ones (entertainment, vacation...) The longest my current car has sat without being started is about 2 weeks. My current car has no problem starting after sitting. Does the Rav4 Hybrid need driven longer times and more frequently to keep the battery charged? I do not want to carry a battery charger or keep a trickle charger as I do not work on my cars. I just want to get in and go.

Cable gate - I know about this and am concerned. I live in an area that gets snow and slush. I am familiar with the residue left behind when the snow and slush melt and dry. When I asked at the dealership - they wouldn't talk about it. Claimed they didn't know anything, never heard about it, haven't seen this issue much (interesting since they never heard about it)... In the past, Toyota seemed to be good about recalling and fixing. Can't help but wonder if the current fix is more of a Band-Aid.

Repairs when needed - I have spoken with the mechanics I use. They said they cannot work on hybrids as they are not certified for the high voltage system. They can do regular maintenance - oil, tires. They seemed hesitant which tells me, they haven't worked on hybrids much. Do all the hybrid owners here take their cars to the dealership for maintenance (oil, tires, battery, inspections, etc.)?

Gas - lots of talk about cost of gas. I filled my ICE tank up 3 weeks ago and still have about a quarter tank. One of my mechanics joked that I would only have to fill up twice a year with a hybrid. Bit of an exaggeration but will I have to worry about carbon build up and the gas going bad in the tank?

I'm looking at the Hybrid more for extra power on the hills than gas savings. With my low mileage, I won't get cost savings from the hybrid.

I would love to hear from any Rav4 hybrid owners that are low mileage intermittent drivers like myself. Have you had any of the above issues or is the Rav4 hybrid good for my type of driving?

One last thought, as someone driving an old school car, can the beeping of the safety systems, in particular lane departure be turned off? I live in Pittsburgh and don't want to be beeped at every time I dodge a pothole.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
the current cablegate fix is the fix. it works, and over a long time the emi braid
may corrode but the 3 phase wiring should remain fault free since dirt can't pack
in there (grime will fall out)and get really bad and also physically pressure it's way into the harness

it does in fact solve the original cablegate problem, but it doesn't
solve the fact the connector still dangles in an area salty mung will be
drifting around the air currents and making the emi braid come loose
in 5-10 years

easy to hit it with acf-50 once a year to be extra covered and it won't corrode at all
----

as far as intermittent driving, you should (in my opinion as some kook on the internet)
drive once a week in a 15 mile trip, or at least every two weeks. minimum.


I too have this hybrid more for the way it drives [and yes it gets good enough mileage
but I'm not counting mpg's] . this thing drives super nice, is quick, smooth, and more
reliable than a ICE only engine with automatic transmission.

I got it for 100 mile weekend trips because Trucky Truck (2013 tacoma) only gets
18mpg on that trip this thing gets 30-38mpg depending on my foot. so I am
not really counting MPG other than this is better than driving my empty tacoma
when I'm not haulin
 
#3 · (Edited)
Our 2020 is left for extended periods of time(up to 3 weeks) in temperatures ranging from -22 to +28 degC. No issues. I do my own maintenance, no difference than any other vehicle, tires and inspections handled by local garage. Currently about 90000 km on it and plan on keeping it for many years and considering buying a second one to replace my aging Tacoma.
 
#4 ·
Former Rav4 Hybrid Owner, but living in California so YMMV based on my responses...

Battery Concerns - I had a 2020 and had no issues with the battery (both the HV and the 12v) in the 4 years of running with it and longest period of not running my car for about a week. I also park outside (But Southern California, so again effects might be different) I will say, the dealership has commented to me on both my Prius v and Rav4 due to low mileage, I should technically run the car a little longer, to lessen the wear on the 12v battery. The only other battery concerns with the Rav4 Hybrid was the occasional report that something funky going on with how the Electronic Break was draining the system due to long periods, but that was several years ago (Around 2020 last I looked)

Cable gate - Given my location, the issue was a 'non-issue' and again, running for 4 years, was not affected so can't say.

Repairs and Maintenance - Again, hardly had any problems, and went to the Dealership to do the oil maintenance (ToyotaCare covers the first 2 years). Any other issues, I have taken my car to the dealership (Had a Prius v before the Rav4 Hybrid and now running a Rav4 Prime) I think you will find that most mechanics that are not Toyota Certified will probably not touch the newer Hybrid/Electrified cars as those systems will scare them due to possible costly damage they might not be able to afford to mess with. I had one part break on the fuel door out of the blue, and the dealership handled it, even though they didn't have the part on hand (Fuel door spring)

Gas - When I drove my Rav4 Hybrid and Prius v, I was gassing up about once every 3 or 4 weeks (Depending on how much I drive around) I think the last time It came closer to 5 or 6 weeks as my commute shortened and holidays cutting into doing commuting in general. I hardly had any problems with either car. In fact when I traded in my Rav4 Hybrid for the Rav4 Prime, I got complimented on how well my 4-year car with 7k miles was in good shape doing the basic maintenance and fuel up.

I will say that the expected MPG will drop from around 38-40 MPG to 30ish if your driving is super short. For example, my work commute is 2 miles, and with how the Hybrid system works on Toyota, you will be burning fuel on the initial startup of your car, hence my 30 MPG estimate. (As a note, the Hybrid system will turn over the engine for at least a couple of minutes to get things going, so you can't even force it into EV mode at start. I do recall for Prius and Rav4 Hybrid, making use of Engine Block Warmers for colder climate people to minimize the Hybrid system's need to turn the engine over to warm it up.)

The hybrid system is also ideal for 'longer' runs, as mentioned with the battery concerns. Which is similar to Gas engines (I have tormented my Senta's battery with a lot of short trips that I wasn't letting the battery get charged up enough at times). The system is meant more to help reduce the amount of fuel usage when doing longer runs with stop and go (Hence the higher MPG in City vs Highway overall)

I would say, depends on the amount of driving versus saying 'intermittent' But as long as it doesn't go for 'months' without trying to use the car, should be fine.
 
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#5 ·
Recall there are two batteries (12v and hybrid used) and 12v battery discharge over two idle weeks has not been an issue for the last two years (and prior years are fixed with a firmware update).

3 to 5 mile trips to the store are not good for any car.

Gas has cost me 7 cents a mile over 4.5 years and 32k miles. I just drive it. My use is mixed with a 50 mile (each way) trip once a month accounting for half the miles and the 3-5 mile trips accounting for most of the trips.

I have not had any repair bills that would fall outside of normal scheduled maintenance, first year of production recalls or Customer Satisfaction free updates. Those wouldn't apply to your new one.

Original 12v battery and tires. No sign of failure near but I will replace both in the next year just as a precaution. Tires could go another 10k and be more than legal.

There are many options for things like lane departure warnings. I went to the dealer to pick up my car with a list of about 20 settings I wanted and they set it up for me. You can get the manual in PDF form on the Toyota web site under maintenance IIRC. Look in the options section near the back and prepare for a long read.

My wife has an Avalon hybrid sedan (no longer produced) with the same drive train. No issues. She gets 5 MPG better than my SUV.

Mine sees occasional salt brine on overpasses, not really a lot of snow and salt on the roads.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I disable the LTA by long-pressing the LTA button on the steering wheel before driving. Despite attempting to change this in the settings, the configuration reverts to enabling LTA whenever I start the vehicle.

Image


Due to your brief and sporadic trips, it's probable that the R4H will only achieve around 30 US MPG. I've noticed that my R4H demonstrates optimal fuel efficiency during extended drives and remains reasonably efficient with daily drives of approximately 25 miles.
 
#7 ·
Hi Mardi. Welcome to the forum!

We own a '21 Passport Elite which has been our "road car" since new and until the end of July of '23 we also had a Forester Touring, which was our "run around" car. In July we gave our Forester to our youngest daughter & replaced it with our '23 RAV Limited Hybrid. As much as we love our Passport, the new RAV quickly replaced it as our "road car" simply because it rides as well or better than the Honda, it's very comfortable, even for my 71 year old, 6'4" frame, and it's a joy to drive. The fact that the Toyota gets 10-15 mpg more than the Honda doesn't hurt anything either.

Because of some health issues, we haven't driven as much as we normally do, so the RAV4 has set in our garage for longer periods of time than normal. It often sets 2-3 weeks at a time without getting driven, & at least twice it sat idle for 4+ weeks. It now has around 5,300 miles on it. I installed a digital volt meter with USB & USB-C chargers so that I can easily monitor the 12V battery voltage, which I check every couple of weeks. I plan on hooking up a battery Tender for a couple days if the voltage ever drops to around 13 volts. I have yet to see it register less than 14.2 V.

As it's been mentioned and I'm sure you know already, short trips that don't allow the engine to warm up completely are hard on all engines, so no matter what you purchase, be sure to take it out for at least a 15-20 miles road trip a couple times per month if most of your driving is short trips.

The hybrid cable is supposed to be fixed, but of course the jury is still out on that one. We won't know if the issue still exits for '22 models & newer for at least another 2-3 years or more. I chose to be proactive and sprayed mine down liberally with ACF50 before winter set in. Doing that annually and running it through our touchless car wash with undercar wash after driving on our salt covered Iowa roads, should keep the cable like new for as long as we own it, which will hopefully be a long time.

I'm a firm believer in 5,000 mile oil changes, especially now that we have a hybrid and our Passport does more short drives. Our RAV4 fuel economy was just under 39 mpg total average until around Nov 1st and has since dropped to 35.6 mpg total average since winter fuel & cold weather. Our Passport which has never gotten below 20 mpg has been getting around 14-16 mpg the last 2 tankfuls, which have consisted of mostly short trips of a couple blocks to 15 miles and a lot of 0F to -22F temps. Our last round trip with the RAV4 was around 90 miles with 70 of those @ 75 mph+ interstate driving and we averaged a bit over 28 mpg. Both vehicles sit in a heated garage. I plan on doing my own service work for as long as I am able, with the exception of the 2 free oil changes & checkups which are included with the new vehicle and of course any warranty work if needed.

Others have done a great job of answering your other questions, so I'll quit with this & let others chime in.
 
#10 ·
To the OP: Toyota doesn't charge a lot for the hybrid option, but given your driving habits I'd have a hard time recommending the hybrid for you. The non-hybrid is not only less expensive but is more available. That being said, the hybrid is quieter and nicer to drive IMO.
 
#11 ·
The main remaining issue with the Rav4 Hybrid is the rear motor cable corrosion. This design may be on the Highlander hybrid as well, not sure. Nobody can state if the fix will work long term at this point.

Its a shame as the Rav4 Hybrid is a nice car to drive, smooth ample power.

For limited use, driving in snow, potholes, long term ownership, perhaps look at the 4 Runner or Tacoma?

There is not too much made today that does not have any issues. Perhaps the current Tacoma/4Runner is the last standing but even they may have issues. I have heard about water leaks around the rear window and frame rust on Tacoma.

Also, with any car that is not driven much, consider using a higher octane fuel (fuel looses octane over time), top tier fuel, or perhaps non ethanol fuel. I have a car that is not driven much and use it at least once a week to run errands. No ideal due to short trips but it is what it is. I also change the oil every year.
 
#12 ·
Variman said:
Also, with any car that is not driven much, consider using a higher octane fuel (fuel looses octane over time), top tier fuel, or perhaps non ethanol fuel
Click to expand...
Thank you for the information. Although my R4H is still in use, but not for much longer—perhaps three years. This is until my wife retires. Although I am retired from the service, I still have active contracts.
 
#13 ·
Variman said:
For limited use, driving in snow, potholes, long term ownership, perhaps look at the 4 Runner or Tacoma?
Click to expand...
I also own a 4Runner and can second this; nothing better for snow and serious off roading (well perhaps except for a Unimog https://www.mercedes-benz-trucks.com/en_ID/models/unimog-off-road-4000-5000.html ) . The latest Tacoma, however has a turbo engine; reliability has yet to be determined.

Another consideration would be the new Land Cruiser due later this year: hybrid with turbo engine, so will get better gas mileage than the 4Runner/Tacoma.
 
#15 ·
bobouz said:
Absolutely nothing. Just one push of the button on the steering wheel has deactivated the lane indicator & steering correction (which I can absolutely do without), and it has never come back on by itself.
Click to expand...
I will have to look at the settings, read the manual. Thanks.
 
#17 ·
skier6 said:
I made a point of dragging the brakes a bit,
Click to expand...
How did you do that? The software in the RAV4 computer prevents pressing the brakes at the same time you press the go pedal. It prioritizes the brakes over the go pedal. Safety issue.
 
#19 ·
FKHeath said:
How did you do that? The software in the RAV4 computer prevents pressing the brakes at the same time you press the go pedal. It prioritizes the brakes over the go pedal. Safety issue.
Click to expand...
I think i built a bit of speed on our long driveway, coasting, then pressed on the brakes. Don't really remember.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Mardi said:
Hello All,
I'm looking at purchasing a new car. I am currently driving a 2010 Rav4 4WD V6. I love this car but it's time for a new car. Prior to the Rav I had a 4Runner (also V6). Owned both over 13 years with only maintenance so I like Toyota's reliability. I made the rounds of all the mfrs and have narrowed it down to 2 very different options. Rav4 Hybrid and Honda Passport (compact hybrid vs mid-size ICE). I am trying to decide as there are some issues with both. I'm hoping you can help answer questions on the Rav4 Hybrid.

The first 2 cars I test drove were the Rav4 ICE and Highlander ICE. Was disappointed in the Rav ICE because of engine noise, seemed to struggle on hills and shifted harder than I'm used to (I live in a hilly area and on top of a hill - love the V6). While I liked the Highlander engine (4 cyl. turbo - they longer come with V6) - hills good, shifting good, good power, not as noisy. There were other things I didnt like - so the Highlander is out and the Rav4 ICE was also off my list. I wish they offered the 4 cyl turbo in the Rav4. After doing research, I learned the Hybrid Rav had more power and shifting would not be an issue due to the ecvt. My research also turned up the following issues:

Battery drain - The 2024 should have the battery drain issue resolved but I'm retired now and don't drive every day. My trips out are more errand based, a couple times a week (short trips 3-5 miles) and occasional longer ones (entertainment, vacation...) The longest my current car has sat without being started is about 2 weeks. My current car has no problem starting after sitting. Does the Rav4 Hybrid need driven longer times and more frequently to keep the battery charged? I do not want to carry a battery charger or keep a trickle charger as I do not work on my cars. I just want to get in and go.

Cable gate - I know about this and am concerned. I live in an area that gets snow and slush. I am familiar with the residue left behind when the snow and slush melt and dry. When I asked at the dealership - they wouldn't talk about it. Claimed they didn't know anything, never heard about it, haven't seen this issue much (interesting since they never heard about it)... In the past, Toyota seemed to be good about recalling and fixing. Can't help but wonder if the current fix is more of a Band-Aid.

Repairs when needed - I have spoken with the mechanics I use. They said they cannot work on hybrids as they are not certified for the high voltage system. They can do regular maintenance - oil, tires. They seemed hesitant which tells me, they haven't worked on hybrids much. Do all the hybrid owners here take their cars to the dealership for maintenance (oil, tires, battery, inspections, etc.)?

Gas - lots of talk about cost of gas. I filled my ICE tank up 3 weeks ago and still have about a quarter tank. One of my mechanics joked that I would only have to fill up twice a year with a hybrid. Bit of an exaggeration but will I have to worry about carbon build up and the gas going bad in the tank?

I'm looking at the Hybrid more for extra power on the hills than gas savings. With my low mileage, I won't get cost savings from the hybrid.

I would love to hear from any Rav4 hybrid owners that are low mileage intermittent drivers like myself. Have you had any of the above issues or is the Rav4 hybrid good for my type of driving?

One last thought, as someone driving an old school car, can the beeping of the safety systems, in particular lane departure be turned off? I live in Pittsburgh and don't want to be beeped at every time I dodge a pothole.

Thanks
Click to expand...
if you don’t drive too often, I would buy a 2024 4Runner if MPG not a major factor. 2024 might be the last year with that reliable 4.0L V6 and 5AT combination. While I loved my 2016 4Runner, it gulped down too much fuel so I went with RAV4 gas first then to RAV4 hybrid. Like you said the gas model is a screamer not in a good way. One thing about Toyota, they are better than many auto companies standing behind their cars. I live in MN and HV cable looks clean and I am not concerned. You will be fine with a hybrid or Prime.

it is very possible that the OP went to buy a Hyundai Ionic 5 since there is $7500 factory rebate.
 
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