Brand new Rav4 Hybrid owner here (bought at 8 miles last week) and I have consistently been getting a very low mpg over the last week, averaging 19 mpg. It's been extremely cold where I live - average of 10 F - and I'm forced to park outside...not ideal I know, but I don't have a garage. Still, I'm frustrated by the low mpg since a key reason I bought this car was to improve on my old gas mileage (2011 Nissan Pathfinder), and family members who also own Rav4 hybrids and live in similar climates have not had the same issue. The car's EV mode is "unavailable," and even though I've been driving short trips to and from work I would have thought I'd be earning better gas mileage on such a new car. My eco scores have been consistently in the 80s/90s, and my parking brake is most definitely off, lol. What's the deal? Should I take this back to the dealer and ask for service, or is this expected?
Brand new Rav4 Hybrid Low mpg
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Fritzy17
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I have an 11 month old 2024 RAV4 Cruiser Hybrid and our winter temperatures are nowhere near as low as yours. Our coldest days are around 13C max and about 2C min.
Like you I bought the hybrid mainly to reduce fuel costs. Over the last 11 months (filling up every 4-5 weeks and around 800kms) I have been averaging 4.9 - 5.1 Litres/100kms (46.1 - 48mpg) between refuellings according to the car's computer. A few times (2 or 3) I also manually calculated the fuel consumption using the kms travelled and the number of litres put in at the pump. My calculated fuel consumptions were always within +/- half a litre per 100 kms so I take the computer's fuel consumption numbers as pretty accurate.
I have had to change my driving habits to a large extent to maximise the benefits of the hybrid system - mainly adopting the concept of one pedal driving.
Basically, to get the maximum benefit you need the car's propulsion to be at least assisted by the high voltage battery while the engine is running or have the battery propel the car down the road with the engine off as much as possible.
This means letting the car coast as much as possible (with foot off the accelerator) when approaching traffic lights, turns, stops etc etc in order to have charge available in the battery as long as possible (regenerative braking). Also, I notice that even when that annoying "EV unavailable" message appears when you press the EV button you can still put the car in EV mode (engine stops running) by easing off the accelerator or taking the foot off altogether and then just very slightly touching/pushing the accelerator. When on flat or even slightly uphill roads taking the foot off the accelerator and then just very slightly pushing it will get the car to continue moving with just the battery and the engine off if you have sufficient charge in the battery (hence use regenerative braking as much as possible).
If you drive the hybrid car like a normal petrol car then the benefits from the hybrid system will be significantly reduced, especially in city/suburban environments.
Hopefully the above will see you achieve much better fuel consumption numbers.
EV button will work if you have 5-6 bars.
The EV mode disengages at around 40 km/h (25 mph) under normal driving conditions. However, I observed in rare situations, like light acceleration and a fully charged hybrid battery, it may stay engaged up to approximately 50–60 km/h (31–37 mph) before switching back to the usual ICE to EV or vice versa auto switching. When going uphill or sudden acceleration EV mode disengage.
Here is a photo, you will see EV mode.
I honestly doubt that you can force the car into EV mode by pressing the button when it reports "EV unavailable", but I could be wrong because my RAV4 is a Prime and not a straight hybrid, while my straight hybrid is a Sienna and not a RAV4 - and neither of them is of the Australian spec.
For the benefit of the OP I would reemphasize that it's the cold that kills his mpgs; I think anyone should be able to attain 35 mpg (6.7 liters/100 km) average in optimal driving conditions, even without using refined driving techniques
.The 5 liters/100 km you quoted would indeed require some very mindful driving, but nothing too nerdy - just drive it like it is your second most valuable possession (which it is for many of us).
True. It's says EV unavailable due to low charge. The norm is just rely on the auto switching EV-ICE. I usually press the EV button if in traffic provided I have sufficient charge.I honestly doubt that you can force the car into EV mode by pressing the button when it reports "EV unavailable", but I could be wrong because my RAV4 is a Prime and not a straight hybrid, while my straight hybrid is a Sienna and not a RAV4 - and neither of them is of the Australian spec.
For the benefit of the OP I would reemphasize that it's the cold that kills his mpgs; I think anyone should be able to attain 35 mpg (6.7 liters/100 km) average in optimal driving conditions, even without using refined driving techniques
The 5 liters/100 km you quoted would indeed require some very mindful driving, but nothing too nerdy - just drive it like it is your second most valuable possession (which it is for many of us).
I looked at your MID picture in the previous post and saw 36°C. That's an awful lot of °C!!!
I live in the Philippines, where it gets extremely hot—summer temperatures reached 42°C, so the AC is always on. In most places, the coldest it gets is around 18°C, but in Baguio, a mountain city, temperatures can drop to around 10°C or even lower. During the rainy season, it can get as cold as 8°C. I'm currently out of the country.
The temperature was comfortable before I left.
The only issues with MPG start with the DRIVER and finish with the WEATHER.
I pedal to the floor it for a few days and watched the MPG drop in half. I bet those that get poor MPG won't record their commute for a few weeks and upload to bitchute youtube rumble for all to see the grossly aggressive driving.
The hybrid is also not exempt from high altitude, hills, or mountain driving poor MPG.
I also don't have long winters. But, I noticed a drastic drop in MPG with the cold spell for a few days. If winter lasted for months, I'd run the extension cord out to the vehicle for the block and pan heaters that I would install.
I also check my tire PSI weekly when cold. This is important for MPG in cooler climates. I think all are too lazy to buy a quality tire psi gauge, a tire pump, and learn how to use it. Its easier to complain about MPG.
I only use quality name brand fuel. In the US, it is labelled as toptier fuel. We are stuck with 10% ethanol. This will help keep the injectors and engine crud/carbon free.
And, all my fluids at at the perfectly full level. This means I visually check the cold coolant level and keep it to the full lines. And, I check my hot engine oil 5 minutes after shutdown at least weekly, or at every fuel fillup.
There is no reason, other than lazy negligence, to be low on air or fluids.
MPG starts with your gas pedal foot.
I pedal to the floor it for a few days and watched the MPG drop in half. I bet those that get poor MPG won't record their commute for a few weeks and upload to bitchute youtube rumble for all to see the grossly aggressive driving.
The hybrid is also not exempt from high altitude, hills, or mountain driving poor MPG.
I also don't have long winters. But, I noticed a drastic drop in MPG with the cold spell for a few days. If winter lasted for months, I'd run the extension cord out to the vehicle for the block and pan heaters that I would install.
I also check my tire PSI weekly when cold. This is important for MPG in cooler climates. I think all are too lazy to buy a quality tire psi gauge, a tire pump, and learn how to use it. Its easier to complain about MPG.
I only use quality name brand fuel. In the US, it is labelled as toptier fuel. We are stuck with 10% ethanol. This will help keep the injectors and engine crud/carbon free.
And, all my fluids at at the perfectly full level. This means I visually check the cold coolant level and keep it to the full lines. And, I check my hot engine oil 5 minutes after shutdown at least weekly, or at every fuel fillup.
There is no reason, other than lazy negligence, to be low on air or fluids.
MPG starts with your gas pedal foot.
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I have the energy flow widget displayed on my MID so I can see what is driving the wheels, battery charge and when/what is charging the battery at any time.I honestly doubt that you can force the car into EV mode by pressing the button when it reports "EV unavailable", but I could be wrong because my RAV4 is a Prime and not a straight hybrid, while my straight hybrid is a Sienna and not a RAV4 - and neither of them is of the Australian spec.
For the benefit of the OP I would reemphasize that it's the cold that kills his mpgs; I think anyone should be able to attain 35 mpg (6.7 liters/100 km) average in optimal driving conditions, even without using refined driving techniques
The 5 liters/100 km you quoted would indeed require some very mindful driving, but nothing too nerdy - just drive it like it is your second most valuable possession (which it is for many of us).
Very often, not always, while driving on flat roads at less than 60km/hr it says EV unavailable when I press the EV button even with 4 or more bars on the battery charge indicator. By easing off the accelerator or momentarily taking my foot off it and pressing it again very slightly, more often than not the engine will switch off and the energy flow indicator shows the battery alone driving the wheels. Of course, if I press the accelerator too hard or far the engine will re-engage.
Since getting the hybrid i now to some extent see driving as similar to a computer game challenging myself to see how low I can get the average fuel consumption between refuellings.
In Australia, the quoted fuel consumption
is 4.7 - 4.8 litres/100km (divide 235.21 by L/100km to convert to mpg).
In the last 11 months I have achieved 4.9 - 5.1 litres/100km between refuellings primarily using "one pedal driving" as described earlier.
Another tip, when on a freeway or open road use the cruise control. The "instanteous fuel consumption" indicator on the MID normally shows 3-5 litres/100km while cruising at our most common maximum speed limit of 100km/hr. The car's computer is very good at optimising fuel consumption at cruising speeds while using the cruise control.
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The EV mode button is for driving around in a parking lot at the appropriate speed under 25KPH. The button does not work if you are going over that speed, but as you noted, you can still get into EV at the higher speeds by feathering the throttle.
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On flat roads especially in residential areas, when I press the EV button and my car goes into EV mode I can often slowly accelerate up to 50km/hr (default residential area speed limit) without any issues when there is sufficient charge in the battery. Of course, if I accelerate too hard EV disengages and the engine kicks in.
The bottom line is to charge the battery as often as possible while driving, preferably using regenerative braking as described earlier, so that you can engage battery only propulsion as much as possible when appropriate.
To get the maximum benefit of hybrids you really need to alter your natural driving habits developed when driving petrol engine cars.
Not sure who’s more confused, me or the car’s computer
Yesterday and today multiple trips around town the averages were 19-22, 24-26 and I think once up as high as 32. All easy on the gas pedal, lots of coasting, sea level and 63 degrees Fahrenheit
Today 4 of us rode all over the city with our Italian friend driving and it was up around 34-36 mpg
Which makes me think I should drive like an Italian from Rome and not worry about mpg
Yesterday and today multiple trips around town the averages were 19-22, 24-26 and I think once up as high as 32. All easy on the gas pedal, lots of coasting, sea level and 63 degrees Fahrenheit
Today 4 of us rode all over the city with our Italian friend driving and it was up around 34-36 mpg
Which makes me think I should drive like an Italian from Rome and not worry about mpg
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I don't know how you have your MID configured but below is the primary setup I have for my MID. You can have up to 3 different MID configurations/pages
I want to see the energy flow at all times (top right), instantaneous fuel consumption (lower left) and the average fuel consumption since last refuel (top left). Here I just started the hybrid system and since the battery is only at 3 bars the engine kicks in straight away to charge it as shown in the energy flow widget.
I reset Trip A (bottom left) and the Total Average to zero at every refuel which also enables me to manually calculate the fuel consumption at every refuel and compare to the computer calculated fuel consumption. The 0 L/100km to the right of the "imstantaneous" fuel consumption is the fuel consumption since the last time the car was started. It shows the fuel consumption for the current trip in "real-time" updating about every 30 seconds or so.
So far since the last refuel I have done 329km and averaged 5.2 liters/100km (45.2 mpg) over that distance. The estimated range to empty (bottom right) is fairly conservative, currently at 649km; meaning the computer expects 329 + 649 = 978km in total on this tank full.
The 4.7-4.8 liters/100 km rating looks a little too optimistic. In the US, the RAV4 Hybrid is rated for 39 mpg mixed cycle, which IMO is a lot closer to what the actual drivers get - on average, of course.
Some drivers, like you, will be able to attain the equivalent of 5 L/100 km, but most of them would get 35 to 40 mpg on average.
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It's not really too optimistic but yes, you need to change your driving habits from driving with petrol engines as described earlier. The company quoted fuel consumption is done in a lab under standardised testing methods and conditions. In the 11 months I have owned the car I have got 4.9 - 5.1 litres/100km (46.1 - 48 mpg) between refuellings.
Here is page 1 of 3 of my MID. It helps me monitor battery status and charging while driving with the aim to minimise fuel consumption. It helps me maximise the amount of battery only driving of the wheels on each trip.
I want to see the energy flow at all times (top right), instantaneous fuel consumption (lower left) and the average fuel consumption since last refuel (top left). Here I just started the hybrid system and since the battery is only at 3 bars the engine kicks in straight away to charge it as shown in the energy flow widget.
I reset Trip A (bottom left) and the Total Average to zero at every refuel which also enables me to manually calculate the fuel consumption at every refuel and compare to the computer calculated fuel consumption. The 0 L/100km to the right of the "imstantaneous" fuel consumption is the fuel consumption since the last time the car was started. It shows the fuel consumption for the current trip in "real-time" updating about every 30 seconds or so.
So far since the last refuel I have done 329km and averaged 5.2 liters/100km (45.2 mpg) over that distance. The estimated range to empty (bottom right) is fairly conservative, currently at 649km; meaning the computer expects 329 + 649 = 978km in total on this tank full.
Short trips in very cold weather will give you horrible gas mileage no matter the car you are in. You must be doing REALLY short trips, my drive to/from work is 8 miles each way and I still get about 23mpg when it is 10F or lower out.
Regardless of the driver's skill and attentiveness, really cold weather is going to very heavily affect your mpgs. Below is my record of the past 12 months (this is my Sienna, but for the illustration purpose is just as good). Summer mpgs are in the 40 to 45 range, vs. barely 30 on a couple of occasions this winter - which turned out to be VERY cold for our area.
Here is another graph, showing 15 minutes from cold start. If the trip had been 5 minutes, I'd have below 20 mpg.
If nothing else this thread is raising my appreciation for our 52-68 degree winter temps
Steve_j I will look at what I can do in the way of confinuring my MID, after I figure out what a MID is
Very new car to me and still a lot to learn about it
The Mazda cx50 hYari’s is slightly heavier than the RAV4 but others still are reporting really good mileage
I’m beginning to think there is a break-in period and that mileage will improve over time
That would be preferable to figuring out we bought a lemon, so we are crossing our fingers. Still, there are others out there getting really mixed results and given how erratic ours have been so far I will keep watching
Thanks for all the input here
Steve_j I will look at what I can do in the way of confinuring my MID, after I figure out what a MID is
Very new car to me and still a lot to learn about it
The Mazda cx50 hYari’s is slightly heavier than the RAV4 but others still are reporting really good mileage
I’m beginning to think there is a break-in period and that mileage will improve over time
That would be preferable to figuring out we bought a lemon, so we are crossing our fingers. Still, there are others out there getting really mixed results and given how erratic ours have been so far I will keep watching
Thanks for all the input here
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Yes, extreme cold or heat will definitely impact fuel consumption significantly because in extreme cold the ICE needs to be on longer to maintain its optimal operational temperature and the ICE and/or the hybrid battery need to work harder to maintain comfortable cabin temperature.
Here in Melbourne, Australia we are fortunate that our coldest winter days are around 0-3C and the hottest summer days are around 38-40C.
In the 10-11 refuels I have done in the last 11 months since buying the car new, the fuel consumption has been fairly consistent as posted earlier.
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Something not mentioned with the newer hybrids compared to the gen2 on prius is they don't store or use exhaust heat to help warm the engine up faster and better mileage in cold weather. Gen2 prius had a heat recovery bottle to help the engine maintain the operating temp. The gen3 had a special heat recovery exchanger in the exhaust. None of the gen 5 rav4's have anything like this neither does the 24 camry hybrid. Not sure about the new prius. Our hybrid camry and hybrid rav got terrible gas mileage until the engine broke in. And the winter cold weather compounds the mileage issues. Great mileage spring, summer and fall though...
NC '19 Rav4 Hybrid Limited, Entune 3.0, Adaptive Headlights, Advanced Technology Package
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Here is a long term view of my MPG. '19 Rav4 hybrid. Not the best, not the worst. I do a lot of local 2-3 and 5 mile trips. I do a every other week 50 miles at 70 trip. I have taken several several hundred mile trips. I started off trying to maximize MPG and then I just dove it. Recently it sits in a garage and absorbs 20 degree weather for days at a time and then does the local trips. Absolutely worst thing you can do for a car and, to make it even worse, I put rain tires on it and that dropped my MPG even lower. So what, Like the car. If I wanted raw MPG, I'd get a Prius or an EV. I want utility and carrying capability at least once a week. My wife gets better MPG in her Avalon hybrid sedan and prefers hers. I have what I need and want. (The big spikes are errant fills of some sort, notice they are followed by lows.} The car gives me about 1.2 MPG better readings. These are from fuelly.com where you can see hundreds of other Rav4h owners averages.
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