I'm a former Prius owner and current Rav4 hybrid owner. My Prius usually did but not always start the gas engine immediately. It would depend on factors like outside temp, and state of charge of the battery.

Your Rav has a newer gen hybrid system that is even better at determining when to run the gas engine. Bottom line, it is normal.

 

Yes this is normal. The engine will start when the power (ready) button is pressed if the high voltage battery is low and/or if it is cold outside. My 2010 Prius works the same as the Rav hybrid.

 

Cool, thanks for the replies. Yeah, I figured it was normal and a 2012 Prius isn't exactly an apples to apples comparison to a 2023 RAV 4 but it's the only hybrid experience I have to compare to. In fact, that Prius was so old I think it had wooden wheels 😂

 

I went from a 2012 Prius to a 2023 RAV4 Hybrid XLE as well. It is quite an improvement in so many ways. Like the additional room, much more comfortable and more up to date safety features to name a few.

 

Agreed, much more advanced vehicle for sure. The energy display options are somewhat lackluster compared to my 2012 Prius, though.

 

I have a 2019 XSE and I have multiple options to show energy displays both on the main display and also on the infotainment display. Just need to play with the options.