New RAV4 hybrid prices revealed: is Toyota’s bestseller still a bargain?

We now have pricing for the totally redesigned sixth-generation Toyota RAV4 for 2026. With the popular SUV’s move to a full hybrid lineup, the base price for a front-wheel drive RAV4 Hybrid LE has risen to $31,900. Last year’s base model, a gas RAV4, cost $29,800, which is $2,100 less than the new one. Considering it’s an all-new SUV with upgrades across the board, the price adjustment seems reasonable to us.

However, if you’re a glass half full person, consider that the base price of a hybrid RAV4 has dropped for 2026. The least expensive 2025 hybrid model started at $32,850, which is $950 more than the $31,900 starting price of the 2026 base model.

Full pricing for the 2026 Toyota RAV4

For 2026, the new RAV4 range is divided into three groups: core, rugged and sport models. The core models include LE, XLE Premium and Limited trim levels. The new Woodland Grade is the only robust model. Finally, the sport models are the SE, XSE and the all-new GR Sport trim level. Each group not only has different styling, but also unique chassis and suspension settings.

Buyers also have the choice of a front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive RAV4 for 2026. That said, only the LE, SE, and XLE trim levels offer both powertrains, while the Woodland, XSE, and Limited trims only come with AWD. In addition to the SUV’s standard hybrid powertrain, a plug-in hybrid powertrain is also available for the SE, XSE and GR SPORT trim levels, which are also AWD-only.

Prices do not include $1,450 destination charge

Keen-eyed readers will notice an equipment level missing from the chart above. Toyota has not released pricing for the GR Sport model with the rest of the RAV4 trim levels. It will probably be the most expensive RAV4 you can buy, as it’s sold with the plug-in hybrid powertrain and has standard AWD, along with a bunch of upgrades and goodies from Toyota’s racing subsidiary GAZOO Racing.

In terms of power, all hybrid RAV4s will use a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with two motor generators to produce 226 combined horsepower in FWD models and 236 horsepower in AWD models. RAV4 PHEV models, meanwhile, benefit from a larger battery pack and more powerful motors that together deliver a more powerful 324 hp.

TopSpeed’s opinion

Compact SUVs are the best-selling vehicle category in the US, aside from full-size trucks, and the Toyota RAV4 is the best-selling vehicle in the US that is not a truck. So the all-new sixth-generation 2026 RAV4 is a huge deal not just for Toyota, but for the industry as a whole. The decision to move to a fully hybrid offering may seem bold, but Toyota is the king of traditional hybrids and has been doing it well for decades. At this point, making the switch only has advantages.

Fortunately, Toyota appears to have kept prices in line with inflation, so customers won’t experience sticker shock when they trade in their used RAV4. Prices increase every year, regardless of whether vehicles are redesigned or not. At least in this case you get the most advanced RAV4 ever built and way more technology than the SUV it replaces.