After seven years, Toyota gave the RAV4 a redesign. While the sporty new RAV4 GR Sport will probably grab a lot of the headlines, the biggest news is probably that every RAV4 you can buy is now a hybrid. Official EPA ratings aren't out yet, but on the media drive, Toyota claimed a base-model, front-wheel-drive RAV4 would hit 48 mpg city, 42 mpg highway and 44 mpg combined. Not bad, Toyota. Not bad at all. The biggest question, though, was how much that would cost you, and now we know.
Including the $1,450 destination charge, the new base price on the 2026 Toyota RAV4 LE is $33,350. That's a solid chunk of change, but it is almost $1,000 less than the least-expensive 2025 RAV4 hybrid that you could buy. Then again, that '25 model also came with all-wheel drive, and if you want a '26 RAV4 LE with all-wheel drive, that will now cost you $34,750, or about $500 more than the old RAV4 hybrid. According to Toyota, adding all-wheel drive only drops fuel economy on most RAV4s down to 45/39/42 city/highway/combined, which should still deliver a noticeable improvement compared to the '25 model's 41/38/39 mpg city/highway/combined.
From there, you can step up to the RAV4 Hybrid SE, which starts at $36,150 and still carries the base model's $1,400 upcharge for all-wheel drive, or the RAV4 Hybrid XLE Premium, which starts at $37,550 and also costs $1,400 extra if you want all-wheel drive. The RAV4 Hybrid Woodland, however, is only available with all-wheel drive and costs $41,350 before options. Buyers looking for even more features can always go for the RAV4 Hybrid XSE, which only comes with AWD and starts at $42,750, or the top-of-the-line RAV4 Hybrid Limited, which is also AWD-only and starts at $44,750.
For comparison, if you want a hybrid Honda CR-V, you'll have to step up to the Sport Hybrid, which starts at $37,080 including destination or $38,580 if you want all-wheel drive. Of course, that's a mid-level trim for the CR-V (which actually starts at $32,370 including destination), so it isn't exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but if you want a hybrid, you want a hybrid. The much-improved Volkswagen Tiguan now starts at $32,280, but sadly, Volkswagen still won't give us a hybrid version of the Tiguan.
Meanwhile, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid will cost you $34,300, with all-wheel drive also included in that price. Alternatively, the nonhybrid Tucson starts at $31,300. Its sister crossover, the Kia Sportage, will run you $30,135 just to get in the door, while the hybrid version starts at $31,735. If you want a Sportage hybrid with all-wheel drive, though, you have to step up to the S, which costs $34,035.
As far a gas mileage goes, the most fuel-efficient CR-V hybrid is currently rated at 43/36/40 mpg city/highway/combined, with AWD dropping that rating to 40/34/37 mpg, giving a slight advantage to the new RAV4 there. Then there's the Tucson Hybrid, which is rated slightly lower at 38/38/38 mpg, and the Sportage Hybrid, which is rated at 41/44/42 mpg or 35/36/35 mpg if you spring for the higher trim level that includes all-wheel drive.
Of course, there's also a lot more to buying a car than price and fuel economy, and you really need to drive a couple of competitors before you decide on one that fits your needs the best. Or you could just buy the RAV4, which sure seems like the choice a lot of people make these days.