The Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid (SUV): The Complete Electric Car Buying Guide For India

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Electric Cars: The Basics

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For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:

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The Toyota RAV4 PHEV SUV

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Toyota Motor Corporation, known simply as Toyota, is a leading global automotive company. The company is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world and is headquartered in Aichi, Japan. The company has already established an enviable track record for the development and marketing of environment friendly hybrid vehicles.

Toyota has one of the largest portfolios of mild hybrid electric vehicles (MHEVs), currently 11 hybrid models. It is also a world leader in fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The company currently has a portfolio of the following fully electric and plug-in electric vehicles:

• All-Electric Toyota bZ4X (BEV)
• Toyota Mirai Hydrogen Fuel Cell (FCEV)
• Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV)
• Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV)

The RAV4 is a compact SUV and the first compact crossover from the Japanese manufacturer. It was introduced in 1994. The acronym RAV was derived from ‘Recreational Activity Vehicle’. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) variant was launched in 2019 at the LA Auto Show. Sales commenced in Japan in 2020.

Despite the RAV4 SUV being launched many decades ago and Toyota’s leadership in hybrid technology, surprisingly the PHEV variant was introduced rather late. Nevertheless, despite the increased competition in the compact SUV segment, the RAV4 plug-in hybrid has much to offer, for both families and company car drivers.

The Toyota plug-in hybrid SUV has a 18.1 kWh onboard EV battery, with a WLTP certified zero-emission electric range up to 74 km. Both the EV battery size and the claimed emission-free electric range, are above average, when compared to other PHEVs in this segment.

Though the real-world EV range will be lower, possibly closer to 60 km (emission-free), the EV still has much to offer those keen to save money by driving on electric mode. Driving an electric car is far cheaper compared to calling on the internal combustion engine (ICE). A 60 km EV range can be leveraged for both city and motorway driving.

Taking advantage of the EV range will also require inculcating a habit of charging the EV on a regular basis, which again is as easy as charging a smartphone. We at e-zoomed discourage the use of a domestic 3-PIN plug for charging an electric car.

A ‘topping up’ approach to charging will help improve the overall efficiency of the vehicle and also improve the long-term maintenance of the onboard EV battery. Toyota offers a class-leading 10 years or 240,000 km warranty. The PHEV has a 6.6 kW onboard charger and can be fully charged in 2.5 hours.

Of course, driving regularly on the electric mode will further improve the fuel economy of the electric vehicle i.e. lower motoring costs. The automotive manufacturer claims a fuel economy up to 1.0 l/100km, but achieving anything close to this, will require taking advantage of the e-mode! In any case, the PHEV will deliver a better fuel economy, compared to the conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) variant.

In terms of performance, the Toyota RAV4 is decent. The electric vehicle (EV) combines a 2.5-litre hybrid AWD-i petrol engine with an onboard electric motor, powered by the EV battery. Despite the additional weight of the EV battery, the RAV4 SUV PHEV can achieve 0-100 km/h in 6.0 seconds. This performance is not shabby! The Toyota plug-in electric car delivers 306 HP maximum power and 270 Nm torque. Top speed is 180 km/h. Of course, on the pure electric mode, the drive is more refined and quieter.

The interior cabin is spacious and practical, however, it may not feel as premium as the price tag. Toyota offers a host of feature and technology, to include: Toyota Touch 2 with Go Navigation, 9″ Toyota Touch 2 multimedia system with smartphone integration (Apple CarPlay & Android Auto), follow-me-home headlights, 7″ multi-information screen, adaptive cruise control, voice recognition switch on steering wheel, reversing camera, pre-collision system with day & night-time pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure alert and more.

The all-wheel drive PHEV offers reasonably good headroom and legroom for passengers. The boot space is compromised due to the placement of the onboard EV battery (520 L), but remains useful! The EV has claimed tailpipe emissions up to 22g CO2/km. Again, substantially lower than the emissions of the conventional petrol variant.

Bottom-line, electric driving is good for the environment and the wallet! The Toyota plug-in electric car is not available in India.

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PROS	CONS
Larger EV battery compared to other PHEVs	Interior quality has room for improvement
Good EV range and cheap to run on electric mode	More expensive compared to some rivals
All-wheel drive (AWD) as standard	Onboard charger limited to 6.6 kW

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The Toyota RAV4 PHEV SUV (credit: Toyota)

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At A Glance
EV Type:	Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)
Body Type:	SUV
Engine:	Petrol-Electric
Available In India:	No

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Trims (1 Option)
Toyota RAV4 (Rs N/A)

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EV Battery & Emissions
EV Battery Type:	Lithium-ion
EV Battery Capacity:	Available in one battery size: 18.1 kWh
Charging:	DC charging not available. Onboard charger: 6.6 kW AC (0% – 100%: 2.5 hours)
Charge Port:	Type 2
EV Cable Type:	Type 2
Tailpipe Emissions:	22g (CO2/km)
Battery Warranty:	10 years or 240,000 km

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Charging Times (Overview)
Slow charging AC (3 kW – 3.6 kW):	6 – 12 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SOC)
Fast charging AC (7 kW – 22 kW):	3 – 8 hours (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging AC (43 kW):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Rapid charging DC (50 kW+):	0-80%: 20 mins to 60 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Ultra rapid charging DC (150 kW+):	0-80% : 20 mins to 40 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)
Tesla Supercharger (120 kW – 250 kW):	0-80%: up to 25 mins (dependent on size of EV battery & SoC)

• Note 1: SoC: state of charge

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Dimensions
Height (mm):	1690
Width (mm):	1855
Length (mm):	4600
Wheelbase (mm):	2690
Turning Circle (m):	10.6
Boot Space (L):	520

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2.5 Petrol Hybrid AWD-i
EV Battery Capacity:	18.1 kWh
Pure Electric Range (WLTP):	74 km
Electric Energy Consumption (Wh/km):	102
Fuel Consumption (l/100 km):	1.0
Charging:	DC charging not available. Onboard charger: 6.6 kW AC (0% – 100%: 2.5 hours)
Top Speed:	180 km/h
0-100 km/h:	6.0 seconds
Drive:	All-wheel drive (AWD)
Max Power (hp):	306 (hybrid system output)
Torque (Nm):	270 (hybrid system output)
Transmission:	Automatic
Seats:	5
Doors:	5
Kerb Weight (kg):	1,930 – 1,995
Colours:	5
NCAP Safety Rating:	Five-Star

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EV Glossary: Top 5
DoD (Depth-Of-Charge):	What is Depth-Of-Charge? A battery’s Depth-of-Charge is the level of discharge of a battery. As you drive an EV, the battery is discharged. The DoD indicates the % that has been discharged relative to the capacity of a battery. Conversely, a State-of-Charge (SOC), is the percentage of capacity still available in a battery. If you use 25% of your EV battery capacity, then the DoD is 25% and the SOC is 75%. It is recommended not to fully discharge an electric car battery, as this reduces the lifespan of a battery. Automotive manufacturers publish recommend DoD levels for charging, but a charging range between 20% to 80% is ideal.
EV Battery Life:	What is the life of an EV battery? Like petrol and diesel engines, electric car batteries also have a finite lifespan. Though EV battery technology has come a long way over the past few years, battery degradation is inevitable. Just as normal wear and tear is the case for an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. Currently most EV manufacturers are offering a warranty up to 8 years or 160,000 km. However, some automotive manufacturers are offering an even longer EV battery warranty. An example is the Japanese automotive manufacturer, Toyota. The company offers a 10 years EV battery warranty for the all-electric Toyota bZ4X SUV. In most cases, such warranties are up to 70% of the original EV battery capacity. The battery life is impacted by a number of factors, which in turn impacts battery electrical performance, to include, the range the electric car can travel. The most commonly used batteries in electric cars are lithium-ion batteries.
Frunk:	What is a frunk? Though a frunk is not a new term, its availability is becoming more widespread with the development of electric vehicles (EVs). A frunk is a storage space/ compartment/ trunk in the front of a vehicle, rather than the rear. In the case of pure electric cars, given that these vehicles do not have an onboard internal combustion engine (ICE), there is space for a frunk. It is worth noting that a frunk is usually much smaller than a trunk, and in EVs, a good space for storing the EV cable.
One-Pedal Driving:	What is one-pedal driving? In one-pedal driving, the EV slows down or stops, when the pedal is released. One-pedal functionality reduce the need to use the brake pedal, for speed reduction or stopping. Of course, the brake pedal is still the best way to hold a vehicle in place at a complete stop.
WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure):	In a bid to continue to improve the quality of realistic data released by automotive manufacturers, on economy, range and CO2 emissions, Europe has implemented its first phase for the WLTP program. The testing procedures under WLTP will result in reduced ranges for electric cars released under other previous testing regimes. The WLTP is seen as a significant improvement over the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) designed in the 1980s and based on theoretical driving. The WLTP has been developed with the aim of becoming a global standard, so that cars can be easily compared between regions.

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While e-zoomed uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information, some of the information provided is gathered from third parties and has not been independently verified by e-zoomed. While the information from the third party sources is believed to be reliable, no warranty, express or implied, is made by e-zoomed regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of this information.

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