Next-gen Toyota RAV4 hybrid takes shape: Sharpened up hybrid family SUV to take aim at Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan X-Trail, Subaru Forester and more in 2026

With spy shots giving us a glimpse of the next-generation Toyota RAV4, we commissioned digital artist Thanos Pappas to bring the new family favourite to life. 

Expected to be a heavy reskin similar to the latest Toyota Camry update, rather than a clean-sheet design, the new RAV4 will persevere with series-parallel hybrid power along with a likely plug-in hybrid version with more than 1000km of driving range. 

This model is a huge deal for Toyota, being one of its biggest sellers globally. The RAV4 is poised to overtake the HiLux this year for outright sales in Australia and will challenge the Ford Ranger for top honours in 2025 — impressive, considering it is approaching six years old.

Up front, expect new LED headlights with a smaller shape and sharper design fully linked by a light bar. Below that, the ‘grille’ is likely to be body-coloured with different size perforations, not dissimilar to the looks of the Lexus LM luxury people mover.

Fog lights sit in newly-designed bezels and the lower valance is a little sleeker than before. Additionally, the shape of the bonnet is expected to change slightly.

At the rear, the chrome-accented window line now kicks up after the C-pillar and the roof plunges more dramatically, a little like the bZ4X. New alloy wheels complete the look.

The makeover isn’t dramatic, retaining what looks to be the same door handles and shapely doors as the existing model.

Instead, Toyota will be focused on amping the RAV4’s technology package, likely a larger multimedia touchscreen in excess of 12.0 inches in size, a revamped digital driver’s display and a more open plan cabin layout.

We are not anticipating massive dimensional changes as the RAV4 currently balances occupant space and boot size well. The current car is 4615mm long, 1865mm wide, 1690mm tall and rides on a 2690mm wheelbase.

The only thing missing against some larger rivals such as the Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail is the ability to option the RAV4 in seven-seat guise — you have to jump to Kluger for the extra chairs.

Perhaps the biggest change is mooted to come under the bonnet, where the new RAV4 could debut Toyota’s latest downsized turbo-petrol engines shown at Toyota’s multi-pathway workshop earlier this year.

For most RAV4 trims, a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder with hybrid boost making up to 200kW would suffice — the current hybrid taps out at 160kW. A punchier 2.0-litre turbo could be on the cards, too, for a potential GR-tweaked model.

The new RAV4 will probably get a more efficient electric motor and battery system, too, helping drop fuel use below the current AWD RAV4 hybrid’s 4.8L/100km rating.  

With the United States being the RAV4’s biggest global market — and where the first prototype was snapped testing — the country will heavily influence the car’s development. 

Toyota USA has shown an interest in a hardcore off-road variant, too, claiming the RAV-X concept shown at SEMA is more than just a styling exercise.

Sharpened looks, a punchier hybrid power and better cabin tech mean it’s not hard to see the new RAV4 releasing as a clear class leader ahead of the Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail once more.

We’ll know in time. The new RAV4 tipped to be revealed later in 2025 before a global market launch in early 2026. Australian timing remains unclear.