Toyota RAV4 2026 review: Australian preview drive

Australia’s favourite SUV has had a glow-up, with the 2026 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid to usher in a new look, new tech and – in big news for Toyota – the brand's first plug-in hybrid variant.

And this model comes with a big, bold promise from Toyota – the new RAV4 will be Australia's best-selling vehicle. Of this, the brand has no doubt. Though I'd argue that's more up to you, dear reader, than it is up to them.

Not helping in the sales regard is the fact the new RAV4 also welcomes near range-wide (and sometimes pretty significant) price increases. The new Toyota RAV4 Hybrid range (arriving in Australia in the first half of 2026) will start with the GX 2WD, which lists at $45,990, and then tops out with the Cruiser AWD at $60,340. The PHEV family (which won't arrive until Q3 next year) starts from $58,840 for the XSE 2WD, and tops out with the new GR Sport AWD at $66,340.

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Explore the 2026 Toyota RAV4 Range

Toyota RAV4 2026 review: Australian preview drive

All hybrid models get the same powertrain – Toyota's now-familiar 2.5-litre series-parallel hybrid powertrain, though one that has been detuned slightly, and now making a total 143kW in both two-and all-wheel drive.

The new plug-in hybrid powertrain combines a 2.5-litre petrol engine with a front and rear electric motors for AWD models that lifts total system output to 227kW. The 2WD models drop the rear electric motor and produce a total 200kW. All PHEV models then share the same 22.7kWh lithium-ion battery, set up for 50kW DC and 11kW AC charging, and Toyota is targeting a 100km EV-only driving range on the WLTP cycle.

For more on the PHEV, though, you'll have to wait. It's a year-or-so off arriving here, and we're yet to drive it. This preview test was all about the conventional hybrid.

So, what's new? When I saw images of the new RAV4 back in September, I thought it looked like a pretty revolutionary change. But now I've seen it in the metal in Australia, it's not quite as dramatic. It looks new, sure, but not massively different.

The big changes to the design are a new front and rear-end treatment, a perforated grille, and — around at the rear — a new solid-looking design theme from the boot lid down. But from the side, I reckon you’d need to be paying pretty close attention to pick the difference between old and new. I suspect the doors are pretty much carryover, for example, but the C-pillar is noticeably thicker. And Toyota tells me there is some extra insulation to keep the cabin quieter, too.

The GR Sport flagship does look a little different mind — wider, more hunkered-down and almost hot-hatch like — a feeling helped by its AWD PHEV powertrain making it the most powerful RAV4 Australia’s seen to date.

This new RAV4 is also the same size as the old one, it rides on the same platform, the space feels the same in the backseat and in the boot, and there is an overwhelming sense of familiarity in the cabin. There’s also a new-look centre console and higher-end models get a new gear shifter, and the entire dash has been lowered by 40mm to improve forward visibility.

Happily, Toyota has deployed what it calls an "island" design theme in the cabin, so called because it groups the manual controls for key functions together, either on the steering wheel or the centre console. But the key takeaway here are the words "manual controls". Toyota has shunned the shift to screen-operated cabins, allowing you to access everything you need to access without having to dig through endless menu screens.

So, how does it drive? Put it this way, if you’re familiar with the way the current RAV4 Hybrid drives, prepare to not be shocked by the way this one steers.

Toyota tells me there’s some new suspension hardware, a possible retune of the electric power steering, which does seem to have a nicer weight to it, and the addition of something called 'Vehicle Braking Posture Control', which helps keep the car sitting flat under heavy braking. We’ve only had a brief drive at a private facility, but it definitely doesn’t feel wildly different to the current-generation car.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing though – if it ain’t broke and all that. We’ve driven the old and the new back to back, albeit pretty briefly, and both are really lovely, easy SUVs to steer, both at city speeds and on more flowing roads.

The PHEV models do promise to shake things up a bit, but as far as the hybrid grades go, the road manners feel like more of pretty much the same from Toyota. But this is the best-selling SUV in the country for a reason, and there are few who would be disappointed by the way this one drives.

This was merely a taste test, however, so for a more comprehensive test on public roads, keep a keen eye on CarsGuide.com.au.