Toyota RAV4 2026 News

Toyota has finally spilled on why its new models are copping price increases around the world, with one executive suggesting the brand "can't compete" with China at the entry-point of the market, and so is instead moving into a more premium space.The news came from South Africa specifically, where executives were questioned as to why the new RAV4 Hybrid is more expensive than the model it replaces. The reason, says Toyota South Africa Motors senior public relations manager Riaan Esterhuysen, is China."We intentionally moved it into a more premium space. It occupies or plays in the higher part of the segment now, and that is intentional," he told BizCommunity."We can't compete with the emerging Chinese brands directly on an entry-level price point. They have changed that market. They have shaped the market or changed the shape of the market by driving customers down to a lower and mid-tier of the segment or taking used car buyers and upselling them."Toyota in Australia hasn't mentioned China in the positioning of the refreshed RAV4 range in our market, instead pointing to an increase in value, but the prices have also increased here markedly.The entry-level to the range, the GX, climbed $3730 to $45,990, while the Cruiser grade has increased by up to $5930, to $60,340. The new-to-market RAV4 PHEV sets a new price ceiling for the model, at $66,340 for the GR Sport.Whatever the reason in Australia, the price shift hasn't hurt sales, with the RAV4 the country's best-selling vehicle in July, with a total 5564 deliveries – and 40 per cent belonged to the RAV4 PHEV.It marks something of a bounce back after a comparatively slow start to the year for Toyota in Australia. But it has previously told CarsGuide that supply constraints, not competition from China and elsewhere, was to blame.A new RAV4 and a new HiLux launched at around the same time, and the brand says it has been fighting for more supply to meet demand."Our biggest downfall this year has actually been our supply at the start, because we knew last year that we were coming into this year with a Q1 into Q2 shortfall, because we were launching the RAV4 later than we had liked," John Pappas, Toyota's Vice President, National Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, told CarsGuide."So now the fact that we've been able to secure more production from the global allocation, particularly on hybrids and bZs and other vehicle lines, including Hilux, it's great because that enables us to shorten lead times for customers."

Australians are still buying cars in greater quantity than ever before, despite tough economic conditions.The new vehicle market recorded its strongest ever July result off the back of the same feat in June. Toyota has had a resurgent month up against its Chinese challengers BYD and Chery, led by its new-generation RAV4 SUV. Electric car sales are also showing no signs of slowing down in Australia, accounting for more than one-in-five cars sold. Chinese brands are becoming a staple high up the sales charts in Australia, with many budget-focused models continuing to drive sales. Toyota achieved 20,409 registrations for July, more than double what BYD managed.The Japanese juggernaut has taken out the top-two spots for July with its RAV4 family SUV and HiLux ute.The RAV4 has shot up the sale charts to take out pole position, with 5564 units, wrestling back against early supply issues plaguing the new version of the hugely popular family model. Plug-in hybrid variants of the RAV4 have received some serious attention from buyers, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the SUV's total sales.Toyota's HiLux ute was not far behind, boasting 4721 units and overtaking the Ford Ranger (4042) in July. The brand also experienced its best month in 2026 for its Land Cruiser Prado and 300 Series 4WDs.Fully-electric cars represented more than one-fifth of all sales in July, with rising fuel prices continuing to influence buyer choices.The Tesla Model Y registered another month as the best-selling EV in Australia, with 4644 units in July between its five- (2215) and six-seater (2429) variants according to EV Council data. BYD’s Sealion 7 mid-size SUV was another strong performer, with 2548 examples sold last month, keeping its tag as the brand’s best-selling model for another month.The Geely EX5 (2034) made another appearance in the top 10 best sellers, followed by the Zeekr 7X (1892). The Chery Tiggo 4 (2156) small SUV has continued its run as one of the best-selling small SUVs, holding off competition from the Hyundai Kona (2096) and Mazda CX-5 (1836).BYD held onto second position in the overall sales standings for July (7857), despite a noticeable drop-off from June. In addition to the Sealion 7, its Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute registered another confident registration figure, with 1216 units, along with the Atto 2 small SUV (1214).Chery, Geely, GWM and MG all made the top 10 best-selling brands for the month.

BYD wants to take its crown but Toyota isn’t going down without a fight.Toyota has flexed its muscles hot on the heels of BYD Chairman Wang Changfu stating the automaker will be the world’s largest in five years.The Chinese carmaker’s bold statement comes as it aggressively expands into international markets after Chinese sales struggle.Now Toyota has shown the jewel in its crown that BYD and other Chinese carmakers are not allowed to catch a glimpse of… the US market.Toyota has been swamped with orders for the new RAV4 Hybrid family SUV, according to US industry bible Auto News.According to reports Toyota has tapped out its Canadian and Japanese production of the RAV4 and is bringing more US production on line to feed the insatiable hunger for the RAV4 in the US.The new plant is expected to add 40,000 vehicles this year to the pipeline of new RAV4s.Wait lists in Toyota's biggest market are ballooning and nearly every RAV4 on the ground is getting gobbled up by buyers with dealers holding no stock. That’s an impressive feat considering the more than 1200 dealers nationwide, which shows it's a hit all over.This additional US production that helps free up global production is surely part of the reason Toyota Australia recently announced it had secured a greater supply of RAV4 this year, which are built in Japan.Toyota Australia said it had secured 10,000 additional vehicles, which includes the RAV4, HiLux ute and bZ4X electric SUV.The lion’s share of these will surely be RAV4s, as ute sales tail off and hybrid mid-size SUVs are all the rage.Toyota Australia’s Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations John Pappas said there had been strong demand for these vehicles Down Under.“This increase in supply is great news for our customers and dealers. It reflects the strong partnership we have with Toyota globally to prioritise the Australian market,” said Pappas.“Vehicles like HiLux remain essential for many Australians, while RAV4 continues to lead the SUV segment thanks to its versatility, drivability and efficiency.“We will continue working closely with our global production teams to secure additional supply where possible and ensure we are meeting the needs of Australian customers today and into the future.”The popularity of the new RAV4 shows just how hard a job BYD has in toppling the Japanese giant.BYD and other Chinese carmakers are locked out of the US market, which will make it hard to get close to the Japanese maker that sells more than one million vehicles there annually.

New car intenders are on the decline in Australia. While Chinese brands such as BYD and Chery are on the up, many of Australia’s most popular brands are struggling. Total sales for cars in Australia are down more than two per cent for May 2026 compared to May 2025. This decrease grows to nearly five per cent, if sales of the Tesla's Model Y SUV and Model 3 sedan are excluded.This is reflected year-to-date data, which shows a more than one per cent overall drop compared to 2025 so far. The decrease comes after total sales declined slightly in 2025 compared to 2024, with sales already coming off a downturn in the second half of 2024. Even dominant players in the Australian car market like Toyota have experienced a near 25 per cent drop this year compared to 2025 numbers.This has been partly driven by a delay on supply for the new-generation RAV4 SUV, though. Economic factors are key drivers for buyer decline, including the ever-increasing costs of buying a new car, coupled with higher fuel prices. Potential buyers also need to satisfy cost of living pressures before thinking about buying a new car. The impacts of these economic conditions increases the possibility of the Australian market continuing to stagnate.Data provided from Roy Morgan last month showed buying intention to purchase a new car in the next four years has decreased by four per cent, and overall intention has dropped to 47 per cent. “The latest data on car buying intention reflects Australians believe now is not a good time to make big purchase decisions in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis,” Roy Morgan Chief Executive Officer Michele Levine said.The Kia Picanto, Australia’s cheapest new car on sale, remains the only car priced from less than $20,000. The exponential growth of Chinese brands in Australia has been driven by the comparative cheapness to legacy brand alternatives. Cars like the Chery Tiggo 4 and Jaecoo J5 EV small SUVs find themselves in the top 10 best sellers and have a price tag much lower than many of its legacy competition. 

Australia’s most popular SUV will get plug-in hybrid (PHEV) power ahead of schedule. The new Toyota RAV4 PHEV will start from $58,840 (before on-road costs), making it roughly $15,000 more expensive than the car's base standard hybrid variant ($45,990). The cheapest all-wheel drive variant starts from $63,340, while the range-topping GR Sport spec costs an extra $3000.It is competitively priced to PHEV rivals the Mazda CX-60 ($63,790) and the Mitsubishi Outlander ($57,290), but it is substantially more than the BYD Sealion 6, which starts at $42,990.This new PHEV variant could give Toyota a leg up on mid-size SUVs such as the self-charging hybrid- and internal combustion-powered Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.The news comes after the brand’s long-awaited new-generation RAV4 finally launched Down Under after initial supply delays, with wait times remaining at three-to-six months. This PHEV RAV4 will go on sale at the end of June, which is roughly a month earlier than previously anticipated as Toyota looks to turn around a tough sales return in 2026 without its big hitter SUV.FWD variants of the RAV4 PHEV will be powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and front-mounted electric motor, producing 201kW. AWD variants add a rear-mounted motor, increasing power to 227kW.All RAV4 PHEVs are equipped with a 23kWh battery, offering a fully-electric driving range of up to 121km on the FWD, with AWD at 113km, according to WLTP standards. When the battery is fully charged, the RAV4 has fuel efficiency of 0.7L/100km. It can DC charge up to 80 per cent in roughly half-an-hour. The battery has a vehicle-to-load capacity of 1500W, meaning there is capacity for small appliances to be powered.One of the key differences on the RAV4 PHEV compared to the standard hybrid is that is has larger brake discs. The GR Sport RAV4 has a 20mm wider track and also gets performance front dampers, a stiffer chassis and more responsive steering. 2026 Toyota RAV4 PHEV pricing Australia  

Toyota fires a cheeky shot across the bow of BYD.

Toyota Australia is currently dealing with a couple of problems that, while it’s not alone in facing, seem to be affecting it more than most.With Australia’s new emissions laws set to continue tightening, Toyota will have to start looking for more and more efficient vehicles to lower overall emissions from the vehicles it sells.At the same time, its line-up of EVs remains behind the curve while people are more readily looking to go electric.This coincides with a sales dip thanks to the changeover in generations of the Toyota RAV4, something the brand might face more challenges with due to its lack of ANCAP rating.The dramatic increase in interest in cars built in China is another factor, with new brands sapping market share from the local market veterans to the point that China was the third-biggest source of new cars in Australia in 2025 behind Thailand 2nd (thanks to dual-cab utes) and Japan (thanks in great part to Toyota and Mazda).China is on-par with Japan for first in Q1 2026, and was the biggest source of new cars in March.It seems like a big problem for Toyota, but it could also in part contain the solution.Toyota has two major joint-ventures in China, a requirement for foreign companies to operate in China, one with Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) and one with First Automotive Works (FAW). GAC will be familiar to some Australians, having launched here in 2025, with the Aion V electric mid-size SUV leading the charge.Interestingly, the GAC Aion V is built on a platform co-developed with Toyota that also underpins the Toyota bZ3X in China.Given Toyota is in need of electric cars, and it has access to a readily available EV in China that would surely be more affordable than the bZ4X mid-size SUV, we asked Toyota Australia’s Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, John Pappas, whether bringing in cars like the bZ3X from China is on the cards to increase sales in the EV space.While Pappas wouldn’t be drawn to comment on any specific models, or even whether Chinese cars were under consideration, he told CarsGuide there’s always scope for new models to come in from anywhere, regardless of the market of origin.“So the beautiful thing, the benefit of being such a global company like Toyota, and being in around 180 markets all around the world, and having so many manufacturing plants, that enables us to assess - whether it's sourcing of the vehicle, spec, power train.”“We are always considering from all parts of the world where we should source our next vehicles from. So that's an option for us, right? And that's the beautiful thing about being part of the Toyota global platform and family.”When asked if there were any learnings to be drawn from China’s rise to dominance in Australia or whether Toyota has gleaned insights from its joint-ventures, Pappas played down the focus on China, instead saying he believes Toyota’s history in Australia puts it in a strong position for its future here.“We want to make sure that whatever decisions we make, whether we're sourcing a car out of Europe, whether it's sourcing a car out of China, whatever it is, it's all about making sure we look after our customers through our extensive Toyota dealer network.”

Enough is enough – serious questions have to be raised about Australia’s independent crash testing authority.The Australasian New Car Assessment Program, better known as ANCAP, has been a beacon of safety for the past three decades.And while it has no doubt been a driving force in ensuring Australians and New Zealanders drive safer cars, in recent years I have noticed some troubling, confusing decisions that have raised concerns in my journalistic head.And the latest example is perhaps the most troubling of all – ANCAP’s decision to not independently crash test Australia’s most popular passenger car, despite the car maker acknowledging it is missing key safety technology required to get ANCAP’s maximum five-star safety rating.I’m talking about the new Toyota RAV4, which the Japanese giant admits is missing key safety elements required for a five-star rating under the new-for-2026 testing protocols.This is because the RAV4 was meant to launch in late 2025 and Toyota designed it only to meet the previous testing protocols.While you can certainly question Toyota’s ‘just in time’ approach, and the fact that if Toyota had met those requirements it would have received a five-star rating that it could use for the the majority of the new RAV4’s showroom life, even as other new SUVs launched from now onwards would require a higher standard of safety (but that is an ongoing problem for ANCAP and not unique to this situation).Importantly, Toyota has said updates are coming to ensure the RAV4 meets the new five-star standard, but hasn’t made it clear precisely when that will happen or what those changes are.What is most troubling is that ANCAP has not publicly stated when, or even if, the RAV4 will be crash-tested by ANCAP or its sister organisation, Euro NCAP.A statement provided by ANCAP and attributed to Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg on said: “As with any new model entering the Australian or New Zealand market, the Toyota RAV4 is a potential candidate for ANCAP assessment.“Details of models scheduled for testing and rating are not publicly released until assessments are complete.“We are aware of Toyota’s planned update to the RAV4 later this year. Until independent safety testing has been conducted, the updated model will remain unrated.“Given the RAV4’s popularity, ANCAP encourages fleets and consumers to consider the availability of an independent safety rating when making purchasing decisions.”That’s sound advice, people should definitely consider the safety of an unrated car.But it doesn’t answer the question of why ANCAP won’t simply crash test the RAV4 now.It was the biggest selling passenger vehicle in Australia in 2025, so it is an obvious choice for families.ANCAP is funded by governments, motoring clubs and other industry bodies, but it does not have infinite resources to crash test every new model that comes into the market – especially as each test requires between six and seven cars to be written-off as part of the process.Therefore, the majority of the testing is carried out on cars supplied by the car brands.It’s a mutually beneficial relationship – the car brand (hopefully) gets a five-star rating to advertise, while ANCAP gets another crash test to promote and consumers get an independent assessment of the safety of what cars they are buying. It’s a win-win-win situation.Except in this case, because Toyota is, understandably, not about to submit a car it knows won’t pass all the tests with flying colours. And ANCAP is seemingly happy to wait until that time.As time in crash labs is in-demand and usually booked months or even years in advance, CarsGuide understands Toyota has already arranged for the updated RAV4 to be crashed by Euro NCAP later in 2026.But why wait? Why is ANCAP happy to give Toyota this time to sell an unrated version of the RAV4? This is fundamentally a bad thing for you – the Australian consumer (and taxpayer).Without knowing specifically when the updated RAV4 will arrive in Australia, let's use an example of six months. In 2025 Toyota sold 24,034 examples of its mid-size SUV in that span.That means, if it takes six months for Toyota to update the car and get it into showrooms, potentially more than 20,000 Australians will be buying an unrated car.I completely understand ANCAP’s budgetary limitations, it simply cannot afford to go out and buy six or seven examples of every unrated vehicle.But surely, if it is going to spend its own money on crash testing specific models, surely you start at the top of the sales charts and work your way down?Some of the cars that ANCAP has self-funded crash tests for in the past include the Hyundai Palisade, Hyundai i30 Sedan and Suzuki Swift.Combined, those three models sold 12,303 examples in 2025, compared to 51,947 RAV4.Far be it for me to tell ANCAP how to run its business, but it would seem like, from a return-on-investment perspective, it should be looking to help the greatest number of people for its direct funding, and crash testing the best-selling models would seem like the best way to do that.To be clear, I’m not accusing ANCAP and Toyota of collusion or favouritism, but this is simply a very strange situation and a very hard ‘square to circle’, so to speak.As the organisation states on its own website: “ANCAP plays a vital role not only informing consumers of the differences in safety performance of new vehicles entering the Australian and New Zealand vehicle fleets.”Also stating: “ANCAP is Australia and New Zealand's independent voice on vehicle safety.“We crash test cars and conduct on-track and on-road performance assessments on safety features and technologies then publish a simple star rating or grading to indicate relative safety performance.“Over the last three decades we have published independent safety ratings for thousands of new vehicle makes, models and variants. These independent safety ratings and gradings are used to compare the relative safety between vehicles of similar size and have become a critical factor in vehicle selection for private consumers and fleet buyers.”Except in this case, where one of the best-selling vehicles in the country has been given extra time to prepare and leaves thousands of customers set to miss out on safety features that ANCAP itself has deemed important (hence the updated 2026 protocols).What is most troubling to me is, what message does this send to the industry and to consumers?Can a car maker launch a less-well-equipped model with an attention-grabbing initial price, sell it for a few months (or longer) and then add safety and submit it for ANCAP testing? That would be a dangerous precedent to set, in my opinion, but in the future car brands will be able to point to this situation and claim that it is simply following past form.Again, to be crystal clear, I’m not accusing Toyota of deliberately deploying this as a tactic, it seems like a genuine production-related issue.But ANCAP, as the independent safety body that it is, should step in and crash test the RAV4 that is on sale today to give consumers a clearer choice.

Toyota Australia’s reputation for reliability has, in the last few years, had to work hard against its reputation for long wait times.Especially after supply chains were ravaged in the lockdowns of the early 2020s, Toyota’s most popular models became the subject of months-long waits.So, with the arrival of a new generation Toyota RAV4, we asked Toyota Australia Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations John Pappas if customers can expect times to diminish.“So on average, across our range for RAV4, on average, the lead times will be within three to six months,” Pappas told CarsGuide.“And we obviously, together with our dealers, communicate that when we're taking any of the orders for our customers.”When asked whether a six-month waiting period was still acceptable to the brand, he said it was usually only customers who had more specific preferences that would wait longer.“I think for us a lead time is always going to differ a little bit whether it's going to be a one month versus a three month depending on, you know, the grade, the colour, the spec. “And let's not forget that the RAV actually has, when you look at the RAV breadth, when it comes to spec, two-wheel drive, all-wheel drive… It's quite broad.”Pappas added, now that the line-up for the RAV4 is more diverse thanks to a new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivetrain on the way and a series of trims with either two- or all-wheel drive, he expects those looking for more ‘standard’ versions of the RAV4 won’t have to wait as long.He says it also means anyone looking for a bit more out of the RAV4 will have an option thanks to the introduction of the more powerful GR Sport model that will sit atop the range.“And the reason why we've done that is because, on the strength of RAV now becoming an icon in Australia since 1994, six generations, and it's so popular that we've taken all that sort of customer feedback, and that's why now… when you look at the range, we've got the plug-in coming now with a new halo vehicle, GR Sport, because we want something more sporty, more aggressive at that top end, with more power. “And then you can look at where the Edge sits now versus where it used to sit. So we’ve strategically done that based on meeting customer requirements.”

The car Toyota is calling the “safest car” in its line-up has launched this month without an official safety rating from the nation’s independent vehicle safety authority.The 2026 Toyota RAV4, the new generation of not only the brand’s most popular car globally but the most popular passenger car in Australia, has launched without a rating from ANCAP (the Australasian New Car Assessment Program) after the brand was caught out by changing safety standards.Originally set for a late 2025 launch and designed to score full marks in ANCAP’s 2025 testing procedures, the RAV4 was delayed until 2026, which means a new set of testing criteria has been introduced.It means the car that’s got the best chance of turning Toyota’s rare sales dip is missing a key selling-point for not only private customers, but more crucially for commercial buyers including fleets that have requirements for five-star ANCAP ratings.The RAV4 will be updated later this year ahead of its eventual testing, with some changes to the car apparently needing to be physical to score top marks against new criteria. Toyota Product Planning Specialist Peter Phan wouldn’t reveal what the changes would be specifically, but said they would apply to “passive and active safety systems, but structurally the vehicle will not change”. The changes to the RAV4 later this year won’t be able to be retrofitted to cars already purchased.It means cars bought before the update will remain unrated, and customers will have no way to know if their RAV4 would actually achieve five stars under ANCAP’s testing.It’s an unusual move for ANCAP to agree to delay testing a new model, especially for one so popular, as it means thousands of new RAV4s will be untested.While Toyota’s new Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations John Pappas said the brand expects sales of the new-gen RAV4 to stay healthy despite the lagging safety rating. He said the brand will sell about 40,000 RAV4s in 2026.“Before we wholesaled the car, we had about 10,000 orders already taken,” Pappas told CarsGuide at the new generation RAV4’s launch.“So that gives us a good indication on the demand at that early point before actually launching it.”He said the lack of ANCAP rating isn’t as important as making sure customers are aware of the RAV4’s safety credentials.“The most important thing for us, first and foremost, is safety,” said Pappas.“This RAV vehicle, from a safety point of view, now becomes the safest car… in our line-up.“It's not only the safest RAV, but it's actually the safest car we've actually got in it from what it's got in it, from a package point of view. First car with the new multimedia, first car with the new Arene software, first car with Toyota Safety Sense 4.0.“For us, that's what's most important, because we know with these features and benefits in the vehicle, we know that customer safety is at that level.”Pappas added the brand is working closely with eventual customers of the RAV4 in the commercial sector, keeping them up to date with the progress and scheduling orders based on requirements for safety ratings.“With those fleets that have a five star ANCAP policy, we're working with those fleets very closely in terms of their orders, when they're placing their orders based on five-star. So we're very transparent. And that's what we do at Toyota, we're very transparent. “Number one is all about what safety is in the car. Number two, make sure we're transparent, and, you know, satisfy our customer.”Toyota seems extremely confident in the RAV4’s chances of achieving five stars under the new testing criteria, but with the update and testing yet to happen, we asked whether a four-star result would be unacceptable for Toyota.“It's not about four-star. It's about making sure that we satisfy what's important to our customer. That's what's important to us,” Pappas said.“And let's not forget, every single year, whether it's RAV, whether it's HiLux, whether it's another car, we have tech changes, we have minor changes, we have big changes.”While Pappas wouldn’t be drawn on how the brand would react to a result less than five stars, he implied Toyota’s regular updates to its models would address it as soon as possible.“And within those milestones, we always look at upgrading features and benefits on the car, whether it's safety, whether it's over-the-air updates, whether it's going to be aesthetic changes, whatever. “We continuously do that on every one of our cars. That's not new. So, yeah, later this year, there will be a tech change on RAV, but that's not new for us, yeah, and I just want to stress about the safety in the car.”