2021 Toyota RAV4 Pricing and Specs

This could be a fault with the engine and/or transmission but it could just as easily be a fault with a sensor or even a poor earth or other electrical connection somewhere in the vehicle. Scanning the vehicle should show up any faults the on-board computer has logged.

The fix? That’s easy: Your car is still covered by the factory warranty, so Toyota is obliged to make things right. Take it back to the dealer as it’s Toyota’s problem, not yours.

Toyota Australia is on record as saying that the business case for the plug-in hybrid version of the RAV4 doesn’t stack up in Australia. And while we never say never, it doesn’t look like that model will arrive here any time soon. Instead, Toyota has expressed plans to sell the all-electric bZ4X cross-over which is RAV 4-sized here, following its Japanese launch which is slated for mid next year. That means the bZ4X could be in local showrooms by the end of next year, but it will only be as a purely electric vehicle and not a plug-in hybrid (or a hybrid of any sort).

But it would be worth taking a RAV 4 Hybrid for a test drive as this car is selling up a storm and for good reason. It’s a terrific vehicle and seems right on point as far as its target market goes. The fact that it’s only moderately more expensive than a conventionally powered RAV 4 is just icing on the cake.

The stop-start function on modern cars works according to a variety of protocols. Fundamentally, if the car’s battery can cope with not having the engine running, then it will trigger the fuel-saving measure when the car is stationary. But, if the battery is low (you’ve recently been running in electric-only mode, for instance) or you have the car’s lights or air-conditioning switched on and the stereo blaring, then the car may decide that it needs to keep the engine running to keep those systems running. If that’s the case, the stop-start function will be over-ruled.