Secure Your 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Now - No More Waiting in Line!

Last year's waiting times for these heavily sought out after cars was an embarrassment to Toyota. We wrote an article which said that some Canadians who ordered the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime had estimated waiting times of 18 months to two years. Unlike more modern car companies like Tesla or Rivian, where you can simply custom order your car and they bring it to their “gallery” and not dealership, Toyota seems to want to stay more traditional with their “see your local dealer” way of doing business.

This business model has done well for decades. The United States government passed legislation in the mid-20th century saying that a dealership can be the only way auto makers sell their cars to prevent the manufacturer from over-charging. It seems as if this legislation became a sort of oxymoron because during and even after the pandemic, independent dealerships still charge way over the MSRP suggested by the auto maker. This leads to not only longer wait times, but also mistrust from the client to the dealer. Granted, there are a lot of dealers out there that do not charge over MSRP, but they are hard to find.

So the question arises, if I want a brand new 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, one of the most south out after cars on the market right now, what should I do if I do not want to wait 4 months to a year? Luckily, there are a few loopholes you can go through to get one without the wait time. One of the easiest ways is to check with local and big-city Toyota dealers and see if anyone has backed out of their order.

The way this works is once someone goes through the dealer and places an order for a 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, they are now in line to get the ones allocated to the dealership. Let’s say you wanted an RAV4 Hybrid in red with softex seating. That’s what the dealership will place into the system, but you may get a RAV4 with a different color. It all depends on how the manufacturer allocates their cars. This is one of the easiest ways to get any RAV4 without waiting but it’s a game of luck.

It's still pretty early in the model year but if wait maybe just a few more months, you could start to see these things pop up second hand and someone just wants to make a quick buck off their new purchase. We saw this happen with the 2022 RAV4 Hybrid/Prime and the 2022 Toyota Tundra. This is only a feasible option for you if money and pricing isn’t a problem. Expect to pay an enormous sum, way over market value.

Another great way to “skip the line” is to visit your local Costco or Sam’s Club. Most of these stores have an auto section where you sit down with an independent dealer, not associated with Toyota or anything and basically go through the steps. Some people on the forums say it’s a little faster due to not having to worry about allocations but still expect to pay a larger than average sum.

This last way is pretty simple on paper but has a lot of moving parts so if you aren’t too worried about taking a risk, this method is for you. The only major difference between the 2022 and 2023 model year RAV4 Hybrid is the infotainment system. The 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has a bigger, more modern infotainment UI which steps away from the very old 2009-ish looking infotainment screen. If this isn’t a problem for you, I suggest finding a used 2022 model year, keeping it for a while waiting for a used 2023 RAV4 to pop up, trading your 2022 RAV4 in and simply not noticing much of a difference. Granted you will be significantly decreasing the value of the 2022 RAV4 Hybrid but if your end goal is to have the 2023 model year, then this can be an option.

In theory these options seem viable but for the average consumer, you would be better off simply waiting for your allocation to come through. However these options could work if you desperately want a RAV4. This early in the year it would be better to just wait it out. There aren’t many 2023 model years out there anyway. But talk to your local dealer, maybe the wait times for your region are pretty short compared to others.

What do you think? Would you rather wait out the waiting time or take a short cut? Let us know in the comments below.

Harutiun Hareyan is reporting Toyota news at Torque News. His automotive interests and vast experience test-riding new cars give his stories a sense of authenticity and unique insights. Follow Harutiun on Twitter at @HareyanHarutiun and on YouTube at Toyota Time for daily Toyota news.