Why Owners Chose The 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Over the RAV4 Prime
Although the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime gets better miles per gallon than the RAV4 Hybrid, why are people still opting for the RAV4 Hybrid? This is something in which the answer is not so black and white. A regular RAV4 Prime is about a few thousand more expensive than the RAV4 Hybrid. If you take into consideration the insane market adjustments that dealers are adding, you may be paying way more than you anticipated.
However, if we take a look at what true owners say, it has almost nothing to do with price differences, but rather convenience. On Facebook’s Toyota RAV4 Hybrid group, Suzan Irwin asked, “why did y'all choose the Hybrid over the Prime? Trying to decide.” To that she got an influx of different reasons which all had one thing in common, it was all about convenience. See it’s really easy to drive on half a gallon to the gas station, fill up, maybe grab a stale hot dog, and then carry on. We have been doing that since the birth of the automobile.
However, just like my phone, I feel like I would forget to plug in my car after I get back from work or maybe not pay attention to my electric range. Because the RAV4 Prime is not 100% electric, it doesn’t really make EV driving your number one priority. We are so accustomed to filling at a gas station that plug-in hybrids are mostly treated as regular cars. Let’s take a look and see what other owners had to say.
Heather Wrek wrote, “I had a Prius Prime for 3 years and plugged it in maybe 5 times total. I just never had anywhere to plug it in and the miles per plug-in wasn’t really worth it.” My 2012 Prius is not a prime however Torque News has reviewed the Prius Prime years ago. One thing I remember is that we only plugged it in whenever we were low. It wasn’t like your phone where you would charge it even if you still had a good battery left.
Another huge factor is mostly Canada and the southern U.S is the unavailability of the RAV4 Prime. We recently wrote an article on how long it took to get your RAV4 Prime in Canada. In conclusion, it averaged around 2-3 years. Even then you would still be getting the 2022 model and not a 2024 or 2025. Juan Rodriguez said, “Because the prime was/is nonexistent here in Houston. And is not worth the price, I mean dealers are asking Lexus price for these things.” Again, with the markups. A lot of experts have been saying that if we just say no to the markups on a large scale, these prices will go back to MSRP.
So, whether or not it’s a matter of functionality, convenience, price, and availability, the RAV4 Prime is still a great car. For those who wish to have a plug-in hybrid, it’s a great SUV that will give you a huge boost in MPG and your wallet will thank you later.
What do you think? Would you get the Hybrid or plug-in? 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 for daily Toyota news.
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