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Toyota RAV4 Prime Owners Report Their Real MPG – Wow

We hear from people who own RAV4 Prime about their real-world gas mileage.

A vehicle window sticker lists several important pieces of information that people may find useful or important.

We can learn what features are standard, what is optional, and what additional accessories have been added. Pricing is detailed on a window sticker, too, along with safety ratings.

And we also know miles per gallon.

2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime MPG

20221 Toyota RAV4 Prime window sticker gas mileage mpg

Fuel efficiency is listed on a vehicle window sticker. But this is not the exact gas mileage you are sure to get with your car, truck, or SUV. Rather, it is an estimate of what you could get under the right circumstances.

A 2021 RAV4 Prime, for example, is listed at 94MPGe. This is a combination of “Electricity + Gasoline” as stated on the window sticker. Drivers can expect around 38mpg if only gasoline is used without the help of electric power.
If in EV electric mode, a RAV4 Prime can travel up to 42 miles on one single electric charge. No gasoline.

How Your Miles Per Gallon is Determined

20221 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Supersonic Red profile view back end rear end

Many factors determine a driver’s real-world fuel mileage. Temperature, weather conditions, flat versus hilly roads, tire pressure, and how you drive your vehicle all play a part in the all-important miles per gallon.

Driving modes on a Toyota RAV4 Prime absolutely impact how often you must fill up at the pump. When traveling, you can choose between “HV” and “EV” modes. HV is Hybrid Vehicle and utilizes a combination of gasoline and electric. EV is Electric Vehicle and only uses electric power that has been built up and stored.

People Report on RAV4 Prime MPG

20221 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Supersonic Red profile view back end rear end front end

I am a member of the Facebook online forum “Official Toyota Rav4 Prime Group.” Members post and comment on all things RAV4 Prime – including miles per gallon.

This question was recently posted, and it gave me great insight into how people were doing with fuel efficiency:

“All the Rav4 prime owners. Are you really getting 94mpg like the sticker says? What are you really averaging?”

Wade responded this way. “Between 64-69 usually. I have a 40-mile one-way commute though to work three days a week.”

“99 mpge currently. Perhaps more. Currently utilized a lil over a quarter tank and at 517 miles since full up.” Added Ali.

Bonnie answered. “80 MPGe.”

“I've been getting 2.8 mi/kWh now that the weather's colder, which is about 94 MPGe. In the summer I was getting upwards of 3.4 mi/kWh, or 114 MPGe!” Commented a thrilled Brian.

20221 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Supersonic Red charging

Wendy said. “I think I’m around 180 mpg. Currently over 1800 miles with about 1/4 of my first tank left. about 20 miles round trip. Around town errands is usually <40 miles. So, I’m pretty much all electric other than going out of town.”

“Dash readout will only go up to 99.9. Infotainment screen/stats will be able to show more. Think my wife was around 115 before we reset it for a trip.” Commented Kyle.

Michael calculated his RAV4 Prime fuel efficiency. “I do about a 50/50 split (hybrid and electric) and I average just over 70mpg. I drive sensibly most of the time.”

Rick had several thoughts on the matter. “Depends on your driving needs. I am at about 85mpg. 2 tanks of gas at 2200 miles. but if I drove a great distance all at once, this is going to drop to a bit over 40mpg since I would be running in Hybrid mode only after first 40 miles. This car to me, works great for my normal daily needs; commute daily in EV mode mainly; gas for day trips. People who are looking at EV's, Plug-in Hybrids, Hybrids, really need to examine what their habits and usage will be. And choose what fits best. If I could not plug in at home, this car would not make sense; other than satisfying my "want" for acceleration performance.”

“I'm 28,000 miles in, with several cross-country trips under my belt. My lifetime MPG is just over 53.” Keep it up Margie.

“52.5, but I've taken a number of multiple day-long trips with only the first 42 miles fully EV.” Added David.

“About 90, but I’ve yet to fill up in 3 months.” Lisa you just gave support to one of the biggest reasons people might want to buy a Toyota RAV4 Prime.

“Depends how long your average trip is in between charges. I have a charger at work and home, so I average >99.9 MPGe.” Dropped Ben.

And then there is Roman, who has my favorite comment of the day. “Who cares? Such a fun and fast car! And most of my driving is on electric mode anyway. Zippy.”

Time for Your Toyota RAV4 Comments

Do you drive either a RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, or RAV4 Prime? If so, how do you like it so far? How is your miles per gallon efficiency?

How about any tips on getting better gas mileage that have worked for you?

Thanks for reading everyone. See you next story when I discuss what owners are seeing with their RAV4 Hybrid mpg.

VIDEO YOU MAY LIKE: I compare RAV4 Prime SE vs XSE

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Comments

Jonathan Knowles (not verified)    December 8, 2021 - 1:20PM

I get really bad mileage in my prime SE. Worse than my wife's 21 limited hybrid, I pretty much floor it in hybrid sport mode all the time. After a fill-up my distance to empty estimate reads 600KMs. It's too torquey not to rip it everywhere. That and I have 20inch wheels on so that affects it a bit

Joey Driver (not verified)    December 9, 2021 - 6:16PM

For heavy EV users, how do you keep your gas fresh when it takes you 6 months to burn a tank of gas? Maybe only keep 1/4 tank in case you need hybrid mode?

NormT (not verified)    January 6, 2022 - 9:02AM

In reply to by Joey Driver (not verified)

Most PHEV's will monitor gasoline age and will also monitor engine run time. If the minimum is not met the engine will run when it can to meet run time threshold. You can usually delay the engine on time for about a day in our 2018 CT6 2.0E plug-in and when I'm monitoring mpg I will put it in drive with parking brake on and initiate engine on time. It usually only takes a few minutes.

If the tank is about 6-months old the engine will run as it would in hybrid mode unless gasoline is replenished.

Rick (not verified)    December 10, 2021 - 11:55AM

We've had a 2020 RAV4 hybrid XLE for about a year. Averaging about 45 mi per gallon. I bought it during the pandemic when nobody was going to the dealership so drove out for $30,000. Carvana is offering me $36,000 for it now. Lol

John Thomas Bu… (not verified)    December 10, 2021 - 6:14PM

I have a 2021 Rav4 hybrid and only get 31 mpg. Calculated by amount of miles divided by gas filled. Also, the miles to empty constantly lowers. It started at 600 mikes to empty and now it says 475 at full tank.

Brad abernethy (not verified)    February 18, 2022 - 11:17AM

In reply to by John Thomas Bu… (not verified)

If you are in a cold environment the mileage will change accordingly..just as in a gas car. Loss can be as high as 20 percent for either. My Rav hybrid has gone from 840 km to 630 in cold winter days.

Stephen klares (not verified)    February 22, 2022 - 10:58PM

In reply to by John Thomas Bu… (not verified)

Hi I have a 2021 Rav4 hybrid and my to empty has only ever been 490miles. Im getting 39mpg currently but that is if I used EV at stops and use the cuise control to accelerate only.

Brad Abernethy (not verified)    February 23, 2022 - 4:06PM

In reply to by Stephen klares (not verified)

Consider driving in EC mode only. I do not punch the accelerator and keep the speed a maximum 105 kph. MY fuel economy works out to over 850 km per tank, 5.3 litres per 100 km, or 45 MPG during summer. This is combined hwy and city. My Rav Hybrid was built in August 2020. Note that the car does have that issue with the fuel tank not totally filling up..which I consider a NON issue. There is no need for me to add any more fuel than what I use, which will also help in fuel economy, as I do not have to drag another 9 litres (2 gallons) of fuel..I have verified the distance and fuel economy, comparing what the car estimates and what I actually am able to get..and in all cases, I actually got slightly BETTER than the cars estimate. Very happy with the car.

Paul Akerhielm (not verified)    December 11, 2021 - 2:06AM

An attractive but essentially now unobtainable vehicle. I ordered one in August 2021, but in the 4 months since, delivery is always predicted at 18-24 months from when I inquire afresh. So, I have now cancelled my order reluctantly.

Brad abernethy (not verified)    December 14, 2021 - 4:41PM

I'm getting amazing fuel economy from my 2020 Rav hybrid. Far be better than expected. During the summer I average 5.3 litres per 100 km, and now with the cold weather and snow tires, I am at 5.7. I do not punch it and am a conservative driver.

Rody (not verified)    December 16, 2021 - 2:51AM

I have a 2021 Toyota Rav4 xle. I wish I would have gotten the hybrid. LA driving makes the sticker mpg laughable. On the best day with mostly highway miles I'll avg a combo of 25.6 mpg. City I'm roughly between 17/20. I'm disappointed in the gas I'm getting but I sure do love driving my RAV4 so I guess it's not all bad. Just wish the gas estimates were more accurate to city drivers that commute daily. These perfect circumstances barely exist in Los Angeles.

moomba (not verified)    December 19, 2021 - 12:01PM

I am interested in the Rav4 Prime due to the fact that I own a 2018 Prius Prime Advanced, so I know the potential. I have owned this car since 9/2018 and have kept track of gas pumped and paid for. I have done long trips, mountain driving and city driving. I have averaged 100 mpg. City driving it is more like 150 mpg. Going 1K miles on a tank in the city is the norm. Long road trips the average is 54 mpg (Sac to Bend round trip). A 240 watt 40 amp charger makes it all possible. The PHEVs are a great choice for a vehicle, the more the range on the battery the better. The problem for the Rav4 is the lack of supply. Anyway enjoy your PHEV!!

MattR (not verified)    December 19, 2021 - 6:25PM

My wife has a Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid. She usually gets over 100 MPGe. Any plug is hybrid that is driven it's full electric range or less between charges will do similar.

I find a better metric is cost equivalent mileage. That is cost per mile. It depends on cost per kWh and miles per kWh. Sometimes very high changing costs can make driving an ICE vehicle like my 2008 Clubman less expensive than any of our electrified fleet.

BRYAN GARDNER (not verified)    December 20, 2021 - 6:54AM

This type of real world mileage is common for plugin hybrids. I leased 2 different Chevy Volts and had mpg readings in excess of 175 and 225mpg. In 2020, I drove over 9k on less than 9 gallons of gas.

Milky (not verified)    December 28, 2021 - 6:01PM

Great car, but boring to drive. I'd rather spend more money on fuel than drive something as unexciting as a rav 4

Damon (not verified)    January 8, 2022 - 3:33PM

I have a ralv4 Prime xls premium Package. I have 18,000mi in the last 4 months. I drive alot. I drive about 30% in EV and average around 40ish mpg. But when battery is dead and I drive 150mi I'll get 32lmpg. My problem is when tank says empty and I fill its only 10glal. It has a 14gal tank. Dealer says its normal but it seems like the 2020 Rav4 recall to me???

Val (not verified)    January 10, 2022 - 8:53PM

Our drive is 52 miles round trip and we do some driving in Kahalui and Kihei, Maui, Hawaii. Only use hybrid once in a while. We just got the RAV4 prime 2 months ago, went to fill up after 749 miles and it took 4 gallons. You can figure out the math about187/gallon

NormT (not verified)    January 11, 2022 - 7:01AM

In reply to by Val (not verified)

The PHEV is difficult to beat if your commute or daily driving is within the battery range.

I'm am seeing 225 mpg in a 2018 Cadillac CT6 2.0E plug-in and with 1/3rd tank remains I have put +2,000 miles on it!

Elam (not verified)    January 15, 2022 - 4:04PM

I just realized I can rearrange the xse on my car to spell sex. That’s awesome! What was the question?

Carol schneider (not verified)    January 17, 2022 - 10:27AM

Got my Prime, April, 21. They gave me a full rank. Did not get gas til after 1000 miles.

Normally drive less than 20 miles.

Keep plugged in to my solar..

Monthly do a 100 mile roundtrip to a friends home. Elevation change is 3000'+ and 3000'- twice on these trips. Get about 50-60mpg, just for this trip. On these trips I stay in EV mode most of the first half of trip (70mpg).