2026 Toyota RAV4 PHEV confirmed for Australia

The 2026 Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) has been confirmed for Australian showrooms and is scheduled to arrive in the first half of next year.

Toyota Australia confirmed the news with the global unveiling of the sixth-generation RAV4, its most popular vehicle in 2024 and overtaking the Mazda CX-5 as the best-selling SUV in Australia.

The RAV4 PHEV will be sold alongside the regular parallel hybrid RAV4, after the existing RAV4 range switched to hybrid only in Australia in mid-2024.

Toyota Australia has not confirmed the lineup for the new-generation RAV4 nor which model grades – which includes a new GR Sport flagship –the PHEV powertrain will be offered in when it arrives in local showrooms.

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Pricing has also not been announced, although the local arm of the automaker has previously suggested it would add plug-in tech to models once the price premium over petrol versions has reduced.

“We’ve been very clear that the multi-pathway strategy [for emissions reduction] definitely includes plug-in hybrids in the future. I think they’re a great technology,” Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia vice president for sales and marketing, previously told CarExpert.

It is the first plug-in hybrid Toyota Australia has offered, with Australia never receiving the Prius plug-in hybrid or PHEV-equipped RAV4s sold overseas.

“With the launch of our first plug-in hybrid, we are taking that broad customer appeal in a diversified powertrain landscape to a whole new level,” Mr Hanley said in a statement.

The new-generation 2026 RAV4 PHEV will used a 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder engine, a 22.7kWh lithium-ion battery, and 150kW electric motor.

Toyota says the RAV4 PHEV will have an electric-only driving range of 100km (WLTP), optimised by geofencing enabling the vehicle to use real-world data to decide when to switch between hybrid and electric modes.

It will be offered in both all-wheel drive (AWD) and front-wheel drive (FWD) versions, with a 227kW combined output for AWD and 210kW for the FWD RAV4.

A 50kW onboard DC charger can top-up the battery from between 10-80 per cent in 30 minutes, with an 11kW AC charger replenishing the battery in a claimed three hours.

The move to a PHEV comes as the popularity of broader hybrid technology increases in Australia – as battery-electric sales stagnate – with a 76 per cent sales increase in 2024, and almost half of all hybrid sales coming from Toyota.

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