2019 Toyota RAV4 MPG: Our Real-World Testing Results
Toyota’s redesigned RAV4 was one of the newest faces in our test to find the best compact SUV of 2019 that compared seven 2019 top-of-the-line small utilities, and the RAV4 turned to be the most efficient in our testing of real-world fuel economy. After more than 200 miles of highway and suburban driving in cold and windy weather outside Chicago, the RAV4 topped the field of all-wheel-drive SUVs with a real-world average of 29.0 mpg. We scored the category based on an average between trip-computer and pump-calculated data, with closely related results from both data sets. That was 13 percent better than the last place average, a 25.7-mpg tie between the Nissan Rogue and the refreshed Hyundai Tucson that sports a new standard powertrain. Read more about how we tested here.
- ${price_badge()}
- ${ami_badge()}
- ${battery_badge()}${ev_report_link()}
- ${hot_car_badge()}
- ${award_badge()}
- ${cpo_badge()}
${price_badge_description}
${ami_badge_description}
The EV Battery Rating is based on this vehicle's current expected range relative to the vehicles expected range when new. ${battery_badge_text}
Certified cars are manufacturer warrantied and typically go through a rigorous multi-point inspection.
This car is likely to sell soon based on the price, features, and condition.
${award_blurb}
${award_two_blurb}
Shop the 2019 Toyota RAV4 near you
The RAV4 Limited, with its 203-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, edged out the Honda CR-V, which averaged 28.5 mpg with its 190-hp, turbocharged 1.5-liter and continuously variable automatic. And it also beat the redesigned Subaru Forester (27.9 mpg), which also uses a CVT, and 26.5 mpg registered by the Volkswagen Tiguan.
The EPA ratings for the RAV4 Limited top trim level with all-wheel drive are 25/33/28 mpg city/highway/combined, but if gas mileage is a priority for you, a RAV4 with the same powertrain (the only one currently offered) and front-wheel drive has a combined rating of 30 mpg; so does the base LE model with AWD. If sipping fuel really is your priority, you should wait for the gas-electric AWD hybrid RAV4 due later in the spring. The 2019 RAV4 Hybrid’s EPA rating is a lofty (for a hybrid SUV) 41/38/40 mpg city/highway/combined. Compared each model here.
While the top-of-the-line Tiguan with AWD was the top scorer overall in the 2019 Compact SUV Challenge’s closely matched field, the difference in fuel costs with the RAV4 Limited might change the equation for some shoppers. Based on the EPA’s calculations for an average driver (45 percent highway driving and 55 percent city driving, 15,000 annual miles and current national average fuel prices), the VW would cost $150 more per year to feed. Compare them here.
More From Cars.com:
- 2019 Toyota RAV4 First Drive: Delivers More, Costs More
- 2019 Toyota RAV4: 5 Things We Like (and 5 Not So Much)
- 2019 Toyota RAV4: The (RAV)411 on Pricing and Fuel Economy
- 2019 Subaru Forester: All-New and Better, Just Not Shouting It
- 2020 Toyota Corolla First Drive: Hatching a Sedan You Can Love
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
