New Toyota RAV4 PHEV Copies Mitsubishi's Homework – And Made It Better
The Toyota RAV4 is finally here and is now completely hybrid, which is not surprising considering the success of the automaker's electrified models. Now in its sixth generation, America's bestselling nameplate (yes, even outselling the Ford F-150 in 2024) is flush with options, but all of them will be electrified in one way or another.
There's a lot to unpack about the latest Recreational Active Vehicle with 4-wheel drive, whichdiffers on every continent. However, the improvements on the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) versions particularly stand out in the sea of competing nameplates. Toyota practically copied Mitsubishi's homework for its new RAV4 PHEV – and somehow made everything better.
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Never mind the GR Corolla-beating 320-horsepower output of the RAV PHEV – the new plug-in RAV4 debuts Toyota's sixth-generation PHEV powertrain, which also introduces DC charging to the popular nameplate for the first time. Available for the XSE and Woodland grades, this puts the RAV4 among the few PHEV models with fast-charging capabilities, with the ability to recharge from 10% to 80% in approximately 30 minutes via a CCS port.
In comparison, the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV also comes with DC fast charging at a slightly slower rate (38 minutes to 80%), but it has an aging and unpopular CHAdeMO standard, which is practically unusable in the US. Of course, charging times can vary depending on many factors, but the port alone does put the RAV4 PHEV ahead of its Mitsubishi rival.
Worse, the RAV4 PHEV comes standard with an 11-kW onboard AC charger, while the Outlander PHEV only comes with a 3.7-kW AC charger. Without disclosing the figures, the Toyota will definitely have faster charging times at home.
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One of the advantages of PHEVs over non-plug-in ones is the capability to run on pure electricity without burning a single drop of fuel. For 2026, Toyota estimates the RAV PHEV to have an EV-only range of 50 miles – an improvement over the previous 42 miles of the outgoing models.
That figure is also better than the Outlander PHEV, which has a paltry all-electric range of 38 miles. While a difference of just 12 miles might sound petty for some, it does matter for those who will use the SUV mostly within the city to take advantage of the gasoline-free usage. Without disclosing the exact capacity, Toyota appears to deliver more efficiency and utility from the battery of its sixth-generation PHEV powertrain.
New Toyota RAV4 PHEV Copies Mitsubishi's Homework – And Made It Better first appeared on Autoblog on May 22, 2025
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