Toyota · 1994–present

Toyota RAV4

The Toyota RAV4 (Japanese: トヨタ・RAV4, Hepburn: Toyota Ravufō) is a compact crossover SUV produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. Having sold over 15 million units worldwide as of 2025, the RAV4 is the best-selling SUV of all time. The car is credited with popularizing compact crossover automobiles, often credited as the first modern compact crossover SUV. In February 2025, the RAV4 replaced the Ford F-150 as the best-selling car in the United States, after nearly four decades of the latter's reign. It made its debut in Japan and Europe in 1994, and in North America in 1995, being launched in January 1996. The vehicle was designed for consumers wanting a vehicle that had most of the benefits of SUVs, such as increased cargo room, higher visibility, and the option of full-time four-wheel drive, along with the maneuverability of a mid-size car. The vehicle's name is an abbreviation of "Recreational Active Vehicle with 4-wheel drive", (occasionally "Robust Accurate Vehicle with 4-wheel drive"), although not all models come equipped with the four-wheel drive system. For the third-generation model, Toyota offered both short- and long-wheelbase versions of the RAV4. Short-wheelbase versions were sold in Japan and Europe; long-wheelbase versions in Australia and North America. Toyota of Japan also sold the longer-wheelbase version as the Toyota Vanguard (Japanese: トヨタ・ヴァンガード, Hepburn: Toyota Vangādo) at Toyopet Store dealership chain from 2005 through 2016. RAV4s for the Japanese market were sold at two different Toyota dealership chains, Corolla Store and Netz.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Successor: Toyota Land Cruiser

All Toyota RAV4 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years → + Compare

Specifications

name

Toyota RAV4

Manufacturer

Toyota

aka

Toyota Vanguard (Japan, 2007–2013), Toyota Wildlander (China, 2020–present), Suzuki Across (Europe, 2020–present)

Production

1994–present

Class

Compact crossover SUV

Layout

Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, Front-engine, four-wheel-drive

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

US EPA fuel-economy records

US EPA test figures (US MPG, US test cycle).

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q819982CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_RAV4CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1377687686 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2025_Toyota_RAV4_Hybrid_Z_Prototype.jpgCC0 · Photo: TTTNIS · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Manufacturer website (link only) — https://www.toyota.com/rav4/Link only; no content copied · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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