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The redesigned Toyota RAV4 stays popular, though not every feature improved. Consumer Reports found five drawbacks worth knowing before buying one
The Toyota $TM RAV4 has grown into the best-selling passenger vehicle in the U.S. outside of full-sized pickup trucks. A full redesign for 2026 kept that popularity intact, but test drives turned up a handful of tradeoffs that shoppers should know about before buying.
Consumer Reports drove and evaluated the redesigned RAV4 and identified five reasons shoppers might want to pause before buying one, so anyone cross-shopping small SUVs knows what to expect.
The redesigned RAV4's cabin leans into a trucky aesthetic more similar to the 4Runner, Tacoma and Sequoia than to family-focused small SUVs or even Toyota $TM's own Highlander. Consumer Reports testers said the interior relies heavily on bold, rectangular shapes and hard plastics, giving it an industrial feel instead of an upscale one. CR found that even on a $43,238 XLE Premium trim, the cabin lacked the soft-touch surfaces and contrasting trim buyers might expect at that price, with those details reserved for pricier trims. Testers did praise the large door pockets and an extra storage shelf beneath the center screen, though they said the overall cabin felt less modern and inviting than some rival models'.
