6 Of The Best Years To Consider If You're Searching For A Used Toyota RAV4

Currently, the Toyota RAV4 is the third best-selling vehicle in the United States. For years now, the popularity of Toyota's compact SUV has been incredibly high, and it is fairly easy to see why. Combine the renowned reliability of the Japanese automaker, a vehicle that is equally appealing to both single drivers and families, and its relatively affordable price, and you have one of the few models on the market that can keep pace with the likes of the Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado juggernauts. As the years have gone by, it has kept up with technological and environmental advances, currently offering gas-powered, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid options.

With a vehicle this popular, it makes sense that it would also be something sought after on the used car market. Considering the starting price for a brand new 2024 RAV4 is $28,675, the chances of getting a very good price on a used RAV4 are pretty high. Just because you may be getting a good price for one does not necessarily mean that the model year you are selecting is the right one, particularly considering the problems this vehicle the RAV4 is prone to. After taking in the ratings and reviews from RAV4 owners from various publications and institutions that honestly rate the vehicle's reliability and usability, here are six different RAV4 models you should be giving serious consideration to if you are wanting to buy yourself a used one.

The Toyota RAV4 has undergone a lot of changes since it debuted for the 1994 model year, and in that time, it has been through five different generations. Each and every one of them has at least one model year that is worth taking a look at on the used vehicle market. If the very first generation of the SUV is what you are keen on, then your best bet is to go for one from the 2000 model year. Of course, the most appealing element to a vehicle that is a quarter of a century old is its price, which will typically cost you under $4,000. Amazingly, for such little money, you are getting a rather reliable vehicle. In 25 years, the 2000 RAV4 has only been the subject of three recalls, with two being close to its release and the third coming 20 years later due to a Toyota-wide airbag recall.

The owner satisfaction ratings for the vehicle are similarly impressive, earning a 4 out of 5 from Consumer Reports, 5 stars from Cars.com, and 4.7 stars from Kelley Blue Book. You are getting a vehicle with a 2.0L I4 engine that only produces 127 hp, so if power is what you're after, you might want to look elsewhere. Also, as with any vehicle this old, you will want to find models without many miles already put on them. With the reliability of a Toyota, though, you can possibly afford for those numbers to be a little higher than normal. The 2000 RAV4 is a recommendation for folks just looking for something affordable and sturdy to get them through their average day.

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2000 was the last model year of the first generation, and the second one got off to a somewhat rocky start. Based on reported problems on CarComplaints, 2001 through 2003 was a rough time for the Toyota RAV4, with 2002 earning a whopping 519 complaints mostly due to transmission troubles. It wasn't until the 2004 model year that the things evened out, and the reported complaints on the site dropped down to just 20. The recalls by the NHTSA mirror this lack of issues, as it has only been issued two in its 20 years of existence.

Consumer Reports also noted a dramatic rise in quality in this time. The 2002 model earned a 52 out of 100 reliability rating from the publication, whereas the 2004 model increased that number to a 63. Even more impressive is the 5 out of 5 owner satisfaction rating, and it gets the same 4.7 stars as the 2000 model from Kelley Blue Book. There were reported troubles of exhaust leaks and busted catalytic converters, but these issues were almost universally the result of nearly two decades of wear and tear. With any vehicle, general upkeep is required for it to have a long life, and the RAV4 is no exception. You shouldn't expect every piece of equipment to be just as it was 20 years ago, but that doesn't mean the 2004 model won't perform excellently. You just need to maintain it well, like you would any other car.

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The 2011 model is the penultimate one of the RAV4's third generation. This was the first model since 2004 to get the Consumer Reports Recommended seal of approval, which may come as something of a surprise to some. However, the reliability scores of these model years are consistently below 60, which the publication considers to be good. The 2011 model barely crosses the threshold with a 61, but it gets there. J.D. Power, meanwhile, is much higher on its quality and reliability, giving it a great 84 out of 100 score. Plus, its overall 83 rating puts it in second place list of the analytics firm's top compact SUVs of 2011.

The most common issues people have with this RAV4 include its shocks, which lead to a bit of a rocky ride, and some minor transmission problems, but these are not nearly as prevalent as the ones from even the two model years that have already been recommended. Despite its 11 recalls, there isn't one specific area that has received overwhelming criticism from owners. Among the third-generation models, it has received the least amount of submitted problems on CarComplaints from drivers, and its 4 out of 5 Consumer Reports owner satisfaction rating is a strong indicator of quality. If the two-decade-plus age of the last two RAV4 models is a red flag, then 2011 is as far back as you should want to go.

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Even though we are only moving two years into the future, we are at the beginning of a whole new generation for the Toyota RAV4. While the previous recommendations have been models late into their respective eras, the 2013 RAV4 is the very first of the fourth generation. Right off the bat, we see a major uptick in its reliability score from Consumer Reports, which jumps all the way up to 73 out of 100. The rating increase from J.D. Power isn't as drastic, but it does go up to 86. Plus, it finds itself once again as the second highest-rated compact SUV of the year overall from the institution. The No. 1 vehicle on that list is the Chevrolet Equinox, but that year it received a reliability score of 40 from Consumer Reports. The RAV4 is where the consensus lies.

The reported problems with the 2013 model are much less critical than all of the previous models so far with the electronic features getting the most flack. These are not electronics that affect the operation of the vehicle but features like the vehicle's CD player and GPS system. That being said, these came about after some time and were not necessarily problems right out of the factory. Beyond that, CarComplaints also showcases a number of owners who have had issues with paint chipping. These kinds of problems are much less concerning than with a vehicle's engine, transmission, exhaust, or anything that makes the RAV4 function normally. The other model years are quite good, but 2013 is probably the best so far.

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Although the 2016 model year is still technically part of the same generation as the 2013 model, this was a year that saw the Toyota RAV4 get redesigned in a few different ways. One majorly important way is that this is the first year that a hybrid version of the compact SUV was made available. Beyond that, the body received exterior changes, including switching to LED headlights rather than the previously used halogen bulbs. This redesign also saw the inside of the RAV4 become much quieter during driving.

In terms of reliability, the 2016 model is just as good as 2013, if not better. The number of recalls is down to just three, and it has roughly one-third of the reported issues on CarComplaints as its fourth-generation predecessor. The 2017 and 2018 models that come after this are rated almost identically to the 2016 model, and in theory, any of them would be worthy of your time. What puts the 2016 model over the top, though, is the price. For the more basic packages, you can find a 2016 RAV4 for under $14,000, and if you want one of the top-of-the-line trims, you'll be looking at something in the $17-18,000 range. For the next two years, these minimum prices rise dramatically, with the basement being over $16,000. With all three model years being so closely rated, getting that discount is wonderful if it's available to you.

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There are people who want a Toyota RAV4 that feels like it could be brand new, but they don't want to pay full price for a new vehicle. The current generation of the SUV began with the 2019 model year, but the one you really want to take an interest in is the one from 2021. The 2016 model year introduced a hybrid version of the RAV4, and 2021 sees a plug-in hybrid model also be made available, giving you three different power methods to choose between. This is also a model year where modern technological features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto become standard.

Out of all the model years mentioned, this is the one with the highest reliability rating from Consumer Reports with an impressive 80 out of 100, only matched by the predicted reliability of the current 2024 model that could end up being lower once more owners submit their issues. Only a single recall has been issued for the 2021 RAV4, which was a Toyota-wide airbag recall in 2023 that even included Lexus models. As far as specific complaints with this RAV4, there are very few, with only seven submitted issues total on CarComplaints.

That being said, the Consumer Reports owner satisfaction rating for this model year is lower than usual with a 3 out of 5. That isn't to say that any of the elements like driving experience or comfort are particularly poorly rated. They are just above average, and considering the rest of the fifth-generation owner satisfaction ratings are a 2 out of 5 — with the exception of the 2023 model that also got a 3 — 2021 is the one that clearly stands on top.

Selecting the six models over the life of the Toyota RAV4 for this list of recommendations for used car buyers came down to a number of different factors. First, this list wanted to give a wide overview of what the RAV4 has been able to offer in its three decades of existence, which is why SUVs from all five generations of the model ended up on this list. Some RAV4 generations are better than others, but that doesn't mean that any single one doesn't have a worthwhile model to offer.

The next reason as to why these particular models were selected was for their reliability. For a car to be desirable on the used car market, it needs to prove that it has the ability to withstand regular wear and tear, use for many miles, and a build that holds up over time. The reliability of the RAV4 was determined by looking at different publications and institutions, such as Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, Cars.com, and CarComplaints, typically aggregated from the experiences of RAV4 owners. In conjunction with that, the number of recalls a particular model year was issued was factored in, as fewer recalls indicate a strong initial build.

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