If you are on a quest to find the best SUV for yourself, then rest assured that buying a Toyota Rav4 is probably one of the best choices you will make. They have been around ever since 1994, earning respect and love from its users, and it has done an excellent job.
The best year for a used Toyota Rav4 is the 2012 model year, which has a perfect reliability score of five out of five according to J.D. Power. It also has an 8.1 performance rating and a 9.0 critics’ rating, and excellent gas mileage with an EPA estimated 41mpg in the city and 38mpg on the highway. The 2012 model is one of the most affordable years for a used Rav4, making it the ideal choice for anyone looking to buy a used Rav4.
Toyota Rav4 has proven to be worthy and safe, but before you buy one, let us tell you everything you need to know about them.
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Best Year for Used Toyota Rav4
Used cars are great to buy, they are affordable, and if you know how to pick a good one, you will be more than satisfied. This is because used cars save you the money up front and, along the years of using the car.
The best year for used Toyota Rav4 is the 2012 model year; because of its reliability and safety features, the 2012 model year has won the hearts of many of its users. As a result, they are the safest choice when it comes to buying a used Toyota Rav4.
When you buy a used car, you can also expect the insurance rates to be lower since the insurance companies always charge more for new cars than for used ones.
Is It Worth Buying a Used Toyota Rav4?
Toyota Rav4 is a great family car option, and if you know how to choose the right one out of many of them available to choose from, you have nothing to worry about.
Yes, it is worth buying a used Toyota Rav4. Buying a used Rav4 is a great way to save up some money. Toyota Rav4 are expensive SUVs; that’s why the best way to save up a few thousand is by buying a used vehicle.
On the other hand, if you are not so sure how to determine if the vehicle you want to buy is worth your money or not and if it is kept in good condition, we suggest taking a mechanic with you along your purchase, and he will help you make the right decision.
Is Toyota Rav4 a Reliable Car?
Knowing if your car has a good reliability score is important because the last thing you’d want is to buy a vehicle that will have a lot of problems and that you will spend lots of money on for repairs. So now, let us tell you all about Rav4’s reliability.
Yes, Toyota Rav4 is a reliable car. They have an almost perfect reliability score of four out of five. They also rank 3rd out of 26 compact SUVs, which is outstanding. The annual repair cost for Toyota Rav4 is $429, which is a below-average repair cost.
You can rely on your Toyota Rav4 to run perfectly well and have a low repair cost. They don’t have lots of problems, and many of those have minor problems.
What Year Is the Most Reliable Toyota Rav4?
Of course, having a reliable car is also subjective, because if you need your car to be reliable, you would have to keep it in good condition and take good care of it. If you don’t, you can’t expect it to be as good as the score says.
The most reliable Toyota Rav4 year is the 2012 model year, which has a perfect reliability score of five out of five according to J.D. Power. They also have an 8.1 performance rating and a 9.0 critics’ rating. So 2012 is one of the best Rav4 options to go for.
Apart from being one of the most reliable years, they are an older version of the Toyota Rav4 which potentially means that its price will be lower, so that’s another way of saving up some money.
Best Year for Toyota Rav4 for Gas Mileage
Vehicles that have good fuel economy will be good in your pocket; it means that you will not have to spend a lot of money on gas when owning this car. Now, does Toyota Rav4 have good gas mileage, and what is the model year for it?
The best year for Toyota Rav4 for gas mileage is the 2019 Hybrid. The EPA estimated 41mpg in the city and 38mpg on the highway. This is the great gas mileage for an SUV, and it means you won’t have to spend that much money on gas if you buy the 2019 Toyota Rav4.
In general, Toyota Rav4 is great on gas, they might be a bit pricier for your initial purchase, but they definitely pay off in the years of using them.
Do Toyota Rav4 Hold Their Value?
When you are looking for a car that you know you will want to resell in a few years, it is important to know that it will have a good retail price. It is also a great way of seeing if the vehicle is worth your money or not.
Yes, Toyota Rav4 does hold its value. The price of a Toyota Rav4 will drop 40% in the first five years of using it. As a result, they are in third place on the list of all the vehicles good at holding their value.
The price drop won’t only depend on the car, but also on you. This price drop only goes for vehicles that are kept in good condition, are accident-free, and have less than 12,000 miles spent per year.
How Much Is a Used Toyota Rav4?
Here are all the average prices listed for Toyota Rav4.
| Year | Average Price |
| 2010 | $10,997 |
| 2011 | $12,789 |
| 2012 | $13,900 |
| 2013 | $14,998 |
| 2014 | $15,624 |
| 2015 | $18,998 |
| 2016 | $19,900 |
| 2017 | $21,812 |
| 2018 | $23,500 |
| 2019 | $26,999 |
| 2020 | $27,799 |
| 2021 | $34,499 |
Why Are Used Toyota Rav4 So Expensive?
If you want to buy a good quality car, you have to be ready to pay the price for it. Buying a used Toyota Rav4 can lower the price, or buying an older version, but they are still on the pricier side of the market. Why is that?
Toyota Rav4 is so expensive given their high-reliability score, and also because they are very high-quality cars with innovative safety features, which makes them great family cars.
You will have to spend a few thousand extra compared to its competitors, but isn’t it better to spend more money when buying the car, and knowing that you are buying a good car, then having to give lots of money on repairs?
Where to Buy a Used Toyota Rav4?
Deciding where to buy your car can be difficult, too, with many websites and stores available today. That’s why we wanted to list some of the best.
The best websites to buy your used Toyota Rav4 are Edmunds, CarMax, and CarGurus; they are 100% legit websites you won’t get scammed on.
If you have your knowledge about Toyota Rav4 and the money for it ready, all there is left to do is buy it, but let’s first talk about a few of the problems people have faced when owning a Toyota Rav4.
What Problems Does Toyota Rav4 Have?
Here are some of the problems you may face with your Toyota Rav4.
AC Smelling Like Mold- Some owners of Toyota Rav4 have reported moldy smells coming out of the AC. Toyota says that this problem comes from microbes growing on evaporator surfaces, which grow in warm and moist environments. What you can do in this case is report your problem directly to Toyota, and they will solve it for you.
Interior Accessory Problems- This problem has happened most to the 2013 model year where customers reported their navigation system is too difficult to see. Adjusting the brightness and contrast on your screen won’t help. Because this problem is not easily solved, we would suggest avoiding this model year.
Transmission Problems- Many customers have reported their Toyota Rav4 having transmission slippage, rough shifts, and even hesitating at slower speeds. This is a pretty severe problem, and it has surprisingly happened the most to the 2019 model year, even though it is a newer model.
What Years Are Bad for Toyota Rav4?
Toyota Rav4 is, as you can see from the article, a very reliable and safe car, and a good family car option. However, that doesn’t mean that there were not some bad years for Toyota Rav4, too; here are some of them.
The bad years for Toyota Rav4 are the 2013 to 2018 model years or the fourth generation of Toyota Rav4. They have had the most complaints over the years, and they should be avoided at any cost. However, the problems that these model years’ problems are the most expensive ones, so we do not suggest buying them.
The worst out of all is the model year 2013, with the most complaints out of all, so if you have your eye set on any other model year from the fourth generation, it will definitely be better than buying the 2013 model year.
