This is Probably the New Toyota RAV4

by Chris Teague

Published: May 12th, 2025

Toyota sells a ton of RAV4s, with almost half a million of the SUVs hitting Americans’ driveways last year alone. It’s selling well despite its age, too, as it has been on sale since 2019 without a complete redesign. That said, Toyota is expected to release a refreshed RAV4 for the 2026 model year, and the automaker’s European arm recently gave us a quick teaser.

Toyota hasn’t come out and said that this is definitely the new RAV4, but the images it shared align pretty closely with spy shots seen in recent months. The good news for those of you excited about the new crossover is that we only have to wait until May 21 for confirmation one way or the other.

The vehicle seen in the spy shots certainly looks like a RAV4, though it features a revised exterior with unique headlights and a more modern look. Toyota said the mystery vehicle is ready for “urban streets to outdoor retreats,” so we’ll likely continue to see a myriad of trims if it is a RAV4.

Toyota is expected to keep RAV4 production in the United States at its Kentucky factory, but we may see early variants imported from the automaker’s factories abroad. The move to hold production in the U.S. would help Toyota avoid some of President Trump’s tariff fiasco, but who knows how many more times it will change before 2026.

[Images: Toyota]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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2 of 12 comments

Spookiness on May 12, 2025

It's already been seen, last week. Plenty full-frontal photos out there. That dash is horrid though. They took Prius's already-bad design and propagated it.

1 Reply
Jonathan H. on May 15, 2025

They only make Hybrid versions of the RAV in Kentucky

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