Hello to the Remaining Rav4 EV Owners Out There

[laguna_b]

I worked for Toyota (Headquarters in Torrance, CA) back in December 2014 when I decided to use my employee discount to buy a new RAV4 EV. At the time there were none available in the LA region where I live so I went up to Palo Alto to buy my white EV. People at my office thought I was crazy to buy one due to the known engine whine issue and high price. Yet here I am 9 years later very happy I did so. The car has 111k miles on it and it’s still going strong! Super versatile and nearly maintenance free. I always charge at home and with my level-2 charger it’s quick and easy. I’ve owned about 20 Toyotas (and Lexus’) over the years but the EV is the best of all! I’ve considered purchasing a Tesla, but can’t bear to sell my beloved RAV4 EV. Are there any other original owners out there like me?

Bought my first 2014 in 14 and it was totalled from a modest head-on collision and $4k wiring harness replacement cost. Second 2014 took someone's lease and had a battery contractor failure. Dealer sent battery in under warranty and my 146 mile battery came back at 123 miles! They just swapped another OLD battery so I turned it in at end of lease after battling Toyota. Last and current I bought in 2017 just before end of lease and got the extended warranty which was great cuz the heater modules went out for $6k and the motor whine issue got replaced before end of warranty. Also have a new Y but my RAV4 EV will ALWAYS be my favorite car to drive.

 

[janeva]

We are the original owners of a 2013 Silver, which now has 147,000 miles! Motor was replaced twice, once at 78,000 miles and the second time at 89,000. Both under warranty, thank goodness, because the first bill was $12,000 and the second was over $27,000 and took a month to complete.

The car has literally saved my sanity. I'm in Los Angeles and used to drive from the north San Fernando Valley to West LA for work on the 405 Freeway. I was able to use the carpool lane for five years (three original years and then it was extended for two at that time)! When I had to go back to the regular lanes, I almost lost my mind. We are now retired and don't drive much. Range is maybe 80 miles. We are also on the original brakes! I use the regenerative braking all the time.

We will be looking to buy next year. The car has been wonderful and it has served us well for ten years. The only thing we are missing is the long range. We know that other issues are imminent and wish to switch to a new car before costly repairs are necessary.

Like many of you, we will never buy a gas engine again. We were excited about the Chevrolet Equinox EV priced at $30,000, but that price has already been increased and the delivery delayed. Would love to own another Toyota, but I guess we'll have to wait until they decide to be serious about EVs.

I and someone else just bought a 2024 Ioniq. Loving it so far but only still have driven less that 100 miles.

 

[Bobgirl]

Bobgirl, I too am watching the EV market for the right time to downgrade to a new EV but with more mileage per charge. I am reading that prices will likely start falling in the next year or two as production costs, including batteries, drop. I want to wait long enough for solid state batteries to start rolling out, maybe 2027. It would be awesome, to have an EV that could fully charge in 10 minutes with no risk of fire or battery degradation. The 600+/- range would not hurt either. I’m sure those will start out pricey, so we’ll see.

Hello:
We took the plunge 10 days ago and bought a Hyundai Ioniq 5. After a ton of research, this was the best car for us. The first charge to 100% (Level 2 at home) got us 318 miles and the second time it charged up to 329 miles! We had hoped to keep it, but ultimately decided to trade in our beloved RAV4 EV. The Ioniq is a lot to learn, but it's already a very impressive car. Good luck in your future search.

 

[cboo]

Sacramento here. Second owner of a 2014 with 52000 miles. Had my first service a few months ago. The coolant needed replacement and a strut or some-such was leaking. I also had the 12 volt replaced - shoulda asked for a new one upon purchase. I only wish that I could change the motor noise to a growl. I swear that was off when I did the test drive.

 

[KurtManz]

Still rolling in the Seattle area! In fact just ordered new set of tires!
MICHELIN X-TOUR A/S 2 225/65R17 102H

She's got just over 76K miles, still on the original motor :O (it refused to whine during all the years I had a warranty!)
Did all the other changes including cabin heater and had toyota of seattle replace all the cooling liquids about a year ago.

It's a great commuter... wife drives it every day and likes it.
We're talking about next car ... would have to be a 6-7 seater EV and there's not much in the market yet and that's ok since this car has been so good for us. I think we'll drive it until the motor gives out.

Is Tony Williams still fixing these?

 

[hbrav]

We own a 2013 Model S P85+ and 2012 White RAV. I just inherited a Toyota Highlander with low miles and will need to get rid of a car. Its a tough debate I have unlimited charging and free internet on the Tesla. Unfortunately in our experience the Toyota/Tesla has been incredibly reliable, the Model S much less so. Where do I start is it the constantly breaking door handles or the unknown error messages that our new 12v battery is low and vehicle about to shutdown? Either way Toyotas are way more reliable than Tesla's in our opinion so we will be putting the Tesla up for sale its worth between 15500 and 19500 according to Recurrent has a low 34K miles on it but we will probably sell it and drive the Highlander and the RAV. I will miss the cool tech and speedy acceleration and such but if only the car was put together better. Anyone interested in a 2013 Model S P85+ everything working solid low miles unlimited charging and internet let me know. I'd love to get 18500 obo for it.

 

[cboo]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have an NX Hybrid and a 2014 Rav. I think that's a winning combination. Teslas have become too expensive to insure, not to mention repair. I am hoping for a better something from Toyota in the future or maybe a Ford ev.

 

[alflash]

.... I am hoping for a better something from Toyota in the future or maybe a Ford ev.

Take a look
https://www.toyota.com/bz4x/
and
https://www.lexus.com/models/RZ

 

[cboo]

Definitely contenders.

 

[miimura]

Be sure to look at reviews covering DC charging performance. They're not great. However, if you only charge at home on AC, it probably doesn't matter.

 

[asavage]

The Toyota bz4x ("busy forks") is widely panned as a mediocre offering, but it is a Toyota and it is a BEV.

Transport Evolved (YT) did a review of the Lexus version, and I think I recall they liked it worse than the Toyota version.

 

[OR Nurse]

Hi There!

I have almost 130,000 miles on mine. I am not the original owner. I bought it in April 2021 with 94,854 miles.

Recently I had the onboard charger blow a fuse, and I followed one of the excellent write-ups on this board to replace it. 6 months later, it unfortunately blew again. Thanks to the JdeMO I can still charge, but not as conveniently.

I'm currently in Santa Barbara but I take the car to San Jose once a moth or so. Blizzard Perl (white, with patches of paint coming off.)

I love the car even though it's fragile.

I am having mine repainted after it sat outside for a year at the dealership waiting for a repair that the Marin Toyota dealership stated they wouldn't attempt again. The paint defect is the result of a smooth undercoat and is covered by Toyota if you get it scheduled before the expiration date. Mine is up this Sept. 2024.