Toyota RAV4 alternatives: Seven mid-size SUVs you may want to consider instead
Toyota’s RAV4 is a great all-rounder, but here are seven alternatives you might like to consider
The Toyota RAV4 was one of the first cars to blur the line between regular passenger vehicles and tough but agricultural 4x4s when it arrived in 1994. So successful was this new SUV that you could argue it kick-started the entire genre – it wasn’t long before the likes of Honda, Land Rover, and others were offering cars that traded some off-road ability for on-road comfort, economy and handling.
Today the RAV4 is in its fifth generation, and has far more rivals to contend with. Now offered in the UK only in plug-in hybrid form, with prices starting around £44,000, it’s a fantastic all-rounder. You get space, practicality, and plenty of performance (the plug-in hybrid drivetrain makes a hot hatchback-like 302bhp, for 0-62mph in only six seconds), but excellent economy, low running costs, and Toyota longevity too.
But if you’re not quite sold on the idea of the RAV4, then we’ve got seven other options that might tempt you away, including other models from Toyota, one of our favourite mid-size SUVs, and rivals offering everything from diesel to electric power, too.
Hyundai Tucson
- Prices from £33,080
The Hyundai Tucson has to be on your shortlist if you’re considering a Toyota RAV4, as it’s one of the best mid-size SUVs on the market. In fact, we’ve voted it just that in the Auto Express New Car Awards in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, which isn’t bad considering that, launched in 2020, the Tucson is now one of the older models in this class.
The brand did freshen up the Tucson in 2024 so it’s not like there have been no changes. The interior is more modern than before, if a little more generic with its standard-issue widescreen display, and there are mild hybrid, full hybrid, and plug-in hybrid options. The last of these is most closely matched to the RAV4 in concept, but undercuts it on price, with a £39,285 starting point in Advance trim. The Tucson looks good, is easy to drive, and has plenty of space, so there’s a lot here to like.
Peugeot 3008
- Prices from £35,890
The latest Peugeot 3008 is available in hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric forms, so the French brand offers more choice in its RAV4 rival than the Toyota. More style too: it’s one of the sharpest-looking family SUVs on the roads, and the cabin is seriously dramatic, with its sweeping design, bridge-like centre console, and curved display screen arrangement. The quality’s good too – perhaps not in the same long-lasting sense as the Toyota, but it has the RAV4 beaten for ambience.
The plug-in hybrid model doesn’t have the Toyota’s punch, making a more modest 192bhp, though Peugeot claims even better fuel efficiency at its peak, thanks in part to a longer 55-mile WLTP range in EV mode, ahead of the RAV4’s 46 miles. Even ignoring the power difference the Peugeot can’t match the Toyota hybrid system’s response, but it’s light and manoeuvrable to drive and it’s practical too.
Honda CR-V
- Prices from £47,350
The original Honda CR-V arrived a few years after the first RAV4, and the two Japanese SUVs have been trading blows ever since. The Toyota was originally the more funky, but over the years both have veered more towards families than young and active lifestyle types, and there are plenty of similarities between the two.
The Honda’s actually a touch longer and it’s taller too, but they offer similar amounts of passenger space, while the Honda nudges ahead for boot volume: 635 litres in the plug-in or 596 in the regular hybrid, to the RAV4’s 580. And as we’ve just let on, you get hybrid and plug-in options in the Honda, just like the Toyota, though the CR-V is nothing like as rapid as the RAV4 in plug-in form. Pricing starts in the £44,000 range, just like the Toyota, so it also seems a little expensive, but both Japanese models feel like high-quality products to justify the cost.
Mazda CX-5
- Prices from £31,330
Talented though the RAV4 is, it’s not a car that looks or feels particularly special, nor rewards drivers who seek more than just basic transportation. Not many of the other alternatives here do either, but the Mazda CX-5 does, with stylish looks, a tasteful and attractively-trimmed interior, and driving manners one or two notches above most cars in this class.
Clichéd it might be, but the CX-5 really does feel like it comes from the same company as the MX-5 sports car, with direct and nicely-weighted steering, and suspension that keeps body movements in check but also soaks up most road imperfections. The infotainment is less flashy than some but straightforward to use, while the car is also spacious and well-equipped. There’s no RAV4-matching plug-in hybrid powertrain, though, so economy isn’t quite on the same level – even if Mazda’s petrol engines are frugal in real-world driving.
Skoda Karoq
- Prices from £30,940
RAV4 aside, the Skoda Karoq is probably the ultimate no-nonsense choice in the family SUV class. It won’t wow you with its styling, but it’s well-proportioned and handsome enough, and the cabin is pretty strait-laced too, but all the easier to use because of it. It’s one of those cars that’s unlikely to irritate you day-to-day – perhaps enhanced by the fact it’s now towards the end of its lifespan, so hasn’t adopted some common frustrations with modern car tech.
That does mean it’s a little behind on drivetrain technology, with no hybrid or plug-in available, but if you prefer diesel you’re in luck, as there’s a 48.7mpg 2.0-litre TDI in the range which comes with four-wheel drive as standard. If you really want a plug, Skoda could direct you to the Elroq or Enyaq anyway, while if you need more space, Skoda also offers the larger Kodiaq. Half the Skoda range could be a RAV4 alternative, really.
Toyota C-HR
- Prices from £31,645
If you like the idea of the RAV4 but don’t need quite as much space, then why not look further down Toyota’s own range? The Toyota C-HR is one of the most distinctive, striking-looking cars on the roads, and while the styling won’t suit everyone, the car underneath is as thoroughly sensible (and potentially dependable) as the larger RAV4.
As the range starts with conventional hybrid models (there are 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre engines available), it’s a good deal cheaper than the RAV4, even if the £31,300 entry point is relatively expensive among its peers. But Toyota does offer a plug-in version too, starting at £39,145, or about £5,000 less than the RAV4. The plug-in C-HR gets around 41 miles on a charge, but even operating as a regular hybrid, economy well into the 50mpg range is possible. It’s sportier to drive than the RAV4 too, if not quite as quick in a straight line: the plug-in gets from 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds.
Lexus NX
- Prices from £44,845
Here’s another from the Toyota stable, but going in the other direction from the C-HR. The Lexus NX is essentially the luxury brand’s version of the RAV4, and in 242bhp front-wheel drive hybrid form its starting price is in the same ballpark as the Toyota, at £44,445. For the plug-in version (with the same 302bhp output as the Toyota) you’re looking at £49,995, but on finance there’s not a lot in it, thanks to the NX’s strong residual values.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the NX feels similar to drive to the Toyota. But its cabin definitely takes a step upwards in class, with a more luxurious ambience, its infotainment screen better integrated into the dash layout, and expensive-feeling materials everywhere you look and touch – though a little less gloss black plastic would be nice. The boot’s a little smaller too at 521 litres to the RAV’s 580, but passenger space is similar.
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