Toyota RAV4 GXL AWD goes long-term as sixth-gen SUV keeps topping Australian sales

A long-term test of Australia's sales leader

Chasing Cars has started a six-month long-term review of a 2026 Toyota RAV4 GXL AWD, the one-up-from-base grade of the new sixth-generation range, in the brand's Urban Rock premium paint. On the July morning the car landed in the publication's garage, the RAV4 was about to celebrate its third month back on top of the Australian sales charts as the biggest-selling nameplate overall, according to Chasing Cars deputy editor Curt Dupriez. ¹

The choice of variant reflects buyer behaviour: Chasing Cars notes the GXL has traditionally been a popular choice as the first 'nice' grade beyond the fleet-oriented GX, in a lineup that has recently added plug-in hybrid options to its staple series-parallel hybrid convention. ¹

Plug-in demand, timing and buying-service popularity

The new PHEV has made an immediate mark. According to Toyota Australia, as reported by Chasing Cars, the plug-in powertrain for this 'all-new' model accounted for almost 40 per cent of RAV4 sales pretty much from launch. ¹

Timing context matters, however. The NRMA's 2026 RAV4 review, published in April, noted that while standard hybrid models were already in dealerships, PHEV variants were not arriving until later in 2026, with the plug-in line-up spanning an XSE grade and a new range-topping GR Sport. ³

Separate buying-service data points the same direction. CarExpert reported that the RAV4 was the most popular new vehicle purchased through its buying service in September 2026, climbing from eighth place two months earlier to the top spot, ahead of the Geely Starray EM-i and Hyundai Kona. The RAV4 also generated the most enquiries among CarExpert customers that month. CarExpert notes these figures reflect activity through its own buying service rather than the wider new-vehicle market. ⁵

Pricing, running costs and what GXL adds

Chasing Cars' long-termer is priced on list at $52,340 before on-road costs: a $3000 step up from the entry GX 2WD hybrid ($45,990) to the GXL, a further $3350 for all-wheel drive, and $675 for the Urban Rock premium paint, taking the tested car to $58,200 drive-away including on-road costs. The publication observes that no RAV4 can now be landed privately for under $50,000 in 2026. ¹

Running costs are part of the price-rise story. According to Chasing Cars' 2026 RAV4 review, capped-price servicing costs have increased by more than 20 per cent, with every scheduled dealer maintenance visit costing $335 over five years or 75,000km. The publication notes this still makes the RAV4 one of the cheaper midsize SUVs to service in its segment, while the move to premium unleaded adds to fuel bills. ²

Over the base GX, the GXL brings 18-inch wheels (with a spare otherwise a $300 option on the GX), an electric driver's seat with lumbar adjustment, wireless Qi phone charging and privacy glass, according to Chasing Cars, which describes the two grades as otherwise near-identical, including cloth trim and the 10.5-inch media touchscreen. ¹

The next rung, the Edge AWD at $55,340 list, adds a larger 12.9-inch media screen, leather-accented trim, a powered tailgate and a 20mm-wider-track exterior treatment, per Chasing Cars. CarExpert's pricing tables show the Edge AWD hybrid is the one variant to receive a price cut in the new range, down $3020, but note that Toyota has said the grade was 'repositioned', meaning it likely lost some equipment from the outgoing flagship to achieve that. The NRMA's 2026 RAV4 review lists the broader hybrid range at $45,990 (GX), $48,990 (GXL), $55,340 (Edge), $59,015 (XSE) and $56,990 (Cruiser) before on-road costs, with all-wheel drive a $3350 option on grades where it is not standard; CarExpert's tables instead list the XSE AWD hybrid at $58,340, a difference that has not been reconciled in the available reporting. ¹³⁴

Powertrain: less power, premium fuel, strong efficiency claims

The new RAV4 uses Toyota's fifth-generation 2.5-litre hybrid system, but combined output has fallen to 143kW for both front- and all-wheel-drive versions, down from 160kW and 163kW in the outgoing model. Both the NRMA and CarExpert attribute the reduction to tougher emissions requirements, with torque unchanged at 221Nm and the AWD variants adding a 40kW/121Nm rear-axle motor. ³⁴⁷

A consequence, noted by both outlets, is that the engine now demands 95 RON premium unleaded where the old model ran on regular 91. Claimed fuel use improves marginally: 4.5L/100km for front-drive versions and 4.6L/100km for all-wheel drive, per the NRMA; Chasing Cars cites Toyota figures of 4.6L/100km combined for its AWD tester, 4.4L around town and 4.8L on the open road. Toyota claims 0-100km/h in 8.0 seconds (FWD) and 7.7 seconds (AWD), and the NRMA lists towing at 800kg FWD and 1500kg AWD. ¹³

Above the hybrid sits the PHEV range, priced before on-roads by CarExpert at $58,840 (XSE FWD), $63,340 (XSE AWD) and $66,340 (GR Sport AWD), with a 22.7kWh battery, up to 227kW in AWD form and Toyota targeting up to 100km of electric driving (WLTP). CarExpert also highlights the plug-in's charging capability: the system supports 11kW AC charging and 50kW DC fast-charging, which it calls rare for a PHEV and sufficient for a 10-80 per cent top-up in around 30 minutes. Chasing Cars notes the XSE AWD plug-in at $63,340 list is the thick end of $70,000 drive-away. The Beep's October 2026 hybrid SUV guide, however, lists the XSE PHEV at $59,515 before on-roads, and the NRMA likewise quotes $59,515 to $64,015 for the PHEV XSE grades, figures that do not match CarExpert's $58,840 and $63,340 for the same grades. These conflicting list prices have not been reconciled in the available reporting. ⁴¹⁶³

Cabin tech, the Arene system and long-term niggles

All sixth-generation RAV4s get a 12.3-inch digital driver's display and Toyota's new in-house Arene operating system, supporting over-the-air updates and the myToyota Connect app for remote locking, window closing and smartphone-as-a-key functions, the NRMA reports. CarExpert adds that all grades carry embedded and connected satellite navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with 10.5-inch screens on GX and GXL and 12.9-inch units on Edge and above, and connected services packages that include six years of complimentary Connected Multimedia. ³⁷

Early long-term observations from Chasing Cars are mixed. The 10.5-inch GXL media system's voice assistant has triggered unprompted during in-cabin conversation, Bluetooth calls and streamed media from day one, while preset beeping had to be muted via the media screen submenus and the driver monitor system repeatedly chided the tester for glancing at cabin screens. The 12.3-inch driver's display can also mirror Google Maps from a phone, with navigation accuracy gaps such as a missing Sydney M4 tunnel noted on the embedded system. ¹

Safety rating gap and the competition context

The new RAV4 launched without an ANCAP safety rating, which the NRMA notes will be absent for much of 2026. Toyota says it will update the car later in 2026 with enhancements to the passive and active safety systems that are expected to earn five stars under the latest ANCAP protocols, that the changes involve no structural modification, and that they will not be retrofittable to earlier vehicles, according to the NRMA. ³

Context for the nameplate's position remains strong. CarExpert notes the RAV4 was the world's best-selling car in 2025 with more than one million sales globally and has dominated Australia's biggest vehicle segment, and Chasing Cars' verdict on the new generation rated it 8.0 overall, finding it a very easy SUV to recommend despite price hikes, stingier GXL equipment, and a loud petrol engine now running on premium fuel. ⁷²

In The Beep's October 2026 ranking of Australia's best hybrid SUVs, the RAV4 PHEV was named best plug-in hybrid, rated 8.7, with praise for up to 227kW in AWD form and a 0-100km/h time of 5.8 seconds, and caveats including the absence of an ANCAP rating at the time of the guide, the non-retrofittable safety update, and the 95 RON fuel requirement. ⁶