Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid reaches 30 per cent of Australian sales as supply lifts

Plug-in share hits planning target

Toyota Australia says plug-in hybrid variants have represented about 30 per cent of RAV4 sales since the new-generation model launched in June. The figure was reported by Autotalk, which also quotes sales, marketing and franchise operations vice president John Pappas describing the take-up as part of strong demand across the brand's petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric line-up. ²

That outcome closely matches the planning assumption Toyota set before the PHEV arrived. Speaking with CarExpert at the April launch of the new-generation RAV4 in Tasmania, Mr Pappas said the brand was "expecting that the plug-in hybrid in the first sort of 12 months of full run rate to be around 30 per cent of the order intake, or thereabouts". He told CarExpert the company's dealer network had taken more than 10,000 pre-orders for the new RAV4 before it went to wholesale. ⁴

GoAuto, which also spoke with Mr Pappas at the same launch, reported the same expectation and quoted him suggesting demand could exceed the sales composition plan once customers saw and drove the car. "But that is our planning assumption as it stands, and if we need to try and get more PHEV stock going forward, then we will work with TMC on that," he told GoAuto. ³¹

September result and record-quarter target

Autotalk reports the new-generation RAV4 remained Toyota's best-selling model in September with 4624 units sold, within a monthly brand total of 17,682 deliveries and a 17.2 per cent market share that kept Toyota in the market lead. Toyota is targeting a record fourth quarter for 2026 as additional vehicles secured earlier in the year continue to reach customers, according to the publication. ²

Toyota's September result also included 2006 LandCruiser Prado sales and a best-yet month for the bZ4X battery-electric SUV with 410 units, Autotalk reports. Mr Pappas told the publication that strong sales across the range was a vindication of the benefits the multi-pathway strategy delivers for customers. ²

Volume expectations and market context

At the April launch, GoAuto reported Toyota Australia's expectation that it would sell more than 40,000 RAV4s locally in 2026, rising by another 10,000 units to the end of the 2027 calendar year. CarExpert noted that with only 3842 RAV4s delivered to the end of March as the old generation was phased out, Mr Pappas's 30 per cent projection indicated roughly 10,000 of the year's deliveries could be PHEVs. ³¹⁴

CarExpert's own analysis of those projections suggested such a volume would place Toyota on the PHEV sales podium for 2026, noting that in 2025 only the BYD Shark 6 ute exceeded 10,000 PHEV registrations and the BYD Sealion 6 SUV was second with 9055. That would also leapfrog Mitsubishi's Outlander PHEV, a direct RAV4 PHEV rival, which took third place outright in 2025 with 4110 registrations, CarExpert reported. ⁴

GoAuto reported that Toyota sold 51,947 RAV4s in Australia in 2025, all hybrid powered following the discontinuation of the petrol-only version in 2024, making the RAV4 Toyota's most popular model and the second best-selling vehicle overall locally. ³¹

Specifications and pricing

The RAV4 range in Australia comprises 11 variants across two-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations with hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. GoAuto reported PHEV deliveries commencing in the third quarter of 2026, with both powertrains using a 2.5-litre petrol engine paired with one or two electric motors, hybrid variants producing a combined 143kW and PHEV variants 201kW in 2WD and 227kW in AWD form. The PHEV's 22.7kWh lithium-ion battery targets a 100km electric-only driving range on the WLTP cycle, according to GoAuto. ³¹

CarExpert reported the PHEV was on sale across three variants from $58,840 before on-road costs, and described the 227kW AWD version as the most powerful production RAV4 ever, with a WLTP-certified electric range of around 100km per charge. GoAuto separately listed full-range pricing starting from $45,990 plus on-road costs for the entry-level GX 2WD hybrid and topping out at $66,340 for the range-topping GR Sport AWD PHEV. These figures are manufacturer list prices excluding on-road costs. ⁴³¹

CarExpert noted the RAV4 is the first Toyota model offered in Australia with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, although a previous-generation RAV4 PHEV was available in overseas markets. GoAuto separately recorded Mr Pappas confirming Toyota has sold PHEVs globally in the Prius and C-HR, and telling the publication that beyond the RAV4 there were no confirmed plans for additional PHEV models locally, with the importer assessing powertrain options on their merits under its multi-pathway approach. ⁴³¹

What comes next

Toyota plans to expand the RAV4 plug-in hybrid range during the first quarter of 2027 with the addition of a GXL two-wheel drive PHEV grade, Autotalk reports. Whether the roughly 30 per cent plug-in share holds as the range widens and supply improves will be measured against the record fourth-quarter delivery target Mr Pappas has set for the brand. ²