Toyota RAV4

Sixth-generation family SUV will offer plug-in hybrid power and a GR Sport variant On sale Spring 2026 Price from £46,000 (est)

- STEVE HUNTINGFORD

WHILE THOMAS EDISON is generally credited with inventing the lightbulb, the rather less-celebrated Warren de la Rue actually got there first.

And it could be argued that the Toyota RAV4 is the de la Rue of the car world. You see, the Nissan Qashqai tends to be thought of as the first mainstream family SUV. However, the original RAV4 offered a similar mix of rugged looks and hatchback-like handling more than a decade earlier; there was even the option to specify it without four-wheel drive if you cared more about cutting your fuel bills than cutting a swathe through the countryside.

It's a formula that the new, sixth-generation RAV4 is sticking to, with the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant that we'll be getting in the UK coming in both front and four-wheel-drive forms. However, the latter version gives you more power by combining its petrol engine with an extra electric motor that boosts total output from 264bhp to 300bhp - enough for 0-62mph in just 5.8sec.