Skip to main content
2020 Toyota RAV4 driving on the highway

The Best Toyota RAV4 Years for a Used Model

With its many features and high ratings, the Toyota RAV4 has been a longstanding consumer favorite. When shopping used models, it can be confusing to know what years are best. We suggest considering the 2017 and 2018 model years. These two are both known for being well built and are suitable for any lifestyle but …

With its many features and high ratings, the Toyota RAV4 has been a longstanding consumer favorite. When shopping used models, it can be confusing to know what years are best. We suggest considering the 2017 and 2018 model years. These two are both known for being well built and are suitable for any lifestyle but also make great cars for small families especially.

The best Toyota RAV4 years for a used model are 2017 and 2018

2020 Toyota RAV4
2020 Toyota RAV4 | Toyota

The 2017 RAV4

The 2017 RAV4 is very affordable, coming in at around $15,600 to $25,500. Along with many other Toyota models, 2017 comes with many safety features that come standard on every model that include adaptive cruise control, automatic high beam headlights, forward collision warning, and more. The 2017 model gets an overall rating of about 4.8 stars from Cars.com for reliability, exterior, and comfort.  

The 2018 RAV4

There were some complaints with the 2018 model, including brake problems, and some minor steering, and body/paint issues. Other than that, it is still a great car, which just like the 2017, it is very affordable. The price range sets at about $15,500 to $26,000, which is still an excellent price for a car like this. Cars.com gave the 2018 RAV4 an overall rating of 4.8 stars for comfort, exterior styling, performance, interior, and liability. 

Why not 2020?

The 2020 Toyota RAV4 maintains the all features previous owners enjoy. As expected with a newer model, the features, interior comforts, and exterior styling will have some small notable upgrades. You’ll also see an update in price point here, costing a bit over $10,000 more than the previous 2017 and 2018 models. All year models maintain similar ratings. Considering the earlier models do keep their high scores and have a lower price point, this makes the 2017 and 2018 models seem like a more budget-friendly alternative than the 2020 model.

The 2017 and 2018 Toyota RAV4 are fantastic daily drivers as well as family cars, and with the affordable pricing, it makes these more attractive over other model years. They provide all the needed features of a safe vehicle while also being capable and stylish on the road.