Toyota RAV4 Prime VS Volkswagen ID 4 comparison

In California the wait for Prime is 3-4 years if you want to pay MSRP. If you pay dealer adjusted markup of 5-10k USD, you can get one sooner. Only state I found any expected is Florida. However, they are likely pre-sold.

Most EVs have 1-2 year list for base model. Ford 150 Lightning probably has 5 year waiting list for 39,000 USD model. There is an extreme shortage of batteries, so there really is no point reviewing vaporware, enjoying the channel!

It’s astonishing to me how fugly the RAV4 Prime is on the interior. They aren’t even trying. I’ve considered hard the RAV4 Prime but I went with the Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV instead. Still a 2 month wait time to get it at MSRP but that’s completely reasonable in todays market. The Santa Fe rivals Luxury SUV interior quality for far less money.

Toyo has lost me with the dated 90’s interior.

In Los Angeles everyone wants $6K or more above MSRP for the RAV4 Prime. Just insane.

Test Drove ID4 and was disappointed that it doesn’t have true 1 pedal driving. Coming from a Kia Niro EV, one pedal driving is great once you get used to it. Easier on the foot and it’s just nuts VW doesn’t even give you the option to have 1 pedal driving.

Otherwise I really enjoyed the ID4 but also thought it wasn’t a big enough size upgrade from my Kia Niro EV in storage room. I want a larger vehicle and ended up choosing Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV to achieve larger size while going for the cleaner option.

Fellow Canadian reviewer MotoManTV stated that ID4 AWD has poor brakes because of rear drum brakes. Did you notice that issue?

Zac, I think you nailed it when you said a lot of people are concerned about the rapidly changing tech in the EV scene. In two or three years, we may see EV's that charge in 5 minutes and have a range of 800km. That's when it'll make sense to jump in. The depreciation of the current crop of EV's will be wicked bad when those new ones come out!

Recently had the same choice plus Tucson PHEV, but at the end has bought slightly used Mercedes GLC 300e PHEV.

ID4 has 3 years free charging at Electrify America

I'm currently enjoying my 2018 Outlander PHEV, but have ordered a Prime to replace it (paid the deposit almost a year ago) since I want more towing capacity for back country camping, and more electric range in the city. Full electric wouldn't work towing a small trailer in the remote places we like to camp. I hope the Rav4Prime shows up this year, before summer.

If Rav4 Prime is so good then why can’t Toyota build more of them? Are EVs having the same issues for availability? Maybe I’ll stay with an ICE. Old Saying, if you can’t afford the gas then you can’t afford the car!! 🤔🤔

We’d go with either of these vehicles if we could get one but the wait for both is over a year. So, next vehicle will likely be smaller gasoline.

ID4 hasn't arrived in Ontario yet but I hear it's software is a work in progress. Apparently they have a new version called 3.0 and that they have enabled OTA updates but I don't understand why they haven't pushed it out to every car on the road yet. Honestly, I like the look of the Ioniq 5 but it's trunk is smaller, no pano roof unless you go for the top trim, no free quick charging and no rear wiper (which is kind of goofy they didn't tuck one under the top spoiler). And quite frankly, quick charging in Toronto is basically non existent so the 800V charging isn't much of a plus. where's all of the quick charging stations???

I think I'll get an ID4 AWD hoping that the software gets upgraded rapidly going forward.

Re: buying a vehicle in a transitional period like this. Don't buy, lease so you aren't stuck with a vehicle that's been rapidly outdated.

Bought the Bolt and after the car fires and recall, had them buy it back. Lost thousands for buying EV. So when you mentioned what are going to do, I'm going to buy a gas car. EVs haven't proven they are safe or reliable, maybe Tesla but they keep increasing their price. Now it's wait and see. In ten years the EV market might be affordable and reliable but now it's unstable and unproven.

I'll still take a MACAN... Andrea I'm sure would, as well. lol

Currently driving a 2000 VW Jetta TDI which has over 400,000 Km on it. Europeans get diesel hybrids, very unfortunate that we don't get engine / platform option here. My next vehicle will be 100% electric.

No knobs=a finger print mess! Based on the current US infrastructure for EVs, hybrid seems like a better option. Once Motormouth gets to review the Audi E-tron Sportback though I may go all in. Andrea sold us on Mazda CX-5 for our teen, however, we wished they had a hybrid trim.

Hybrid or PHEV for my next vehicle. Not yet ready for full EV due to infrastructure not yet fully in place. The best would be a Prime but with 1-2yr wait which btw is ridiculous (come on Toyota!) then RAV4 Hybrid or Tucson Hybrid would be my next choice!

In January 2021 I contacted a local auto broker I use to order a RAV 4 Prime. I decided not to go through with the ordering process when I found out it could take up to two years to get the vehicle.

I've driven both and while the ID.4 is smoother because it's full EV, I still think the Rav4 Prime would still be my choice. Not ready to jump into an EV just yet.

Zach . . . The ID.4 receives three years of free charging on the Electrify America network. Please correct your earlier statement in the review. Thanks!

I think that I wait until I find more enjoyable electric cars than gas powered ones. I have a Camry TRD and a Camaro ZL1. While it will happen in the future, I haven't found an electric at $31k that offers more than the Camry, or that I enjoy more on the track at $50k than the Camaro.

Three Rav 4 Manufacturing plants in North America and NOT one of them make the Prime. Unbelievable

Watched you drive the ID4 and you seem to be shaking like a leaf. I think if 5 year old gasoline vehicles are almost give away I'll take one of those for cheap.

Went from a 2010 V8 4x4 Borrego SUV to a Niro hybrid in 2020. Was considering a PHEV at the time, but I am happy with this car. Still also have a 2015 Sportage, which I plan to trade in by 2025. Maybe a PHEV this time or another ICE. Just not ready for an EV yet, but things can change in the next couple of years.

I won't get an EV nor PHEV for my next vehicle. Although gas prices are increasing, gas resources are still more reliable compare to electric. More fuel stations, fast fuelling, longer range, etc. Although charging time are shortened a lot, it still takes too much time compare to pumping gas. Battery reliability is also a problem over several years. The charging station infrastructures are still immature right now. Regular short commute maybe ok, long distance family travelling no way.

The Dealership i went to get a quote on my Chevy Malibu Hybrid said that they pay less for Hybrids because the cost
of battery replacement makes it less valuable than a ICE only car.. i didnt trade it as it was clear i could do better

Reliability of Volkswagen...lol Case closed

This is simple, VWs are absolute unreliable junk.

What the heck is natural resources Canada smoking? When was the last time we had $1/litrr gas.... 2005? And 15 cents per kwh is pretty steep for electricity too. Maybe during peak periods, but off peak is half that in Ontario at least. That info isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

Normally the people can be unhappy if they are buying today an EV with 450 km range and next day the same car is coming with 600 km range. Only the pioneers will buy at any cost an EV today or those driving daily known distances in the town. Actually we are on the ascending slop of the tehnical evolution of batteries. There will be reached a plateau or close to a plateau and in that moment the buying of an EV will be a relaxed decision. I am already waiting the delivery of an EV but I am aware that the decision was ignoring that next year it would be available a longer range car or more reliable tech and because of these I decided at least for the best of the best. I think buying cheap (in EV world) cars during this boom of the tech is more frustrating because if next day your car is coming with more range you are left with sad feeling if you have not other pluses in the car to enjoy.

Always ID.4, great review guys 👍🏻

Guess it comes down to what is actually available to buy. Can't find a RAV4 Prime within 500 miles of Okla City, but I can drive 15 miles to the nearest VW dealership and buy a ID.4 off the lot.

Deloitte survey is an eyeopener! Other locations were very similar to NA
The rational, financial decision says ICE is still the way to go unless you drive at least 12K miles /year. Then a hybrid makes sense. The PHEV might make sense if you drive high miles annually yet you can do the vast majority of your daily driving within the battery range.
We have a 22 Outback for our "road car" and a 19 Kia Niro PHEV for our "city car" which we drive about 6K miles / yr. . Most of our daily drives are less than 26 miles and we are getting 125 MPGe in the Niro. If it were not for using the ICE to warm the car interior from Nov -March when morning temps drop below 50 F, the MPGe would be significantly higher. Still, I don't think we will break even financially for 6-8 yrs, unless the cost of gas continues to increase. That said, I do get a bit of "thrill" when I drive by the gas station for 3 months without filling up!.

Nice comparo but would be better matching ID4 with Ioniq5 or EV6 and Rav4 Prime with Outlander phev or one of the new Korean plug in suvs?

Hybrid will be my next car . In my market the plug in hybrid rav4 is $15k more US and not worth that much more . Maybe if price comes down. In the future I will look at the next generation of VW EV as they will figure it out. No one wants to pay $50k for a VW - they will for an Audi or BMW but not VW

I am going to look for a hybrid for my next vehicle this summer. I will wait five years or so for EV pricing to stabilize and charging stations to be readily available before jumping in.

Id.4 gang!

No id4 for Australia do to almost non existing charge infrastructure. However for a one car family a plug in hybrid makes sense. Electric only for school drop offs or a quick run to the shops. This part due to brief trips where the gas engine doesn't warm and causes premature wear, especially so in cold climates. Gasoline and electric in hybrid mode for the longer journeys.

Great ending discussion re when to jump in. We have BEV and a 10 yr old ICE. Trying to figure out what will replace the ICE. A Model Y, Rav4 Prime (if you can actually get one) or...? To your point, the Chinese are coming and they will have some very good looking competitive BEV vehicles that will impact the north American market. Traditional auto makers have a big challenge ahead and the next 5-8 years will be very interesting to watch. Meanwhile, still trying to figure out what our next vehicle will be. Maybe we'll wait to see what's coming out in 2023... haha.

Rav 4 looks like it has been hit....dents and creases everywhere! I currently drive a diesel and find it really hard to justify the cost of these new cars when I only put about 5k km per year on a hybrid or electric as tempting as it is. I will drive the car I currently have until it is done!

PHEVs and EVs do not make any sense here in Singapore. More than 94% of the population lives in apartments and the public charging infrastructure is really poor. There are less than two hundred 50kW chargers currently available, almost all of which are already occupied by private EV car rental companies (with the exception of 9 Tesla super chargers. Yes, only 9 exists in the entire country). Even the petrol/gas stations don't have fast chargers installed due to the national grid being unable to support it.
People here will still buy ICE cars as their new rides till 2029. The ban on new ICE car sales will take effect on 2030 and hopefully by then the charging infrastructure has been improved.

toyota is a no brainer really...throwing money away for ''modern-luxury'' interiors is a waste because in a couple of years they'll be outdated anyway

Love the videos! In the market right now and you our definitely favorite reviewers! Great content presented really well, by very likeable people. Interesting that we are actually looking at both of these vehicles. (RAV4 XSE premium and ID4 AWD ProS) I really like them both and would probably be happy with either. Pros and cons for each... I am leaning toward the ID4 while my wife prefers the RAV4.
The issue for us, where we live in the states, is availability. In our state the RAV4 isn't even sold yet, which means traveling some distance to get one, if you even can. Not to mention, many dealers are selling this particular vehicle at thousands above MSRP, hard pass for me. I am on multiple lists for the RAV4 but it seems unlikely I'll be lucky enough to get one any time soon. The ID4 is also a wait, but I'm being told it should only be about 3 months or so. Maybe even less. And it is sold, at my local dealer, at MSRP, with no markup. All that said, we'll probably take whichever is available first as long as it has the equipment we want, and that we aren't being price gouged for. You do raise some very valid concerns about resale. That is why we are trying to stay at the lower end and just get what makes sense for our daily lives. (HA! not sure when 50K become lower end but that's the world we live in..) Keep the videos coming!

You are the best!

Which to drive through a snow storm?

Please buy the gas car... I see myself buying it later used for peanuts.

I think is kinda dumb that the I'd 4 only have a 110 cable. But I guess VW want you to buy the lvl 2 AE wall charger

Audi Q4 e-tron anyone? better looking then both! 388kms

We should not be allowing genocidal Communist Chinese cars into N America. We have 1 BEV and 1 gas and will likely be buying 2 new cars, Gas/Hybrid and one BEV. Looking at the ID.4 for ease of entry/exit and comfort, wish it had an extended range version since road trips use 10% to 70-80%

There will be a v2H coming for Id.4, power a house for up to 4 days

We bought the ID.4. Our original target was a new Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE (or an SE with upgrade packages) and after searching, testing and negotiating (until Jan 2023) and quickly learned we faced a consistent game with Toyota dealers... pay $10-20k above MSRP for a RAV4 Prime (often used) or get on a "2 yr" waiting list. That led to driving and loving an ID.4 AWD Pro S - the ID.4 drives like a luxury sedan vs the Toyota truck feel/road noise. Within minutes my ID.4 purchase experience was a delight compared to Toyota: MSRP only (no price-gouging), qualified for state and federal incentives and before I said "yes" there was a certificate in my hands for the $7,500 federal tax incentive. Add 3 years of free DC fast-charging, free roadside assistance etc. and it wasn't even close - what a delight. Now I fully understand why some test-drivers reported selecting the ID.4 as the car they'd prefer driving longer-term vs Model 3 and Mach-E. Ironically 5 months later I'm inundated with calls from Toyota dealers wanting to sell us a new RAV4 Prime....hmmm, supply chain must be changing attitudes 5 months later..