Toyota RAV4 Common Faults in the UK
XA50, 2019–2024 (Hybrid) — mid-size hybrid family SUV. Updated 6 October 2026.
This guide covers the XA50, 2019–2024 (Hybrid) only. Older RAV4 generations have different engines and faults — for one of those, see how to check any car for known faults.
The XA50 Toyota RAV4 (2019–2024), sold in the UK only as a hybrid or plug-in hybrid, has a strong reliability record. Owners report occasional false pre-collision warnings and rear vent rattles on early cars, and some 2019 builds are covered by brake-booster and suspension-arm safety recalls. Best-buy years: 2021–2023. Worst: no single year stands out on DVSA MOT results.
Largest DVSA recall for the RAV4: R/2023/279, 27,327 vehicles in the whole recall — On affected vehicles there is a possibility that the DCM may not complete the shutdown process within a specific period of time when the ignition is turned off causing the DCM to not restart at the next ignition cycle and making the e-Call function unavailable. See the 5 DVSA recalls listed for this model.
94.6% of Toyota RAV4s registered 2019–2022 pass the MOT on the day (cars fixed during the test included), 5.4 points above all cars registered in those years (89.2%). These are the cars this guide covers that were 3 to 12 years old when DVSA tested them in 2025, counted from 4,474 DVSA tests; a pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure.
Counting every registration year DVSA holds for the Toyota RAV4 (2002–2022), which includes generations this guide does not cover, 82.6% pass on the day (cars fixed during the test included), from 13,901 tests.
Source: DVSA MOT Anonymised Data 2025 (Open Government Licence v3.0), a sample of the 2025 file (about one test in ten, from nine months). Class 4 tests in Great Britain, test type NT (a normal annual test), retests excluded. A pass, or a pass with rectification at the station, counts as a pass here (passed on the day); DVSA's own initial-test measure counts a rectified pass as a failure and so reports a lower figure. Testing in Northern Ireland is run separately by the DVA under its own rules. Compared against cars of the same registration years, because pass rates otherwise mostly measure how old a model's surviving fleet is.
See it by registration year and by mileage ↓No asking-price figure is shown: we give the median and middle 80% of asking prices only when at least 10 cars on Autoza qualify — here, Toyota RAV4 cars registered 2019–2024. The road tax line comes from GOV.UK's vehicle tax rate tables (2026/27 rates). The fuel economy figures are the manufacturer's official WLTP ranges, and the insurance note is an indicative editorial estimate. We do not publish a UK price index, and no figure here should be quoted as one.
Best and worst years to buy
We name a year as a best or worst buy only where the DVSA MOT table further down does not rate it the other way.
2021 onwards addressed the pre-collision system false-alarm software and refined the hybrid battery management. The 2021 model also brought minor chassis stiffening, a larger 7-inch digital cluster, and improved wireless CarPlay/Android Auto.
2023 cars are too new for the DVSA table below, so there is no MOT record behind that year yet.
The 2019 launch year carries the generation's DVSA safety recalls: R/2019/248 (the brake booster pump may stop working; built 26 April to 3 June 2019), R/2020/142 (the front lower suspension arms may have cracks; built 25 September to 25 October 2019) and R/2019/122 (the emergency calling system may not be enabled; early builds to April 2019). Owners of early cars also report phantom braking from the pre-collision system before its software update. A 2019 car should have evidence that any recall covering it was done. The DVSA MOT table on this page rates 2019 registrations above all cars registered that year, so it is not named as a year to avoid. Judge a RAV4 by its registration, service history and the checks below rather than by year.
Known faults — Toyota RAV4 XA50, 2019–2024 (Hybrid)
How to read this list. Items marked Safety recall are DVSA safety recalls, shown with DVSA’s own reference. Whether a particular car is affected depends on when it was built: check it by registration through GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check. Everything else in this list is owner-reported: patterns that come up repeatedly with workshops, owner forums and reliability surveys. Those are worth checking on a viewing, but we hold no count of how many cars have each one, other than any survey share a card itself quotes. Treat an owner-reported item as a question to ask, not a fault this car has.
Brake booster pump (safety recall)
- Symptoms
- DVSA recall wording: an electrical connection within the motor may cause the brake booster pump to stop operating
- Years affected
- RAV4 built 26 April to 3 June 2019
- Indicative repair (UK)
- Free under the recall at a Toyota dealer
- What to check before buying
- Check the registration on GOV.UK’s recall check and ask for the Toyota dealer record showing R/2019/248 was done.
Front lower suspension arms (safety recall)
- Symptoms
- DVSA recall wording: the front lower suspension arms may have cracks on some portions of their surface
- Years affected
- RAV4 built 25 September to 25 October 2019 (791 cars)
- Indicative repair (UK)
- Free under the recall at a Toyota dealer
- What to check before buying
- Check the registration on GOV.UK’s recall check and ask for the Toyota dealer record showing R/2020/142 was done.
Pre-collision system false alerts / phantom braking
- Symptoms
- Sudden brief braking on open motorway or dual carriageway with no obstacle; "Pre-Collision Alert" warning appearing on clear roads; forward collision warning sounding without cause
- Years affected
- 2019–2020 (pre-software update)
- Indicative repair (UK)
- Free under Toyota software update — dealer apply at next service
- What to check before buying
- Ask the dealer whether the pre-collision system software has been updated. A quick 15-minute motorway stint during the test drive is the most direct check.
Hybrid battery — very long-term degradation
- Symptoms
- Slightly reduced mpg; less frequent EV-mode trips; battery gauge dropping faster in cold weather
- Years affected
- All hybrids; typically year 8–10+ in UK conditions — 125,000+ miles (UK used-car context: rarely seen this high yet)
- Indicative repair (UK)
- £3,000–£6,500 for battery replacement if it is out of warranty
- What to check before buying
- Toyota's hybrid battery is covered by its Service Activated Warranty (3 years or 60,000 miles as standard on cars sold new from 1 June 2021, extendable to 10 years or 100,000 miles; earlier cars were sold with 5 years or 100,000 miles), which is renewed by each qualifying service at an authorised Toyota dealer — it is conditional, not automatic. Ask for the service record, and ask a Toyota dealer whether a service would bring the car back into cover.
Rear-seat ventilation noise (HVAC duct rattle)
- Symptoms
- Intermittent rattle or whistling noise from rear overhead air vents when heating/cooling at medium-to-high settings
- Years affected
- 2019–2020
- Indicative repair (UK)
- £80–£180 — Toyota dealer installs a clip-in foam dampener (Technical Service Bulletin fix)
- What to check before buying
- Turn rear-seat vents to medium with fan speed 4+ during test drive. Rattle should be absent on post-2021 cars or on earlier cars with the TSB fix applied.
Front suspension — road noise on UK surfaces
- Symptoms
- Noticeable road roar on rough motorway surfaces; thudding over broken UK tarmac (not a fault, but a known characteristic)
- Years affected
- All XA50
- Indicative repair (UK)
- Not a mechanical fault — aftermarket tyre choice (Continental SportContact 6 vs. OE Dunlops) reduces noise by ~20%
- What to check before buying
- Set expectations on test drive. The XA50 runs on 225/60 R18 tyres that amplify road texture on UK motorway repairs. This is not a mechanical issue but frustrates some buyers who expected near-premium refinement.
Roof rack cross-bar fixing points (corrosion)
- Symptoms
- Rust bubbling around factory roof rack mounting points; staining on roof paint
- Years affected
- 2019–2021, specifically coastal areas (e.g. the west coast, Scotland, the South West)
- Indicative repair (UK)
- £150–£350 cosmetic refinish; check if covered by Toyota 12-year anticorrosion warranty
- What to check before buying
- Inspect the roof rail attachment screws and paint around them — especially on cars from coastal areas. Toyota's 12-year anti-corrosion warranty (from date of first registration) should cover this if not yet completed.
More DVSA safety recalls for the Toyota RAV4, largest first
These are the recalls DVSA lists for this model and its build years that the cards above do not already describe: every one of 10,000 or more vehicles, largest first, with DVSA’s own reference and figures. A recall covers only cars built in its dates and within its VIN range — check a particular car by registration through GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check. “Critical” here means DVSA’s own notice tells owners not to drive the car until it is fixed. It is never a size: “Large” means DVSA lists 10,000 or more vehicles in the recall.
- Safety recall · R/2023/279Large recall — 27,327 vehicles
On affected vehicles there is a possibility that the DCM may not complete the shutdown process within a specific period of time when the ignition is turned off causing the DCM to not restart at the next ignition cycle and making the e-Call function unavailable.
27,327 vehicles in the whole recall (DVSA’s figure for every model it covers) · built between 17 January 2023 and 18 July 2023 · recall launched 12 October 2023
- Safety recall · R/2021/315Large recall — 26,575 vehicles
The emergency calling system (ECALL) may not function when required
26,575 vehicles in the whole recall (DVSA’s figure for every model it covers) · built between 14 July 2020 and 15 March 2021 · recall launched 15 November 2021
- Safety recall · R/2025/270Large recall — 12,545 vehicles
Combination Meter Reprogramming on Multiple Models
For certain vehicles equipped with the combination meter system (where various information is displayed) that due to an improper programming of the combination meter unnecessarily repetitive data is written to a memory device.
12,545 vehicles of this model (DVSA’s figures added up) · built between 3 January 2022 and 17 February 2025 · recall launched 24 November 2025
Source: DVSA vehicle recalls file (every recall since 1992), published under the Open Government Licence. Where DVSA gives one figure for a recall that covers several models, it is shown as the whole recall’s total.
Toyota RAV4 MOT results by year and mileage
Measured from DVSA’s own MOT test records for tests carried out in 2025, not from owner reports.
By registration year
Against all cars registered in the same year, the MOT pass rate for the RAV4 was higher in 9 and level in 1 of the 10 registration years from 2013 to 2022 with enough tests to measure. The widest gap above is 2013 registrations: 79.8% against 71.9%.
Pass rate here: passed on the day, cars fixed during the test included. Rows: every Toyota RAV4 DVSA tested in 2025, by registration year (2013–2022), all engines and fuels together. 2013–2018 registrations are older generations of the RAV4 than this guide covers, shown for comparison; the guide’s own cars start in 2019. A registration year cannot separate two generations exactly when one replaced the other part-way through a year.
| Registered | RAV4 | All cars that year | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20221,012 tests | 97.5% | 91.2% | +6.3 higher |
| 20211,263 tests | 94.4% | 90.1% | +4.3 higher |
| 20201,177 tests | 93.8% | 88.7% | +5.1 higher |
| 20191,022 tests | 93.1% | 86.9% | +6.2 higher |
| 2018785 tests | 86.2% | 84.5% | +1.7 level |
| 2017868 tests | 87.1% | 82.2% | +4.9 higher |
| 2016852 tests | 87.2% | 79.4% | +7.8 higher |
| 2015574 tests | 83.4% | 76.7% | +6.7 higher |
| 2014642 tests | 81.8% | 74.3% | +7.5 higher |
| 2013565 tests | 79.8% | 71.9% | +7.9 higher |
By mileage at the test
Against cars of the same age on the same mileage, the pass rate for the RAV4 was higher in every one of the 4 mileage bands with enough tests. How other models compare at the same mileage.
Show the table by mileage (4 bands)
| Mileage | RAV4 | Same age and mileage | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20k–40k2,318 tests | 94.4% | 89.6% | +4.8 higher |
| 40k–60k2,535 tests | 90.8% | 83.7% | +7.1 higher |
| 60k–80k2,316 tests | 83.7% | 77.0% | +6.7 higher |
| 80k–100k2,017 tests | 80.1% | 70.9% | +9.2 higher |
Only a major or dangerous defect fails an MOT. A minor defect is recorded on the certificate and the car still passes, and an advisory is not a failure at all.
We don’t give a recall count for the Toyota RAV4: whether a recall applies depends on the individual car. Check the one you are looking at by entering its registration on GOV.UK’s vehicle recall checker, and see how to check a car for known faults for the other free checks.
Source: DVSA MOT Anonymised Data 2025 (Open Government Licence v3.0), a sample of the 2025 file (about one test in ten, from nine months) (3,459,000 tests). Class 4 tests in Great Britain, test type NT (a normal annual test), retests excluded. A pass, or a pass with rectification at the station, counts as a pass here (passed on the day); DVSA's own initial-test measure counts a rectified pass as a failure and so reports a lower figure. Odometer readings below 100 or above 400,000 miles are discarded as misreadings, and cars under three years old are excluded because no MOT is yet due. Sampled from nine months of 2025 (January, February, April, May, July, August, September, October and November). Testing in Northern Ireland is run separately by the DVA under its own rules. Registration years shown are cars 3 to 12 years old when tested; the smallest rests on 565 tests. A gap is called level when it is under one percentage point or inside the 95% sampling margin for that number of tests. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Who this car suits — and who should look elsewhere
Families wanting a reliable, low-running-cost SUV. Commuters doing mixed town/motorway miles who want the hybrid fuel savings without the hassle of plug-in charging. Buyers who prioritise long-term reliability over prestige badge.
Buyers wanting a sporty drive — the RAV4 Hybrid prioritises economy over driver engagement. Off-road purists (the RAV4 has on-demand AWD via a rear electric motor, not a locking diff). Anyone wanting a third-row seat — the RAV4 is strictly 5-seat.
Alternatives to consider
If the Toyota RAV4 doesn't suit, these comparable models are worth a look in the UK market:
Toyota RAV4: questions buyers ask
What are the most common faults on a used Toyota RAV4 in the UK?
The XA50 Toyota RAV4 (2019–2024), sold in the UK only as a hybrid or plug-in hybrid, has a strong reliability record. Owners report occasional false pre-collision warnings and rear vent rattles on early cars, and some 2019 builds are covered by brake-booster and suspension-arm safety recalls. Best-buy years: 2021–2023. Worst: no single year stands out on DVSA MOT results.
What is the best year to buy a used Toyota RAV4 in the UK?
Best-buy years: 2021, 2022, 2023. 2021 onwards addressed the pre-collision system false-alarm software and refined the hybrid battery management. The 2021 model also brought minor chassis stiffening, a larger 7-inch digital cluster, and improved wireless CarPlay/Android Auto.
What years of Toyota RAV4 should I avoid in the UK?
No specific year of the XA50, 2019–2024 (Hybrid) Toyota RAV4 is generally avoided. The 2019 launch year carries the generation's DVSA safety recalls: R/2019/248 (the brake booster pump may stop working; built 26 April to 3 June 2019), R/2020/142 (the front lower suspension arms may have cracks; built 25 September to 25 October 2019) and R/2019/122 (the emergency calling system may not be enabled; early builds to April 2019). Owners of early cars also report phantom braking from the pre-collision system before its software update. A 2019 car should have evidence that any recall covering it was done. The DVSA MOT table on this page rates 2019 registrations above all cars registered that year, so it is not named as a year to avoid. Judge a RAV4 by its registration, service history and the checks below rather than by year.
How much does a used Toyota RAV4 cost in the UK in 2026?
This page gives no figure at the moment: Autoza quotes asking prices only when at least 10 qualifying cars are advertised with a price — here, Toyota RAV4 cars registered 2019–2024. Prices vary by mileage, region and trim, so compare several adverts of the same year and mileage band before negotiating.
What is the road tax (VED) on a Toyota RAV4 in the UK?
Annual road tax (VED): £200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included — the alternative-fuel discount ended on 1 April 2025 (2026/27 rates). A car registered from April 2017 that listed at over £40,000 new (options included) also pays the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 — it is the price when new that counts, not what you pay for it used.
What fuel economy does a Toyota RAV4 achieve?
Official WLTP combined figure: 48–50 mpg official WLTP combined for the 2.5 Hybrid (Toyota UK specification sheet). WLTP is a laboratory test: the Vehicle Certification Agency says its figures serve to compare similar models, and that driving style, accessories and extra weight change what you achieve on the road.
How does a Toyota RAV4 compare to its rivals?
Strong alternatives in the UK: Kia Sportage Hybrid, Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, Honda CR-V Hybrid, Ford Kuga PHEV, Mazda CX-5. Choose based on dealer network in your area, parts availability, and your priorities (running cost vs. cabin quality vs. badge).
Who is the Toyota RAV4 most suitable for?
Families wanting a reliable, low-running-cost SUV. Commuters doing mixed town/motorway miles who want the hybrid fuel savings without the hassle of plug-in charging. Buyers who prioritise long-term reliability over prestige badge.
Who should NOT buy a Toyota RAV4?
Buyers wanting a sporty drive — the RAV4 Hybrid prioritises economy over driver engagement. Off-road purists (the RAV4 has on-demand AWD via a rear electric motor, not a locking diff). Anyone wanting a third-row seat — the RAV4 is strictly 5-seat.
Are there safety recalls on the Toyota RAV4?
DVSA lists 6 safety recalls for the Toyota RAV4 that this guide shows or names, the largest first: R/2023/279 (27,327 vehicles in the whole recall, built between 17 January 2023 and 18 July 2023): On affected vehicles there is a possibility that the DCM may not complete the shutdown process within a specific period of time when the ignition is turned off causing the DCM to not restart at the next ignition cycle and making the e-Call function unavailable; R/2021/315 (26,575 vehicles in the whole recall, built between 14 July 2020 and 15 March 2021): The emergency calling system (ECALL) may not function when required; R/2025/270 (12,545 vehicles, built between 3 January 2022 and 17 February 2025): Combination Meter Reprogramming on Multiple Models. Whether a particular car is affected depends on its build date and VIN, so check its registration on GOV.UK (gov.uk/check-vehicle-recall) before you buy.
Check these next
The guide above is about the Toyota RAV4 as a model. These are about the car in front of you.
- Browse Toyota RAV4 listings on AutozaEvery one listed now.
- Check any car by its registrationFree: its MOT history, tax status and any open recall, from a number plate.
- Work out the road tax for the RAV4Vehicle tax (VED) by registration date, CO2 and list price.
- Work out the monthly paymentExamples for a car loan or hire purchase by price, deposit, term and APR.
- What is your RAV4 worth?A price range from dealers' asking prices for comparable cars.
Looking to buy a Toyota RAV4 in the UK?
Search Autoza listings filtered by year, mileage, and region. Every dealer page shows the business name, address and contact details, so you can check the business before you enquire.