A few years ago, electric pickup trucks seemed to have huge environmental potential. After all, by slinging a huge battery pack underneath a half-ton truck, we’d be taking some of the thirstiest vehicles on the road and turning them into ones that don’t have any tailpipe emissions at all. However, there is another path that promises similar gains: More mild tailpipe emissions reduction with the gap made up for by sheer volume. There’s a good chance the 2026 Toyota RAV4 is going to be greener than the F-150 Lightning. It’s a bold claim, but let me explain.

Let’s start by talking volume. Last year, Toyota’s U.S. dealerships sold 475,193 RAV4s. Yeah, nearly half a million cars, more than 100,000 units more than Tesla sold of its most popular Model Y, and enough to make the RAV4 the most popular thing on the road that isn’t an entire line of pickup trucks. The Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado technically outsold the RAV4, but with half-ton, heavy duty, and EV variants bundled together for those trucks, it’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison. What’s more, although the RAV4 has offered both hybrid and plug-in hybrid options for years, almost 50 percent of last year’s sales weren’t electrified at all. America’s favorite non-truck is going hybrid — every single last example of it.

This matters especially because throughout most of the previous-generation RAV4’s life, those who wanted a battery electric crossover could go out and buy a battery electric crossover instead of a RAV4. For whatever reason, RAV4 buyers didn’t want to. Maybe some of them can’t charge at home or at work, maybe some of them like to keep their cars for a long time and are unsure about the long-term prospects of a battery electric vehicle, maybe some of them just don’t want their new car to come with a learning curve, and maybe some of them can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars more on a battery electric vehicle. Whatever the case, nearly half a million people last year voted “no” on a battery electric vehicle with their wallets and went with a RAV4. Guess what? There will likely be another half-million this year, and another the year after that.

That’s a lot of what EV people call “potential late adopters,” and no matter how good the latest all-electric crossover from brand x is, they won’t be ready to make the jump straight from gasoline into batteries. However, what about a bridge car that forces no habit changes yet brings some electrification into the mix? Something that doesn’t need plugging in, or something that plugs in but comes with a combustion backup for the more adventurous. Something you can just use as a normal car. Guess what? That’s a RAV4 Hybrid, and by making every RAV4 a hybrid, regular people should be able to reap serious fuel economy benefits without having to deal with the occasionally long waitlists of previous-generation RAV4 Hybrids.

I know past achievements aren’t entirely indicative of future performance, but here’s a glimpse of where we could be going. The outgoing gasoline-powered RAV4 AWD with stop-start is rated at 29 MPG combined, while the outgoing RAV4 Hybrid AWD is rated at 39 MPG combined. That’s a 34.5 percent increase in fuel economy right there, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Toyota’s found a way to make the new RAV4 more efficient.

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Now, if all 2025 RAV4s were hybrid, and we zoomed in on the fuel economy gains over pure combustion, we’d be looking at around 188,595 gallons of fuel saved every 100 miles thanks to an EPA delta of 0.8 gallons per 100 miles between Hybrid AWD and non-Hybrid AWD trims. Considering the average American drives 13,596 miles per year according to the Federal Highway Administration, if every non-hybrid 2024 RAV4 were a hybrid, we’d be saving in the ballpark of 25.6 million gallons of fuel every year. That’s equivalent to around 35,583 F-150 Lightnings replacing the same number of 3.5-liter Ecoboost 4WD F-150s — more than the entire number of electric trucks Ford sold last year.

It’s worth noting that a few years ago, Toyota announced it would be focusing on hybrids because it believed that battery resources would be better spent turning a lot of cars into hybrids instead of making a smaller number of EVs. While the brand’s claims of overall carbon reduction may have changed as more EV batteries have been recycled and cleaner supply chains have been developed, the internet still clowned on this strategy when it was unveiled. Flash forward a few years, and there seems to be some merit to placing eggs in lots of baskets.

The 2026 Toyota RAV4 is a big deal because electrification for everyone should include stepping stones for those who aren’t ready for a battery electric vehicle. If sales hold at current levels, expect this all-hybrid move to make a serious material difference without really forcing anyone to change their habits. Of course, questions remain around pricing and whether the RAV4 will shed some buyers who simply don’t want any form of electrification, but if sales figures of the new all-hybrid Camry are anything to go by, Toyota likely doesn’t have much to worry about. Electrification comes in a variety of forms, and there’s a chance that a normal hybrid system placed in a good spot can do as much for fuel savings in the short-term as a battery electric vehicle. Oh, and if customers like the hybrids, they may be more inclined to dip another toe in the electrification pool. Yep, this is going to be a long game.

Top graphic credit: Toyota

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