Toyota's small hybrid SUV is no longer called the 2025 RAV4 Prime, now replaced by PHEV. But should customers really care?

For 2025, Toyota has decided to bestow its plug-in-hybrid models with a simpler naming scheme to make the different choices clearer to customers.

The Honda CR-V Hybrid and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid consistently rank among the top hybrid SUVs in terms of sales and customer satisfaction. Both models have a long history of consumer trust, with the RAV4 Hybrid often praised for its rugged design and reliable performance, while the CR-V Hybrid is known for its spaciousness and family-friendly appeal.

Toyota is moving away from calling its plug-in hybrid models Prime, instead defaulting to simply Plug-In Hybrid. The change is reflected in the 2025 model-year Prius and RAV4 models. Toyota says the ’25 RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid models are scheduled to arrive at dealerships in limited quantities before the end of the year.

The only real change Toyota made to the 2025 RAV4 is dripping the Prime name from the plug-in hybrid option—from now on it will be known as the Toyota RAV4 PHEV. Toyota says the move is aimed at clarifying powertrain hierarchy and making shopping easier for consumers.

Built in Japan at the Obu plant, one of Toyota's best, the execution of the Rav4 PHEV is flawless. It receives better paint and has immaculate fit and finish inside and out. Red stitching on soft-touch cabin materials lends a Germanic luxury feel.

The RAV4 PHEV offers the same 42 electric miles as last year's model, only it no longer wears the Prime badge.

Toyota says the name change “is intended to help consumers more easily identify the powertrain choices” among Prius and Rav4 models. The 2025 versions of the Prius Plug-in wil

One could argue that, under its new name, the Prius PHEV is all-new for 2025. But aside from the badge, it’s the same vehicle as the 2024 Prius Prime. The plug-in uses the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine as the regular Prius,