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Toyota RAV4 boot space, practicality and safety

2019 onwards (change model)
Practicality rating: 4.2 out of 54.2

Written by Luke Wilkinson Updated: 29 March 2023

  • Plenty of space front and rear
  • Big boot competitive with rivals…
  • … but no smart storage solutions

How much space is there?

Plenty. You’ll have a lot of space regardless of whether you’re travelling in the front or the back of the Toyota RAV4. Head- and shoulder-room in the rear is excellent, even with a tall driver sitting at the helm. The cabin also feels quite airy for an SUV of this size and heft, thanks in part to the panoramic glass roof.

There’s also the benefit of a small and unobtrusive central tunnel (even on all-wheel-drive versions) that only impedes slightly on the middle-seat passenger’s legroom. That means three adults can fit on the rear bench in relative comfort. There’s certainly more space inside a RAV4 than you get in a SEAT Ateca or Skoda Karoq.

Boot space and storage

There’s more good news here, because the RAV4’s boot will be plenty big enough for most families. It measures 580 litres with the rear seats in place, which is only slightly smaller than the Volkswagen Tiguan‘s. Fold the rear bench flat and you’ll unlock a massive 1,690 litres. Toyota boasts that this is big enough to carry a 29-inch mountain bike without taking the wheels off – although we haven’t been able to confirm this.

The plug-in hybrid-powered RAV4 has a smaller boot because the larger battery pack eats some of the space under the floor. Despite this, it can still carry 520 litres, which is only one litre less than the standard Skoda Karoq. The rear bench can be latched to a more upright position to liberate a little more space, while Toyota has left space under the boot board to store the car’s charging cables.

Some versions of the RAV4 also feature nets on either side of the boot, a compartment for loose objects, underfloor storage and a 12-volt power supply. It’s easy to sling items into the back of SUV, too, because the load lip is very low and, if you tick the option box, you can have an electrically operated tailgate. Perfect for when you’ve got your hands full. However, the rear seats only fold down in 60:40 split, as opposed to the more useful 40:20:40 configuration.

2020 Toyota RAV4 boot space

Is it easy to park?

Like many of its rivals, the RAV4 has grown in size since the first-generation model. It’s now a much bigger SUV. If you’re lucky enough to have a garage, make sure you get your tape measure out and check that it’ll fit before you buy. You can find the car’s dimensions in our specifications page.

Enormous bulk aside, the RAV4’s blind spots aren’t too bad. Rear parking sensors and a camera also come as standard on the entry-level model, while upgrading to Design trim also brings front parking sensors, meaning you don’t really have much of an excuse if you crash it into a bollard. For those who want greater assistance, a 360-degree parking monitor is available as an option on Excel and Dynamic spec cars.

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2021 Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid rear seat base and space
2021 Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid rear seat base and space

Safety

  • Plenty of standard safety equipment
  • Adaptive cruise control is a bonus
  • Five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2019

In an effort to help RAV4 drivers avoid accidents, Toyota has fitted the car with a suite of driver assistance technology. It’s called Toyota Safety Sense 2, and it’s designed to help the vehicle avoid accidents by warning the driver of an impending collision or, in some cases, automatically taking evasive action.

It’s uses a camera mounted in the windscreen and a radar sensor fixed to the front bumper to read the road and send data to the myriad of safety systems. These include Pre-Collision System (which is Toyota’s version of autonomous emergency braking) with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, road sign assist and automatic high beam.

The technology is capable of spotting pedestrians in low-light conditions, and cyclists in daylight hours at speeds of approximately 6-50mph. Of all the safety equipment available on the RAV4, only the blind spot monitor and rear cross traffic alert aren’t standard on the base model. Even so, all versions of the RAV4 come with a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, which should be reassuring for buyers. Isofix points are situated on the outer rear seats and are easy to access.

Euro NCAP rating

Overall NCAP safety rating 5 out of 5
Year tested: 2019
What is Euro NCAP?
Adult Occupant: 93%
Child Occupant: 87%
Vulnerable Road User: 85%
Safety Assist: 77%

Equipment and options

Each trim level will have different equipment offerings.
Basic equipment (22)
  • 3x3 point rear seat belts
  • ABS
  • Alarm
  • Audio remote
  • Driver`s airbag
  • Electric mirrors
  • Folding rear seats
  • Front electric windows
  • Heated mirrors
  • Height adjustable drivers seat
  • Isofix child seat anchor points
  • Parking sensors
  • PAS
  • Passenger`s airbag
  • Rear electric windows
  • Remote locking
  • Roof rails
  • Sat Nav
  • Side airbags
  • Steering wheel rake adjustment
  • Steering wheel reach adjustment
  • Traction control
Standard Equipment
Optional Equipment
Black Edition Standard Equipment (9)
  • Alloy wheels
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Front fog lights
  • Full size spare wheel
  • Heated seats
  • Leather seat trim
  • Lumbar support
  • Metallic Paint
  • Sports seats
Black Edition Optional Equipment
  • n/a
Design Standard Equipment (4)
  • Central locking
  • Cloth seat trim
  • Front fog lights
  • Full size spare wheel
Design Optional Equipment (8)
  • Air conditioning
  • Body coloured bumpers
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Headlight washers
  • Heated seats
  • Lumbar support
  • Metallic Paint
  • Sports seats
Dynamic Standard Equipment (5)
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Front fog lights
  • Heated seats
  • Lumbar support
  • Sports seats
Dynamic Optional Equipment (7)
  • Alloy wheels
  • Body coloured bumpers
  • Electric sunroof
  • Full size spare wheel
  • Headlight washers
  • Leather seat trim
  • Metallic Paint
Dynamic Premium Standard Equipment (8)
  • Alloy wheels
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Electric sunroof
  • Front fog lights
  • Heated seats
  • Leather seat trim
  • Lumbar support
  • Metallic Paint
Dynamic Premium Optional Equipment
  • n/a
Excel Standard Equipment (5)
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Headlight washers
  • Heated seats
  • Leather seat trim
  • Lumbar support
Excel Optional Equipment (7)
  • Air conditioning
  • Body coloured bumpers
  • Central locking
  • Electric passenger`s seat
  • Electric sunroof
  • Front fog lights
  • Full size spare wheel
GR Sport Standard Equipment (7)
  • Air conditioning
  • Central locking
  • Electric driver`s seat
  • Heated seats
  • Lumbar support
  • Metallic Paint
  • Sports seats
GR Sport Optional Equipment (4)
  • Electric passenger`s seat
  • Electric sunroof
  • Front fog lights
  • Full size spare wheel
Icon Standard Equipment (6)
  • Alloy wheels
  • Body coloured bumpers
  • Cloth seat trim
  • Front fog lights
  • Full size spare wheel
  • Headlight washers
Icon Optional Equipment
  • n/a

Dimensions

Length 4600mm - 4620mm
Width 1855mm
Height 1685mm - 1690mm
View full specs