Two Toyota RAV4 PHEVs Towed Campers Just 90 Pounds Apart, but One Held 21 MPG While Wind Cut the Other to 14 MPG
Two Montreal drivers have produced a rare real-world comparison of nearly matched Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid towing setups. A driver posting as Hsapho...
Two Montreal drivers have produced a rare real-world comparison of nearly matched Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid towing setups. A driver posting as Hsaphoto pulled a loaded 1973 Boler camper through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with a 2025 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid, reporting 20.5 to 21.4 MPG at 63 to 65 MPH. An earlier trip with a 2024 RAV4 Prime and a Helio O4 camper returned 20 MPG at 65 MPH, but wind cut some highway segments to 14 MPG. The trailers weighed 1,900 and 1,810 pounds respectively, a difference of only 90 pounds, yet the 14-MPG segment was about 49 percent more fuel-intensive. Toyota Canada lists a 2,500-pound maximum towing capacity for the 2025 RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid, so the Boler used 76 percent of that rating. The report does not include separate axle weights for the loaded RAV4, leaving the payload margin unconfirmed.
