- The Toyota RAV4 is one of America’s best-selling new vehicles, but Toyota will have to temporarily slow production.
- The company has reportedly asked dealers to steer shoppers toward other Toyota options.
The Toyota RAV4 is one of the most popular vehicles in America, but dealers have been told to be ready for a lull in availability. Dealers may run short of the popular RAV4 early this year, as Toyota reconfigures and retools its plants for the new, improved SUV.
The 2026 RAV4 will be available only as a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and will offer sporty and off-road trims for the first time. Industry publication Automotive News reports that “dealers will face a headwind in 2026 as their most popular nameplate transitions to a new generation, interrupting precious production across three different assembly plants.”
Building the Next Generation Means Stopping the Last
Toyota has four factories that build RAV4s for the U.S. market — two in Canada, one in Japan, and one in Kentucky. Building an all-new RAV4 will cause a supply interruption as factories pause to reconfigure.
Dave Christ, group vice president at Toyota Motor North America and head of the Toyota brand, told Automotive News, “Anytime you transition a big model, you’re going to have a little volume drop, so we’re hoping to make up the [missing] RAV4 volume with other cars in the brand.”
Toyota Alternatives
While a delay impacting one model won’t significantly hurt Toyota, it will affect shoppers — especially for a vehicle that averages 28 sales per dealership each month.
What Toyota models offer a similar experience to the RAV4? The Highlander is one option, providing additional cargo space and a hybrid variant. Shoppers who don’t need a larger SUV may prefer the stylish Crown Signia, which debuted in 2025 and delivers strong performance with a more upscale feel than the RAV4. Another alternative is the 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross. Slightly smaller than the RAV4, it remains a practical, budget-friendly subcompact SUV.
While Toyota can stagger retooling across all four plants, in the short term, there will be fewer RAV4s available. Toyota dealers already face RAV4 shortages. Gradually, as plants ramp up to full production, the supply should return to normal.
In the meantime, buyers should be prepared for a wait.
