Which New Toyota SUV Gets The Best Gas Mileage?

The Toyota SUV lineup for 2025 includes nine models, more if you add hybrid variants. Efficiency-minded and environmentally conscious car shoppers will want to know about fuel economy for the 4Runner, bZ4X, Corolla Cross, Crown Signia, Grand Highlander, Highlander, Land Cruiser, RAV4, and Sequoia. But the answer isn't straightforward because there are many ways to slice and dice the results. Do you just look at combined fuel economy ratings, or should city and highway mpg numbers be the focus?

In addition, the abundance of hybrid powerplants in Toyota SUVs gives some vehicles a leg up over their non-hybrid counterparts. Electrification adds another complication, as MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) comes into the conversation. There's also the unibody versus body-on frame debate, as crossovers like the Highlander with a combined body and frame architecture are more efficient than a 4Runner, Land Cruiser, or Sequoia with separate body and chassis construction.

There's a lot to consider. We'll dive into the details by examining Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy ratings for all Toyota SUVs from the 2025 model year. That said, we'll start with the most fuel-efficient Toyota SUV that still requires a stop at a gas pump, the Corolla Cross Hybrid. This all-wheel-drive-only subcompact crossover sips the least gasoline, with a combined rating of 42 mpg and city fuel economy of 45 mpg. However, the Corolla Cross Hybrid and the RAV4 Hybrid (also all-wheel-drive-only) share a highway rating of 38 mpg. SlashGear's review of the Corolla Cross Hybrid noted its strong fuel economy over the non-hybrid Corolla Cross. The 2025 RAV4 Hybrid performs similarly.

As mentioned, the Corolla Cross Hybrid is the Toyota SUV fuel economy champ, followed by the RAV4 Hybrid. While the 2025 RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid doesn't have EPA ratings, Toyota estimates it delivers 40 mpg in the city. No other SUVs from this automaker have ratings above 40 MPG. However, there are many options in the 30 to 39 mpg range. The Crown Signia, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4 Hybrid, RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid, and most Grand Highlander Hybrid trims all have combined ratings in the 34 to 39 MPG range. For these same models, fuel economy varies from 31 to 39 mpg in the city and 32 to 38 mpg on the highway. 

Fuel economy plunges for the Grand Highlander Hybrid with Toyota's turbocharged Hybrid MAX powerplant, which produces 362 net horsepower while delivering 27 mpg in both combined and city driving, and 26 mpg on the highway (the 4Runner is available with an identical setup detuned to 326 horsepower, but fuel economy ratings haven't been published). The Land Cruiser has a similar turbo-hybrid setup and even worse fuel economy (23 combined/22 city/25 highway), while the flagship Sequoia has a twin-turbo V6 with hybrid technology. The top-tier Toyota SUV is EPA-rated for 20 to 22 combined, 19 to 21 city, and 22 to 24 highway mpg (the higher ratings are for rear-wheel-drive Sequoias).

Without a hybrid powerplant, the best Toyota SUV for most fuel economy categories is still the Corolla Cross (in front-wheel-drive form), the company's smallest crossover in the U.S. The EPA says it gets 32 mpg combined, 31 MPG around town, and 33 MPG on the open road. The RAV4 is slightly better on the highway, with 33–34 mpg. Other gas-only Toyota SUVs deliver 21 to 30 combined, 19 to 27 city, and 24–33 highway mpg.

Toyota's sole electric crossover, the bZ4X, makes discussions of SUV efficiency more complex, as there are differences between MPGe and mpg. MPGe measures how many miles an EV (or hybrid vehicle) can travel using the energy equivalent of one gallon of gas. As a result, this calculation doesn't match the traditional miles-per-gallon formula associated with gas-powered cars. So, depending on your point of view, the bZ4X may be the most efficient Toyota SUV, or shouldn't be part of the conversation as it isn't assessed for pure efficiency. SlashGear called the bZ4X an "easy, breezy BEV" following a first-drive evaluation.

The BZ4X in the mid-tier Limited trim has a combined MPGe rating of 112. City driving delivers 121 MPGe, while this EV is rated at 102 MPGe on the highway. The gap between city and highway MPGe reflects how energy demands vary by driving conditions, which explains why cars have different fuel economy ratings for each. These EPA projections are almost three times higher than the equivalent rankings for the Corolla Cross Hybrid. The RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid is also in the MPGe mix. Toyota estimates it gets 94 combined MPGe, more than double the Corolla Cross Hybrid.