Which Subaru SUV Is The Closest Equivalent To The Toyota RAV4?
In 2025, the Toyota RAV4 topped the charts as the best-selling SUV in America, according to Edmunds. Eager to stay ahead of its rivals, Toyota gave the SUV a thorough makeover for 2026, with both hybrid and fuel-sipping plug-in hybrid versions available. There's no doubt that it's still a great choice if you're looking for a practical and efficient car that's easy to live with, but it has a lot of competition.
The RAV4's closest Subaru-badged competitor is the Forester, which starts at a similarly affordable price and offers a comparable amount of space. For the 2026 model year, the RAV4 Hybrid starts at $31,900 (plus a $1,595 destination fee), while the Forester is available from $29,995 (plus a $1,450 destination fee). All 2026 examples of the RAV4 are electrified to some degree, while the base Forester is gas only. Step up to the hybrid Forester, which actually borrows its electric motors from Toyota, and you can expect to pay at least $34,730 plus fees.
As you might expect, the RAV4's entirely electrified lineup gives it a significant fuel economy advantage over the Forester. The least efficient variant of the Forester is the Wilderness AWD trim, which achieves 26 mpg combined according to the EPA. Toyota's all-terrain version of the RAV4, the Woodland Edition AWD, is also the least efficient in its range, but it still hits 38 mpg combined. At the other end of the table, the most efficient RAV4 gets 43 mpg combined, while the most frugal Forester should return 35 mpg combined.
You can have a Forester hybrid or a Forester Wilderness, but not both
Most variants of the 2026 Forester are available either with or without a hybrid powertrain, including the top-spec Touring Hybrid, which starts north of $40,000. However, the Forester Wilderness is not available in electrified form. That's a shame, as our reviewer concluded that both its all-terrain chops and its on-road capability would have been boosted by some additional electric power. Subaru has announced that it's correcting its mistake for the upcoming 2027 model year, which will include a hybrid variant of the Forester Wilderness. However, at the time of writing, the 2027 models have not yet arrived at dealerships.
Non-hybrid versions of the Forester are good for 180 horsepower, while hybrid versions give the car's 2.5-liter Boxer engine some electrical assistance for an increased output of 194 horsepower. The RAV4 also features a 2.5-liter four-cylinder under its hood, which on its own is capable of producing 183 horsepower. With the addition of the electric motors in the RAV4 Hybrid, total output jumps to 226 horsepower for front-wheel drive models, and 236 horsepower for all-wheel drive models. Meanwhile, the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid is all-wheel drive as standard and is significantly more powerful than anything else in either the RAV4 or Forester lineup, with 324 horses on tap.
Which SUV is better?
Both the Forester and the RAV4 cater to slightly different types of buyers, so it's tricky to say which one is definitively the better option. There's no doubt that the RAV4 is the winner on efficiency, and its hybrid is cheaper than the base hybrid Forester, to boot. However, the Forester's standard all-wheel drive will be a big benefit for drivers who frequently need to leave the asphalt, as well as anyone living in parts of the country with severe winters.
Our reviewers thought that both SUVs offered plenty of interior space and were generally well equipped, although Subaru's Starlink infotainment touchscreen is still a headache compared to other systems in its class. In fact, it's so annoying to use that we've previously ranked it one of the worst modern infotainment systems on the market, and it returns for the 2027 model year. That said, Toyota's latest infotainment system for the RAV4 is also a little confusing in places, and the SUV features some hyper-sensitive driver aids, so it isn't a slam dunk over the Forester in that regard.
Buyers needing optimal all-terrain capability out of their compact SUV are more likely to gravitate toward the Subaru, while drivers who spend the vast majority of their time on paved roads are likely to find the RAV4 more of an economical option. Even so, before making a decision on either SUV, be sure not to discount the RAV4's many other similarly sized rivals.