Toyota RAV4 Sales Have Fallen 29% In 2026, But Demand Isn't The Problem

The RAV4 is a very popular car in the U.S. and has strong demand, too. Despite that, sales have started to slip in 2026, and not by a little. For context, in 2025, Toyota moved 479,288 RAV4s in the US — the model's best year ever. However, in 2026, from January through September, that's now fallen to just 253,664 RAV4s. Of course, the year has yet to close, but that figure is still lower than last year's 358,134 units for the same period. It's a notable 29.2% drop. 

Buyers are still lining up to get a RAV4. In fact, according to Motor Intelligence, while dealers held about 51 days' worth of stock for the average car in September, the RAV4 was moving so quickly that dealers could only hold four days' worth. Clearly, interest hasn't faded, and when demand is there, the answer then moves on to supply.

Last year's record also came as Toyota kept pushing out 2025 RAV4s. This came with a tradeoff: Since last year's builds were for the 2025 model year and factories kept running, refits for the 2026 model were delayed. In fact, Toyota's two factories in Ontario could only build a few RAV4s in January and February, since they were being retrofitted during that time. Automakers hedge against the time that retrofits take with a stockpile of the outgoing model. But Toyota always has a hard time doing that, simply because it sells so well.

Besides the hitch in production, it's important to highlight that the RAV4's engine lineup itself changed this year. The 2026 RAV4 actually ditched the pure gas version for the first time. Instead, you now only get hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. That's a big change considering how well the gas-only models sold last year. As a matter of fact, from January through September 2025, about 201,912 of those 358,134 units were gas-only. But since hybrids are in short supply, the buyers who would've otherwise bought the gas variant are stuck.

With gas out of the equation, the hybrid RAV4s are selling far better, rising 43.6% through September. Meanwhile, according to AutoForecast Solutions, output for the North American RAV4 has fallen 30% through September this year.

Hybrids are simply too hard to resist with the current gas prices. As of September 2026, regular gas averaged $4.36 a gallon nationwide, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. That's a significant rise of 37.6% from $3.17 per gallon last year. The hybrid relieves this pressure with its combined mpg ratings of 41 to 43 — significantly higher than the 30 mpg the 2025 gas powertrain could manage.