# This is the fastest car Toyota makes

The new RAV4 Prime sits at the top of the RAV4 lineup as the ultimate RAV4. You can think of it as a plug-in hybrid take on the RAV4 Hybrid, just as the Prius Prime is to the regular Prius.  

While the RAV4 Hybrid packs a 1.6 kWh nickel-metal-hydride battery pack, the RAV4 Prime uses a much larger 18.1 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that when fully charged, allows for 42 miles of electric range; enough for most people’s daily commute, if that ever becomes a thing again.  

A 3.3 kW charging setup comes standard. A full charge takes 12 hours using a standard 120 volt home outlet, or 4.5 hours using a 240-volt outlet, like the one used for your clothes dryer. A 6.6 kW charging setup is optional and drops 240-volt charging time to 2.5 hours. Once that battery is depleted, the RAV4 Prime functions much like a RAV4 Hybrid and returns 38 mpg combined according to the EPA.

Something else cool about the RAV4 Prime is that since it’s a plug-in, it qualifies for a $7,500 federal tax credit, which effectively lowers the price you’ll pay for it by that amount.  

So while it comes in at around $7,000 more than a comparable RAV4 Hybrid according to the two vehicles’ sticker prices, in reality, you’ll actually save a few hundred dollars by opting for the Prime – if you can find one.  

Built only at the company’s Nagakusa plant in Japan, Toyota
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is reportedly only building 5,000 RAV4 Prime examples for the 2021 model year. I suspect this thing will be a hit though, and that it’ll be more widely available starting with the 2022 model.

The RAV4 Prime’s battery pack has big performance implications. The vehicle makes a combined 302 horsepower when the battery and gas engine are working in conjunction, which gives it a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds according to Toyota. 

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The company likes to point out that this makes it the second-fastest vehicle in its lineup, after the Supra. But we all know the Supra isn’t a real Toyota, given that it’s designed and built by BMW
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for Toyota using mostly BMW parts. 

If we accept the Supra as a BMW wearing Toyota badges, then the RAV4 Prime becomes the fastest Toyota that’s actually a Toyota.  

This is fascinating to me; one of the two biggest automakers in the world claims a plug-in hybrid SUV as its fastest vehicle.

This isn’t a knock on Toyota or on PHEVs, but rather a sign of changing tides in the auto industry. I’m excited to see which other automakers roll out a hybrid SUV as their fastest vehicle next, because while Toyota is first, it certainly won’t be the last.

This story originally ran on Autotrader.com.