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Trying to choose a Toyota hybrid SUV can leave your head spinning. Is there a non-hybrid Venza? What is a Rav4 Prime? Is the Highlander bigger than the Sequoia? Have no fear; MotorBiscuit is here to save the day! This is a no-nonsense guide to the four hybrid SUVs currently offered by Toyota.

2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

Silver Toyota RAV4 hybrid SUV driving through a downtown city center for a promotional photo.
2023 Toyota RAV4 | Toyota
  • MPG: 27 city/35 highway mpg (30 combined)
  • MSRP: $29,575
  • Seating: 5

With just 98.9 cubic feet of interior volume, the Toyota RAV4 is technically the smallest hybrid SUV on this list. Toyota has been offering this historic nameplate since 1996. The automaker has built the latest, fifth-generation of this crossover SUV with a range of motors and transmissions. The RAV4 hybrid launched in 2019 and comes with AWD standard. The RAV4 Prime is a plug in hybrid version that adds about $10k to the SUV’s MSRP. While Toyota used to offer a third row of seating in the Rav4, it now reserves this option for the Highlander. If you want an even smaller option, consider the new hybrid Corolla Cross.

2022 Toyota Venza

Red Toyota Venza hybrid SUV parked on a hilltop overlooking a city's night-time skyline.
2023 Toyota Venza | Toyota
  • MPG: 40 city/37 highway mpg (39 combined)
  • MSRP: $33,240
  • Seating: 5

The Toyota Venza is a mid-size crossover hybrid SUV with 127.1 cubic feet of interior volume. Toyota only sells the current, second-generation Venza as an AWD with a hybrid powertrain. Toyota advertises it as one of its quicker SUVs. The Venza has a 2.5-liter I4 engine and 118 horsepower electric engine for 219 horsepower total.

2022 Toyota Highlander

Red Toyota Highlander hybrid SUV driving down a country road, trees visible in the background.
2023 Toyota Highland | Toyota
  • MPG: 20 city/28 highway mpg (23 combined)
  • MSRP: $35,855
  • Seating: 6-7

The Toyota Highlander is a crossover SUV offering three rows of seating that shares a unibody chassis with the RAV4 and Venza and offers a hybrid drivetrain. If you order a higher trim level you can upgrade the second row of seats to two separate “captain’s chairs” but this drops the number of seatbelts to just six. The hybrid option includes a 2.5-liter I4 gasoline engine and an electric motor for 240 combined horsepower.

2023 Toyota Sequoia

Red full-frame Toyota Sequoia hybrid SUV Towing a boat along a rural road, trees and sky visible behind it.
2023 Toyota Sequoia | Toyota
  • 2WD MPG: 21 city/24 highway mpg (22 combined)
  • 4WD MPG: 19 city/22 highway mpg (20 combined)
  • MSRP: $58,300
  • Seating: 7-8

How is the Sequoia different than the Highlander? The Highlander is a unibody “crossover” SUV featuring an extended version of the chassis Toyota uses for cars and the RAV4. The 2023 Toyota Sequoia, on the other hand, shares a ladder frame and drivetrain with the Toyota Tundra pickup truck. This makes it a full-size, full-frame SUV, the same class as the Ford Expedition and Chevy Suburban.

You can order the Sequoia with eight seats, or with second-row captain’s chairs and just seven total seats. But while the Highlander weighs in under 4,500 pounds, the Sequoia can weigh more than 6,000 pounds. It’s unsurprising that Toyota has engineered the Sequoia SUV’s i-FORCE MAX hybrid drivetrain with a 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 for 437 horsepower total. This engine helps the Sequoia achieve a 9,520-pound towing capacity.

Next read more about the new i-FORCE MAX hybrid drivetrain or watch the Toyota Venza and RAV4 hybrid SUVs go head-to-head in the video below:

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Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.