How can I tell that my Rav4 is AWD?

[Callidice]

I bought a RAV4 Hybrid 2018 (not the latest version) and the salesman assured me it was AWD.  How can I tell?  Is there anything on the car or in the documents which will confirm that it is AWD?  I could have a 2WD and never know it.

[PeteB]

Have a look at this YouTube video from a 2017 RAV4 Hybrid - it should start at the Energy Monitor Display.

If you select this screen on your car, if you have four wheel drive, you should see an extra electric motor/generator near the Battery gauge on the right of the screen.  If it's a 2 wheel drive, that motor won't be shown.

 

[Avalon]

The V5 will also clearly state 2WD or 4WD.

[Callidice]

30 minutes ago, Avalon said:

The V5 will also clearly state 2WD or 4WD.

It doesn't

[ernieb]

However, PHEV version has a AWDi Badge.

[robo1]

Have a look under the back of the car and see if you can see the rear electric motor

[satts67]

If your car does not have a drive shaft powering the rear wheels yours is a 2WD so look underneath the car. That is how I understand it to be. Also if yours is 115g/km instead of 118g/km that is another clue. As another poster stated this information should be in the log book.

If the salesman has mislead you, time to give them some grief.

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/toyota/rav4/97446/toyota-rav4-hybrid-2wd-2016-review

[PeteB]

5 hours ago, satts67 said:

If your car does not have a drive shaft powering the rear wheels yours is a 2WD...  ...this information should be in the log book...

The Hybrids achieve AWD via an extra electric motor on the rear axle, not a shaft from the engine.

My 2019 RAV4 is AWD, but nothing in the V5C that I can see indicates this.

Simplest way is to look at the Energy Monitor display on the central Infotainment screen - if it shows a rear motor, then it's AWD.  As you drive, it shows when power is being provided by this motor, or when it is regenerating while slowing down.

[philip42h]

2 hours ago, PeteB said:

The Hybrids achieve AWD via an extra electric motor on the rear axle, not a shaft from the engine.

My 2019 RAV4 is AWD, but nothing in the V5C that I can see indicates this.

Simplest way is to look at the Energy Monitor display on the central Infotainment screen - if it shows a rear motor, then it's AWD.  As you drive, it shows when power is being provided by this motor, or when it is regenerating while slowing down.

Yes, very true, but I think that relies on the rear motor being 'active' in one way or another. When my car was shiny brand new I looked at the energy monitor and couldn't tell that mine was AWD (and panicked in a wholly paranoid way). I suspect that energy monitor may not show the rear motor at idle ... but I can't now be sure.

A quick grovel on the floor to look at the rear axle confirms the presence of the rear motor - as suggested by Keith above ... 😉

(Of course that wouldn't prove that it was working! So in cases of more extreme paranoia you'd be best off studying the energy motor while driving along! 🙂 )

Edit: Oh, and you can tell from information provided on the V5 by looking at the braked towing weight - for the current model that will be 1650 for an AWD and 800 for a FWD ...

[ernieb]

I don't know the setup on your car but for the PHEV I'm getting there is a screen option that shows all 4 wheels and as drive is transferred to each wheel the degree of drive is shown as a blue bar.  When I did the test drive I noticed that each time I started a small amount of blue bar was indicated for each of the rear wheels, sometimes not symmetrical as when I puled out of a  layby.   

[PeteB]

1 hour ago, philip42h said:

Yes, very true, but I think that relies on the rear motor being 'active' in one way or another. When my car was shiny brand new I looked at the energy monitor and couldn't tell that mine was AWD...

Edit: Oh, and you can tell from information provided on the V5 by looking at the braked towing weight - for the current model that will be 1650 for an AWD and 800 for a FWD ...

That's interesting.   Mine always shows the motor, and lights up the energy bars when it's in use.  So does the small Energy Monitor display on the speedo screen.

Good point about the V5, I'd missed that, thanks.

1 hour ago, ernieb said:

I don't know the setup on your car but for the PHEV I'm getting there is a screen option that shows all 4 wheels and as drive is transferred to each wheel the degree of drive is shown as a blue bar.  When I did the test drive I noticed that each time I started a small amount of blue bar was indicated for each of the rear wheels, sometimes not symmetrical as when I puled out of a  layby.   

That sounds like the AWD view that can be selected on the speedo screen only.  It also shows which wheels are spinning (if any) and the direction the front wheels are pointing.  It's only available on the AWD models - it wasn't present on the 2WD car I test drove.  In Sport mode, that screen gets a G-force monitor too, as on the attached pic.

[robo1]

Another option 😀

On the EU Certificate of EU Conformity under General Construction Characteristics.  3) Powered Axles it states AWD.

Never had the conformity certificate before and arrived from Toyota (GB) 2 weeks after delivery.

[philip42h]

1 hour ago, PeteB said:

That's interesting.   Mine always shows the motor, and lights up the energy bars when it's in use.  So does the small Energy Monitor display on the speedo screen.

Just to illustrate and prove to myself that I haven't gone completely mad ... the first image shows the car in Accessory mode while the second shows it in Ready mode - with the engine running because it is yet another chilly morning. The wheels have not turned. The rear axle and motor is "absent" in both pictures!

The car does have AWDi on the back, it does have an electric motor on the rear axle (I looked) and the energy monitor does show the rear motor and energy flows when running along but I don't have a photo of that!

[ernieb]

Like this,

 

 

[_dct_]

The pictures above are from the latest gen. On the 4.4 hybrid you won't see a motor on the rear axle but rather just arrows indicating the flow of energy.

 

 

[HY20GAS]

Take the car into a field get it stuck and if front and back wheels turn turn then it’s AWD 

 

[MrNuts]

The AWD has the mode wheel beside the gear shifter, the 2wd one doesn't, it just has buttons.

[MrNuts]

AWD RAV had this beside the gear selector. 2wd does not.

[MrNuts]

Better picture

[MrNuts]

Just seen that its the old model, ignore me.

[PeteB]

9 hours ago, MrNuts said:

AWD RAV had this beside the gear selector. 2wd does not.

Is this true for the OP's RAV4.4 (2018 model)?

Edited June 2, 2021 by PeteB
Oops, just seen MrNuts' last comment!