Subaru Forester vs Toyota RAV4: MPG, Fuel Cost, Recalls and Safety
On EPA ratings the 2025 Toyota RAV4's best version gets 39 mpg combined against 35 mpg for the Subaru Forester.
Subaru Forester
35mpg
Best 2025 version: 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid · AWD · CVT
Toyota RAV4
39mpg
Best 2025 version: 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid · AWD · CVT
The cheapest Toyota RAV4 to fuel costs $1,650 a year at EPA's prices, $200 less than the cheapest Forester. NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2025 Forester and 4 recalls for the RAV4.
Side by side
| 2025 model year | Forester | RAV4 |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy (EPA) | ||
Best combined rating | 35 mpg 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid · AWD · CVT | 39 mpg (clearly better) 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid · AWD · CVT |
Best gas rating Gas engines only; hybrids and diesels excluded | 29 mpg | 30 mpg |
Hybrid or plug-in available | Hybrid 35 mpg | Hybrid and plug-in 39 mpg; plug-in 94 MPGe |
AWD or 4WD available | Yes | Yes |
Lowest annual fuel cost 15,000 miles at EPA fuel prices | $1,850 | $1,650 (clearly better) |
5-year fuel cost vs average new vehicle Cheapest-to-fuel version (EPA) | Saves $2,250 | Saves $3,250 (clearly better) |
| Safety (NHTSA) | ||
Safety recalls, 2025 model year Counts depend on sales and time on sale | 4 | 4 |
Owner complaints, 2025 model year Filed with NHTSA so far | 93 | 102 |
NHTSA overall crash rating Range across tested versions | 5 stars | 5 stars |
Rollover risk Range across tested versions; lower is better | 17.4% | 13.3% to 15.5% (clearly better) |
Marks the clearly better figure. Small gaps (under 2 mpg or 5%, $100 a year in fuel) and overlapping crash-test ranges are not marked, and recall and complaint counts are not scored because they depend on how many were sold.
Best combined rating by model year
The best-rated version of each, every model year since 2016. The RAV4 rated higher in every one of the 11 years both were sold.
- Subaru Forester
- Toyota RAV4
2025: Subaru Forester 35 mpg · Toyota RAV4 39 mpgTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Subaru Forester | Toyota RAV4 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 27 | 32 |
| 2017 | 28 | 32 |
| 2018 | 28 | 32 |
| 2019 | 29 | 40 |
| 2020 | 29 | 40 |
| 2021 | 29 | 40 |
| 2022 | 29 | 40 |
| 2023 | 29 | 40 |
| 2024 | 29 | 39 |
| 2025 | 35 | 39 |
| 2026 | 35 | 43 |
Recalls by model year
Safety recalls NHTSA lists for each model year. Counts depend on how many were sold and how long each model year has been on the road.
- Subaru Forester (left bar)
- Toyota RAV4 (right bar)
2026: Subaru Forester 3 recalls · Toyota RAV4 1 recallTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Subaru Forester | Toyota RAV4 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1 | 3 |
| 2018 | 3 | 3 |
| 2019 | 3 | 8 |
| 2020 | 0 | 6 |
| 2021 | 0 | 5 |
| 2022 | 1 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 | 3 |
| 2024 | 2 | 4 |
| 2025 | 4 | 4 |
| 2026 | 3 | 1 |
More on each model
- 2025 Subaru Forester MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Subaru Forester by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
- 2025 Toyota RAV4 MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Toyota RAV4 by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
Questions
Which gets better gas mileage, the Forester or the RAV4?
For 2025, the RAV4. Its best version is rated 39 mpg combined; the Forester's best is 35 mpg.
Which is cheaper to fuel?
The RAV4. At EPA's assumptions its cheapest version costs $1,650 a year against $1,850, a $1,000 difference over five years.
How do they compare in NHTSA crash tests?
The 2025 Forester is rated 5 stars overall and the RAV4 5 stars. Rollover risk is 17.4% for the Forester and 13.3% to 15.5% for the RAV4.
Sources and method
- US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026, and EPA fuel prices.
- NHTSA recall file dated Sep 27, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Sep 26, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.
We compare the best-rated version of each model unless a row says otherwise. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.