Any diffrences between 2012-2014 RaV4 Ev Models

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csugar21

Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2015
Messages
24
Location
Farmington UT
First post here, great to see all the great Rav4 EV owners here. I'm looking at joining the pack, im looking at getting one shipped from California to a carmax here in Salt Lake City. Would you suggest going with at least a 2013 or is there no differences between the model years. Also would you recommend waiting till the recall has been resolved to get one shipped to utah? Thanks for any feedback!

-Chris
 
Welcome!

There's no difference between the model years - with the exception of color and any post-sale modifications, they're all the same car.

The cars manufactured later may have received parts with small modifications made for reliability, but in practice, people with 2014s have had the typical RAV4 EV problems while many of us 2012 owners haven't had any major issues. It's a crapshoot. I would focus more on price, mileage, condition and history than year.

While it would seem prudent to wait for the recall given the hassles of out-of-state service, Toyota still hasn't announced any specifics regarding the service program, so there may be quite a wait.
 
Thanks for the feedback, quality modifications was my main concerns if they got better with the later model years. I have read the out of state forums about out of state service and sounds like is possible. I wanted to confirm with Toyota corporate and twice i have been told they wont service out of California and have no clue what im talking about when referring to a traveling tech. Seems Toyota doesn't want me to get this car.
 
There's no advantage to any of the years.

I would say that the one that is the "best" deal has the newest firmware (1.3.83) and has had all the teething problems fixed.

All the cars had one option; floor mats. Every car was included with this one option. There were three color choices; pearl white, silver and blue. There was also an appliance white for fleets, but I don't personally know of a single one built or sold.

For instance, my 2012 has had EVERYTHING replaced. Of the two 2014s that I have, one has had the motor replaced.

Miles arent nearly as important in an EV, either. That motor will go a LOOOOOOooooooong way, and there's no transmission to service.

Make sure the car isn't over 36,000 miles / 36 months without the Toyota extended warranty. That is the singular car I wouldn't buy.

Warranty thread:

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=13391#p13391

The only differences between a 2012, 2013 and 2014 model years is the the 10th digit from the left of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) has a "C" for 2012, "D" for 2013 and 2014 has an "E". You will find the VIN through the front window, looking from the outside on the driver's side, at the bottom.

The Rav4 EV began sales on Sept 24, 2012 and production completed August 28, 2014.

2538 total were produced.
 
Ok great to know, so for the firmware should i have the car taken to a Toyota dealer first to get that updated while its in california or can that be done out of state? And as for the teething problems is that something a dealer should notice before selling one of these? Its a bit harder to notice everything when you buy out of state. Also im looking at the extended Toyota warranty but is it worth it if im not in california? Sorry for all the questions! thanks for all the help!
 
csugar21 said:
Ok great to know, so for the firmware should i have the car taken to a Toyota dealer first to get that updated while its in california or can that be done out of state? And as for the teething problems is that something a dealer should notice before selling one of these? Its a bit harder to notice everything when you buy out of state. Also im looking at the extended Toyota warranty but is it worth it if im not in california? Sorry for all the questions! thanks for all the help!

Warranty - absolutely! regardless of where you live! Parts for the car are unique and expensive:
Heater, $800 - a known failure item, usually accompanied by the dc-dc converter failure.

As for the firmware - have Carmax or whomever take it to a dealer for a "Health Check" and give you a copy of the printout with firmware rev, etc. Maybe it's under a Certified used car program? That will be interesting.

FWIW I would not count on any dealer to address "teething problems," as most don't have a clue about this car anyway, and many are interested in the sale only, not extensive warranty diagnostics and repairs for issues they don't understand and are not aware of.
 
After reading as much as i can from other posts im thinking having a rav4 ev out of california if a pretty big risk. It seems like product failure is pretty much a sure thing so im going to call my local Toyota service centers to see what they say about servicing a rav4 ev. Thanks for all the feedback! I hope i can make this work.
 
Don't waste your time asking the dealer anything, except to ask if they have an EV / Prius certified mechanic.

OUT OF STATE SERVICE AND WARRANTY CLAIMS

Just know that an out-of-state dealer may be willing to service your Rav4 EV, but Toyota USA may not pay them for warranty claim reimbursements and the service payments for Toyota Care. Kevin Spillane, Toyota Customer rep for the Rav4EV, has this to say about out-of-state servicing:

1) Toyota Customer Care - the normal 5000 mile interval checkups. Not covered outside of California authorized dealers. Expect any out-of-state-dealer who performs a routine service to your car to be denied payment by Toyota for "Toyota Care". No matter what your out-of-state dealer tells you, it won't be covered under "Toyota Customer Care"

2) Tesla drivetrain problems - Not covered outside of California authorized dealers.

3) Non-EV problems but specific to Rav4 EV - like a failed heater on a "case by case basis" (that means that they can jerk you around if they feel like it). They have an authorized field engineer coming to a local dealer to perform the work. It has nothing to do with the dealer themselves, it's just a place to work on the car.

4) Rav4 issues shared with the oil burning version - covered.


http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3993#p3993


**********************


CALIFORNIA CONTRACT CANCELLATION POLICY

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d05/vc11709_2.htm

California law does not provide for a "cooling-off" or other cancellation period for vehicle lease or purchase contracts. Therefore, you cannot later cancel such a contract simply because you change your mind, decide the vehicle costs too much, or wish you had acquired a different vehicle. After you sign a motor vehicle purchase or lease contract, it may only be canceled with the agreement of the seller or lessor or for legal cause, such as fraud.


************************


USED Rav4 EV 's:

If you buy used, even with almost zero miles on the car, you not only lose the tax credits and rebates, you may also lose the ability to "Lemon Law" the car should it come to that.


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CALIFORNIA SALES TAX (purchase) or USE TAX (lease)

On an "in-state" purchase, you pay the applicable tax for your county/city. For an in state lease, you pay a "use tax" on the monthly payment. For out-of-state, you pay nothing to California with a proper Bill of Laden from a shipping company.

DO NOT TAKE DELIVERY IN CALIFORNIA

...unless you want to pay California taxes!!! You will pay applicable taxes in your out-of-state jurisdiction. There's a whole thread devoted to out-of-state purchases and leases.


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TonyWilliams said:
All the cars had one option; floor mats. Every car was included with this one option.

I did not receive floor mats with my 2014. The day I picked up my car, I asked the salesman, "Where are the floor mats?" He replied that floor mats were not included and would have to be purchased separately. "Really??" I asked, rather surprised. He insisted that floor mats were not included, and that they must be purchased separately with any new Toyota.

Got my car from Magnussen Toyota in Palo Alto.

Did anyone else not get floor mats with their car, or am I the only sucker?
 
The floor mats came in the car from the factory, so they were listed on the window sticker. You could have insisted that they be provided on that basis. Do you still have your window sticker?

See this thread for an example window sticker from a 2012.
 
davewill said:
They certainly came with my 2014. I think they owe you floor mats. If they don't come through I'd immediately complain to Toyota.

The floor mats came in exactly ONE color with every RAV4 EV. If you didn't get the floor mats when the car was lease / purchased new, I would inquire at the dealer.

Good luck... I don't see them doing anything for you.
 
My first inquiry to purchase the Rav4 EV showed that the Blizzard Pearl color was an additional charge and that floor mats were $300 or so. Thanks to this forum I purchased from Toyota Carson (Love you Dianne!) and the paint upgrade and floormats were included at no charge.

Definitely check the sticker and if the floormats were shown as included for the price you paid, get back to the dealer. If they were not shown as included on the sticker then you will likely have to purchase them if you want them.

Did you get the L1 charger that comes with the car?
 
TonyWilliams said:
There's no advantage to any of the years.

I would say that the one that is the "best" deal has the newest firmware (1.3.83) and has had all the teething problems fixed.

All the cars had one option; floor mats. Every car was included with this one option. There were three color choices; pearl white, silver and blue. There was also an appliance white for fleets, but I don't personally know of a single one built or sold.

For instance, my 2012 has had EVERYTHING replaced. Of the two 2014s that I have, one has had the motor replaced.

Miles arent nearly as important in an EV, either. That motor will go a LOOOOOOooooooong way, and there's no transmission to service.

Make sure the car isn't over 36,000 miles / 36 months without the Toyota extended warranty. That is the singular car I wouldn't buy.

Warranty thread:

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=13391#p13391

The only differences between a 2012, 2013 and 2014 model years is the the 10th digit from the left of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) has a "C" for 2012, "D" for 2013 and 2014 has an "E". You will find the VIN through the front window, looking from the outside on the driver's side, at the bottom.

The Rav4 EV began sales on Sept 24, 2012 and production completed August 28, 2014.

2538 total were produced.

Does the "Toyota extended warranty" have the same/better/different coverage than a Toyota Used Certified Vehicle? I am shopping, and seeing some with over 3/36 that are certified, some that aren't, etc. Or, for the EV concerns, would I specifically desire one with the Toyota Extended Warranty? Thank you!
 
scottsrav4 said:
TonyWilliams said:
There's no advantage to any of the years...


The only differences between a 2012, 2013 and 2014 model years is the the 10th digit from the left of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) has a "C" for 2012, "D" for 2013 and 2014 has an "E". You will find the VIN through the front window, looking from the outside on the driver's side, at the bottom.

The Rav4 EV began sales on Sept 24, 2012 and production completed August 28, 2014.

2538 total were produced.

Does the "Toyota extended warranty" have the same/better/different coverage than a Toyota Used Certified Vehicle? I am shopping, and seeing some with over 3/36 that are certified, some that aren't, etc. Or, for the EV concerns, would I specifically desire one with the Toyota Extended Warranty? Thank you!

I would have the dealer explain the differences to you I need to you in detail. The extended warranty is only available from a dealer.

The current firmware is 1.3 .101
 
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