If you live up high or drive mountain passes a lot, you might be wondering which RAV4 handles thin air better. Basically, both RAV4 engines lose power as the air gets thinner, but the RAV4 Hybrid's electric motors don't. In this guide I'll go through how much power each RAV4 loses, and what to do on long climbs and descents.
Why a RAV4 loses power at high altitude
So an engine makes power by burning fuel with air. Up high, the air is thinner, so each breath the engine takes holds less oxygen. And with less oxygen, the engine can only burn so much fuel, so the engine makes less power.
The 2.5-liter engine under the hood of a 2019 gas RAV4 Adventure, from Toyota's 2019 RAV4 press photos.
Basically, an engine without a turbo just breathes whatever air is around the engine. That kind of engine is called naturally aspirated. And a naturally aspirated engine loses about 3 percent of its power for every 1,000 feet you climb.
Both RAV4 engines, the gas RAV4's 2.5-liter and the RAV4 Hybrid's 2.5-liter, are naturally aspirated. So both RAV4 engines lose power as you climb.
Now a turbo engine works differently, because the turbo is a part that packs extra air into the engine. For example, the 2023 Audi Q5 I owned had a turbo 2.0-liter. And Garrett Motion, a company that makes turbos, says a turbo lets an engine make power "as if it was at sea level."
So the way I see it, the RAV4 Hybrid's electric push up high is the closest thing a RAV4 has to that turbo advantage.
How much power the gas RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid have at Bend, Denver and 9,000 feet
So here's my own rough estimate of each RAV4's power at a few elevations, worked out from air pressure and the 3 percent rule. Keep in mind these are estimates, not measured numbers. No measured altitude test of either RAV4 has been published.
A 2025 RAV4 Limited in Blueprint, from Toyota's 2025 RAV4 press photos.
A 2025 RAV4 Hybrid XSE in Cavalry Blue, from Toyota's 2025 RAV4 press photos.
A 2026 RAV4 Hybrid Woodland in Urban Rock, from Toyota's 2026 RAV4 press photos.
| Elevation | Air pressure compared with sea level | Gas RAV4 (203 horsepower at sea level) | RAV4 Hybrid's engine on its own (176 horsepower at sea level) | RAV4 Hybrid combined (219 horsepower at sea level) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea level | 100 percent | 203 horsepower | 176 horsepower | 219 horsepower |
| Bend, Oregon (about 3,600 feet) | About 88 percent | About 178 to 181 horsepower | About 154 to 157 horsepower | About 197 to 200 horsepower |
| Denver (about 5,300 feet) | About 82 percent | About 167 to 171 horsepower | About 145 to 148 horsepower | About 188 to 191 horsepower |
| About 9,000 feet | About 72 percent | About 145 to 148 horsepower | About 126 to 128 horsepower | About 169 to 171 horsepower |
Now the reason the RAV4 Hybrid loses less is that only the RAV4 Hybrid's engine loses power. The electric motors run on the hybrid battery, and they don't need air.
So by my rough math, the gas RAV4 makes about 11 to 12 percent less power at Bend. The RAV4 Hybrid makes about 9 to 10 percent less. In Denver, that's about 16 to 18 percent for the gas RAV4 and 13 to 14 percent for the RAV4 Hybrid.
And at 9,000 feet, the loss is about 27 to 29 percent for the gas RAV4, and 22 to 23 percent for the RAV4 Hybrid.
Keep in mind the RAV4 Hybrid's combined numbers are the roughest ones in the table. Toyota doesn't publish how the RAV4 Hybrid's 219 horsepower splits between the engine and the motors. So my rough math just takes the engine's loss away from 219.
And the RAV4 Hybrid only gets its full electric help while the hybrid battery has charge, which matters on long climbs.
Also, the 2026 RAV4 only comes as a hybrid, rated at 226 horsepower with front-wheel drive and 236 with all-wheel drive (AWD). The table doesn't cover the 2026 RAV4, but the 2026 RAV4 works the same way up high. The 2026 RAV4's engine loses power as you climb, but its electric motors don't.
Why the RAV4 Hybrid's push from a stop holds up at altitude
So the biggest difference up high isn't when you floor the pedal. It's when you press the pedal lightly or halfway, the way most people drive around town.
The Hybrid System Indicator on a 2021 RAV4 Hybrid XSE, with the PWR, ECO and CHG areas on the left, from ToyotaJeff Reviews' video.
Basically, the RAV4 Hybrid's push from a stop comes first from its front electric motor, which runs on the hybrid battery (hybrid manual, p.70). An electric motor gives its full pull from zero rpm, or revolutions per minute, so the motor doesn't have to rev up first. And the motor doesn't breathe air, so that push feels the same in Denver as at sea level, as long as the hybrid battery has charge.
But the gas RAV4 has less to give at every speed up high. The gas RAV4's engine already pulls hardest way up at 5,000 rpm. So at altitude, the gas RAV4 needs even more pedal, and the gas RAV4's 8-speed automatic shifts down sooner.
My guide to how the gas RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid drive explains why the gas RAV4 feels flat at low revs in more detail.
A Colorado AvidGolfer review of the 2018 RAV4 Hybrid, the older generation sold before the 2019 redesign, came to the same conclusion. The reviewer wrote that the electric motor's extra push "isn't affected by altitude," and that the RAV4 Hybrid "handles trips over high mountain passes more adroitly."
So that's one reviewer and an older RAV4 Hybrid, but the same electric push from a stop applies to the 2019 to 2025 RAV4 Hybrid too.
Long climbs: the RAV4 Hybrid's battery can run low
Now here's the RAV4 Hybrid's catch up high. The hybrid battery is small, and on a long, steady climb the electric motors keep drawing from the hybrid battery. So near the top of a long mountain grade, the hybrid battery can run low.
Three 2019 RAV4s parked below high mountains, from Toyota's 2019 RAV4 press photos.
And once the hybrid battery is low, the RAV4 Hybrid is mostly running on its engine. Some owners of Toyota hybrids report their hybrids feeling weaker around 9,000 feet. Those owners also say their hybrid batteries ran down on long climbs, so their hybrids ran mostly on the engine.
So on a long climb in the RAV4 Hybrid, expect the RAV4 Hybrid's engine to run more and rev higher near the top. Something to note is that by my rough math, the RAV4 Hybrid's engine on its own makes about 126 to 128 horsepower at 9,000 feet. That's less than the gas RAV4's 145 to 148 horsepower.
So ultimately, by my rough math, the RAV4 Hybrid is stronger until its hybrid battery runs low. And the gas RAV4 is steadier on a very long, high climb, because the gas RAV4 never had electric help to lose.
Long descents: use S mode in either RAV4
Now going down a long mountain grade is where both RAV4s need a little help from you. Basically, engine braking means the engine and transmission hold the RAV4 back, so the brake pads don't do all the work.
The shift lever on my 2025 RAV4 Hybrid XSE, with the S position and the plus and minus marks next to D.
The shift gate on a 2019 gas RAV4 Adventure, with S next to D and the plus and minus marks for changing ranges, from Toyota's 2019 RAV4 press photos.
The cruise control buttons on the steering wheel of my 2025 RAV4 Hybrid XSE, with CANCEL in the middle.
Both owner's manuals say to use engine braking by downshifting to keep a safe speed going down a steep hill. And both manuals warn that riding the brakes the whole way down can overheat the brakes, so the brakes work less well. That's in the 2023 to 2025 gas RAV4 manual on p.181, and the 2023 to 2025 RAV4 Hybrid manual on p.197.
So on both RAV4s, you get more engine braking with S mode, which is a manual setting on the shift lever. Here's how to use S mode on either RAV4:
- Move the shift lever from D into the S position next to D. The display shows S and a number, like S4.
- Pull the shift lever back toward you to drop to a lower range, and push the shift lever forward to go back up. A lower range gives more engine braking, and the engine revs higher.
- Shift the lever back to D once you're off the long grade.
Something to note is that the two RAV4s have a different number of ranges. On the 2023 to 2025 gas RAV4, S mode goes from S1 to S8 (gas manual, p.211). And on the 2023 to 2025 RAV4 Hybrid, S mode goes from S1 to S6 (hybrid manual, p.229).
And the 2019 to 2025 RAV4 Hybrid's shift lever has no B position, so S mode is the setting to use for engine braking.
Basically, dynamic radar cruise control is Toyota's cruise control that keeps a set gap to the car ahead. If dynamic radar cruise control is on, downshifting in S mode won't add engine braking (gas manual, p.209, and hybrid manual, p.226). So I'd turn off cruise control before a long descent.
And sometimes either RAV4 won't allow a downshift, and the buzzer beeps twice (gas manual, p.212, and hybrid manual, p.229). If that happens, brake a little to slow down, then try the downshift again.
Now the RAV4 Hybrid has one more reason to use S mode on a long descent. Basically, when you lift off the gas, the RAV4 Hybrid's motor slows the RAV4 Hybrid and charges the hybrid battery. That's called regenerative braking.
But regenerative braking needs room in the hybrid battery, and on a long descent the hybrid battery can fill up. So once the hybrid battery is full, more of the slowing falls to the engine and the brakes.
And something to note is that some 2023 to 2025 RAV4 Hybrids have a feature called Predictive efficient drive. When the navigation shows a long downhill on your route, the RAV4 Hybrid lowers the hybrid battery's charge before the slope. That leaves room to charge on the way down (hybrid manual, pp.73 to 74).
So to use Predictive efficient drive in the mainland U.S., turn on the navigation's route guidance.
And if you tow with the RAV4 Hybrid, the hybrid manual says to slow down and downshift before a steep or long downhill. And when you want engine braking while towing, use S mode, not D (p.213). My RAV4 towing guide covers how much each RAV4 can tow.
The gas RAV4's Stop and Start may not work up high
And then regarding Stop and Start, it's a feature on some gas RAV4s that shuts the gas RAV4's engine off at a stoplight to save gas. The engine starts again when you lift off the brake.
Up high, the gas RAV4's Stop and Start may not shut the engine off at all (gas manual, p.306). And the display may show "In Preparation" when you're driving in a high altitude area (p.308).
Basically, the gas RAV4 idling at stoplights up high is normal, not a fault. So there's nothing you need to fix. The RAV4 Hybrid doesn't use Stop and Start, because the RAV4 Hybrid's engine already shuts off on its own when the RAV4 Hybrid stops (hybrid manual, p.70).
Which RAV4 makes more sense if you live up high
So if you live at elevation, the RAV4 Hybrid has a real edge. The RAV4 Hybrid loses a smaller share of its power, and its push from a stop stays the same while the hybrid battery has charge. You'll notice the RAV4 Hybrid's edge most when pulling away from stoplights and merging.
But if you do a lot of long, steep mountain climbs, keep in mind that the RAV4 Hybrid's battery help can run out near the top. And if you tow, the gas RAV4 Adventure (2019 to 2024) and gas RAV4 TRD Off-Road (2020 to 2024) are rated for 3,500 pounds.
Other 2019 to 2025 gas RAV4s tow 1,500 pounds, and the 2019 to 2025 RAV4 Hybrid tows 1,750. But otherwise, if you live up high, the RAV4 Hybrid is the one I'd pick.
My main guide to the RAV4 Hybrid vs gas RAV4 goes through towing, mpg, price and the rest.
Buddy's take
So ultimately, if you live up high, I'd pick the RAV4 Hybrid. Thin air takes power from both RAV4 engines, but the RAV4 Hybrid's electric push from a stop stays the same while the hybrid battery has charge. And that's the part of the drive you feel most every day.
But on long mountain grades, either RAV4 does better with a little help from you. Expect the RAV4 Hybrid's engine to work harder near the top of a long climb. And on the way down, put either RAV4 in S mode and turn off cruise control, so the brakes stay cool.
So hopefully this helps you figure out which RAV4 fits where you drive. And if you have a question, feel free to email me at contact@ravbuddy.com. I read as many messages as I can, and your questions help me improve these guides.
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- Top photo: A 2019 RAV4 Hybrid XSE and a 2019 gas RAV4 Adventure on a mountain pass road, from Toyota's 2019 RAV4 press photos.
- Power loss at elevation: Garrett Motion, "How to turbocharge at elevation" (August 15, 2019), for the 3 percent per 1,000 feet rule and turbo engines. The horsepower numbers at Bend, Denver and 9,000 feet are my own rough estimate: the low number in each range comes from standard air pressure at that elevation, and the high number from the 3 percent rule. No measured RAV4 altitude test has been published.
- Toyota owner's manuals: 2023 to 2025 gas RAV4 (OM0R100U), pp.181, 209, 211, 212, 306 and 308, and 2023 to 2025 RAV4 Hybrid (OM0R102U), pp.70, 73 to 74, 197, 213, 226 and 229.
- Review: Colorado AvidGolfer, 2018 RAV4 Hybrid SE AWD review (May 23, 2018, the generation before 2019). Towing ratings from my RAV4 towing guide.
- 2026 RAV4 power: Toyota newsroom, October 22, 2025.
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