RAV4 screen too bright at night? How to dim it, use night mode or turn it off

There's nothing like driving on a dark road with a bright white touchscreen lighting up the whole cabin. It's hard on your eyes, and it makes the road ahead harder to see. The good news is that every RAV4 from 2019 to 2026 lets you dim the center touchscreen and turn it off. A 2023 to 2026 RAV4 also lets you pick a dark night look and keep listening with the center touchscreen off. In this guide I'll walk you through how to do that on each model year. I'll also cover the one setting that keeps a lot of RAV4 center touchscreens stuck on bright, and what the 2026 does differently from the 2023 to 2025.

How to dim the RAV4 screen, use night mode or turn it off, by model year

The steps are the same on the gas RAV4, the RAV4 Hybrid and the RAV4 Prime or Plug-in Hybrid in each model year, so you'll just want to find the row that matches your year and go from there.

First, check the dash brightness dial

The dash brightness dial is the small ribbed wheel at the far left of the row of buttons low on the dash, to the left of the steering wheel. It has a little sun and gauge symbol next to it. Toyota calls it the instrument panel light control. Toyota's manual says it makes the gauges and dash lights brighter or darker.

This is the button row on my 2025 RAV4 Hybrid XSE. The ribbed wheel at the far left, with the sun and gauge symbol, is the dash brightness dial.

The manual doesn't mention what happens at the very top of the dial. Roll the dash brightness dial all the way up and you'll feel it click into a top position. I tested this in my 2025 RAV4 Hybrid XSE at night, with the headlights on and the center touchscreen's Mode set to Automatic. Here's what I found:

• Top click. With the dash brightness dial clicked all the way up into its top position, the center touchscreen stays in its light day look.
• One click down. Roll the dash brightness dial down one click and the center touchscreen switches into its dark night look. That first click also dims the gauge screen behind the steering wheel a little.
• Further down. Rolling the dash brightness dial further down keeps dimming the gauge screen. Below that first click, the dash brightness dial doesn't change the center touchscreen.

Owners on the RAV4World forum have found the same thing. One owner thought new RAV4s seem to come from the factory with the dash brightness dial in that top position. A 2025 RAV4 Limited owner wrote that taking the dial off max "did the job" and the automatic dimming started working.

Here's the fix:

1. Roll the dash brightness dial all the way up until it clicks.
2. Roll the dial back down one click, so it's just below the top.
3. At night, with the headlights on, roll the dial down further if you want the gauges dimmer.

Keep in mind the dash brightness dial still leaves everything at full brightness during the day. Toyota's manual says that when it's bright outside, turning on the lights doesn't change the dash brightness. The opposite trick is handy too. If the center screen or the gauges are too dim in the sun with your headlights on, you can click the dial back into the top position.

On the 2026 RAV4, Toyota replaced the dial with a small switch you press for brighter or darker. Toyota's 2026 manual doesn't say whether the 2026 switch has a top position like the older dial.

How to make a 2023 to 2025 RAV4 screen darker at night

On a 2023 to 2025 RAV4, all the screen settings live on one page of the center touchscreen. Here's how to get there:

1. Tap the gear icon at the bottom of the strip on the left edge of the center touchscreen to open Settings.
2. Tap Display.
3. Tap Screen.

Here's the Screen page under Settings, then Display, on a 2025 RAV4. From top to bottom you get the Display switch, the Mode choices and the Brightness slider. From Matt's Toyota Reviews' video.

Here's what each setting on the Screen page does:

• Automatic. The center touchscreen switches between its light day look and its dark night look on its own. Toyota's 2025 multimedia manual says Automatic follows whether the headlights are on, not the clock. The screen's own label says "Based on time and ambient light," which doesn't match the manual. With the headlight switch on AUTO, a light sensor on top of the dashboard, just below the windshield, decides when the headlights come on. So a brightly lit garage at night can keep the headlights off and the center touchscreen in its light look. Toyota also notes the screen may not switch automatically in some situations, like while parking. Automatic only works when the dash brightness dial is below its top click. In my 2025 RAV4 Hybrid XSE, with Automatic on and the headlights on, the screen stayed in its light look until I rolled the dial down one click.
• Daytime (light). With Automatic turned off, this keeps the center touchscreen in its light day look all the time, even at night. If your screen is bright white at night, it's worth checking that Daytime (light) isn't selected.
• Nighttime (dark). With Automatic turned off, this keeps the center touchscreen in its dark night look all the time. In night mode the center touchscreen dims, and the white backgrounds turn black. Because you're picking Nighttime (dark) by hand, it's meant to keep the center touchscreen dark whatever the dash brightness dial is set to, so it's the way to skip the dash brightness dial entirely.
• Brightness. A slider for how bright the center touchscreen is.
• Contrast. A slider for how strong the contrast is.

If you just want the center touchscreen dark every night without thinking about it, you'll want to turn Automatic off and pick Nighttime (dark). Some owners leave the screen on Nighttime (dark) all the time, because Automatic can flick back and forth when you drive under a bridge or through a tunnel.

If Automatic gets stuck, the first thing to check is the dash brightness dial. If the dash brightness dial is in its top click, roll it down one click before you try anything else. If the center touchscreen still doesn't switch, owners report a couple of other things. One owner's center touchscreen stayed in night mode after backing out of a dark garage on a sunny day. The screen went back to normal the next time the RAV4 was started. Another 2025 owner's screen never went into night mode at all. Turning Automatic off, restarting the center touchscreen and then turning Automatic back on fixed that one. To restart the center touchscreen, hold the POWER/VOLUME knob for 3 seconds. My screen restart guide has the details.

Something to note is that the camera picture has its own brightness. Under Settings, then Display, then Camera, you can set the brightness and contrast of the backup camera and 360 camera picture separately.

How to turn the screen off but keep the music playing on a 2023 to 2025 RAV4

On a 2023 to 2025 RAV4, the switch that turns the center touchscreen off is on the same Screen page:

1. Tap the gear icon to open Settings.
2. Tap Display, then Screen.
3. Turn the Display switch at the top off.

Toyota's manual says that with the center touchscreen off, nothing shows on the screen and only the audio keeps playing. So your radio, Bluetooth music or Spotify through CarPlay keeps going. Toyota adds that the navigation keeps tracking where you are with the center touchscreen off.

Here's what to expect with the center touchscreen off:

• The center touchscreen comes back for a moment when you press the talk switch on the steering wheel or shift into Reverse, so you still get the backup camera.
• If you touch the center touchscreen, an unlock button shows up in the center. Tap the unlock button to turn the screen back on.
• If you touch the center touchscreen but don't tap the unlock button, the screen turns off again after 3 seconds.

How to dim or turn off the screen on a 2019 to 2022 RAV4

On a 2019 to 2022 RAV4 with the 8-inch Audio Plus or Premium Audio screen, the display settings live under the MENU button, which is one of the physical buttons beside the center touchscreen:

1. Press the MENU button.
2. Select Display.

From there:

• Turn the screen off. The screen-off option sits at the top of the Display screen. Press any button to turn the center touchscreen back on. Something to note is that Toyota's 2019 to 2022 manual doesn't say whether your music keeps playing with the screen off, the way the 2023 to 2026 manuals do.
• Brightness and contrast. Select General to adjust the center touchscreen's brightness and contrast with the plus and minus buttons. Select Camera to adjust the camera picture separately.
• Day Mode. On a 2019 to 2022 RAV4, night mode comes on by itself when the headlights are on. You can't pick night mode by hand. The Day Mode option only works while the headlights are on, and it keeps the center touchscreen in its bright day look. Toyota's manual says the RAV4 remembers Day Mode even after you turn the RAV4 off, so if your center touchscreen stays bright at night, it's worth checking that Day Mode isn't turned on.

The dash brightness dial matters here too. Owners of 2019 to 2021 RAV4s say clicking the dash brightness dial into its top position keeps the center touchscreen bright with the headlights on. Just keep in mind these steps come from Toyota's manuals for the 8-inch screens. The base 7-inch Audio screen on some 2019 to 2022 RAV4s may work a little differently.

How to dim, darken or turn off the screen on a 2026 RAV4

On a 2026 RAV4, Toyota put these settings on the quick control screen, a panel that pulls down from the top of the center touchscreen like the one on your phone:

1. Tap the top of the center touchscreen, where your profile picture and the clock are.
2. On the quick control screen, tap the screen-off button, switch the display theme between Auto, Dark and Light, or slide the brightness.
3. Tap anywhere outside the panel to close it.

The Auto theme follows your headlights, so the center touchscreen stays light with the headlights off and dark with the headlights on. If you'd rather go through the menus, the same settings, plus contrast, are also under Settings, then Displays & Camera. Keep in mind the audio keeps playing with the screen off. To bring the center touchscreen back, you touch the screen and tap the unlock button. My 2026 touchscreen guide covers the rest of the quick control screen.

Can a 2023 to 2025 RAV4 do what the 2026 does at night?

Yes. For the center touchscreen at night, a 2023 to 2025 RAV4 can do everything the 2026 does. Both can turn the center touchscreen off with the music still playing, both have light, dark and automatic, and both have brightness and contrast sliders. What the 2026 adds is the shortcut. On a 2026, it's a tap at the top of the center touchscreen. On a 2023 to 2025, it's Settings, then Display, then Screen.

The 2019 to 2022 RAV4 is the one that's missing something. It can turn the center touchscreen off and dim it, but it only goes into night mode with the headlights on, and you can't pick night mode by hand.

If CarPlay is still bright at night

CarPlay has its own light and dark look. Apple says CarPlay uses its dark look by default in most cars, and you can set it to stay dark:

1. Open the Settings app inside CarPlay on the RAV4's center touchscreen.
2. Select Appearance.
3. Select Always Dark.

Keep in mind, the brightness of the CarPlay picture still comes from the RAV4's Brightness setting. So if CarPlay is still too bright, you'll want to lower the RAV4's Brightness setting too. If you'd rather not see CarPlay at all, turning the RAV4's center touchscreen off keeps Spotify playing.

If the gauge screen behind the steering wheel is too bright

The gauge screen behind the steering wheel is a separate screen from the center touchscreen. The dash brightness dial is what dims the gauge screen. Toyota's manual says you can set one brightness for when your lights are on and another for when they're off. That means at night, with the headlights on, you can roll the dash brightness dial down until the gauges feel comfortable. My digital speedometer guide covers the gauge screen settings.

And if your RAV4 has the digital rearview mirror, it has its own brightness setting. My digital rearview mirror guide covers that.

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