The compact crossover SUV segment is the most popular type of car in the U.S. for how well it serves buyers, due to their versatility, practicality, and affordability. With available all-wheel drive and a range of hybrid and plug-in powertrains, as well as top safety ratings in most cases, they cast the widest net of how most drivers intend to use their cars, yet with enough variability in style and offerings to appeal to the individual.
The model that best embodies this personalized range happens to be the bestselling model in the U.S. that isn’t a truck. The 2025 Toyota RAV4 comes in a wide range of models, all of them winners. Redesigned last in 2019 and expecting a redesign in 2026, the RAV4 specializes in choice, ranging from the rugged TRD Off-Road model to a thrifty hybrid and excellent plug-in hybrid.
The 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan arrives new for its third generation, with a more vertical SUV stance and the latest technology. One of the larger, roomier crossovers in the class, it also promises to be more efficient, but for now lacks a hybrid option.
Both compete with excellent vehicles, including the latest Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, and Nissan Rogue. If the choice comes down to these two, which one gets our nod?
2025 Volkswagen Tiguan
Tiguan vs. RAV4 prices and features
- Expect the Tiguan to cost more than $32,000
- A base RAV4 LE costs about $30,000; all-wheel drive adds $1,400, making the AWD Hybrid LE only $1,500 more
- Best picks: RAV4 XLE Hybrid, Tiguan SE
How much is a Toyota RAV4?
With as many as 16 versions to choose from, the RAV4 carries a solid base price of about $30,000, including destination. That RAV4 LE comes with cloth upholstery, 17-inch wheels, and a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Adding all-wheel drive costs $1,400.
Spend a little more to get the RAV4 XLE. For about $35,000 as an all-wheel-drive hybrid, it comes with a power driver seat and keyless start, and leaves the door open for options like heated front seats and a bigger touchscreen.
Spend more than $45,000 and you can have the plug-in hybrid RAV4 PHEV. Very difficult to find on lots, it’s worth the chase thanks to its superb fuel economy and its standard sport suspension, not to mention its all-electric drive mode. All RAV4s carry a basic 3-year/36,000-mile warranty.
How much is a VW Tiguan?
VW hasn’t announced pricing on the redesigned 2025 Tiguan as of this publication, but to expect it the base Tiguan S to cost about $32,000, including destination. It will be available in four trims, including S, SE, SE R Line Black, and SEL R Line. The base S includes a 10.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and all VWs come with a strong 4-year/50,000-mile warranty with two free years of scheduled maintenance. All-wheel drive will cost about $1,500 extra.
Historically the Tiguan SE has been the best value for the features, but we can’t commit to that recommendation until we get the full trim walk for VW late this spring.
Volkswagen loads the top R Line models with 12-way power front seats with a massage function, 12-speaker Harmon Kardon sound, heated and cooled front seats along with a heated steering wheel. We’re expecting it to cost about $45,000 with AWD.
Advantage: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
2025 Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid
Tiguan vs. RAV4 performance
- RAV4 Prime makes 302 hp
- Tiguan has a 201-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4
- Both offer all-weather AWD traction
Acceleration gets a boost thanks to an extra 17 hp in the Tiguan’s 201-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4, and we expect its smooth pairing with the 8-speed automatic to carry over. What’s always been more impressive is its comfortable ride. Tuned for a compliant ride, the Tiguan feels best when it runs on 17- and 18-inch wheels in the S and SE models. The R-Line has 19- or 20-inch wheels that can roughen the ride in an attempt to feel more sporty.
All versions of the 2025 Tiguan offer all-wheel drive, though front-wheel drive is the standard setup. Most versions of the RAV4 come with front-wheel drive as standard equipment, but all 2025 RAV4s can be equipped with all-wheel drive.
Base RAV4 crossovers make decent power from a 203-hp 2.5-liter inline-4 paired with an 8-speed automatic. The engine gets noisy when it’s pressed hard, but it’s acceptably strong. It’s the hybrids that get our vote: the 219-hp Hybrid pairs the engine with batteries and a rear-wheel electric motor for standard all-wheel drive and excellent fuel economy. Even better—and way more rare—is the RAV4 Prime, which gets a big 18.1-kwh battery pack and a big output of 302 hp. It can shoot to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and handles well, thanks to a tautly tuned sport suspension—all while it delivers up to 42 miles of electric driving range.
Advantage: The RAV4, with a nod to the Hybrid and Prime.
2025 Volkswagen Tiguan
Tiguan vs. RAV4 size, seating capacity, and cargo space
- RAV4 has less head room
- Tiguan has better seats
- Both seat up to five passengers
How big is the Volkswagen Tiguan?
Volkswagen makes its crossovers big, and the Tiguan is one of the largest among its class, and can seat five people in relative comfort, though the rear passengers might prefer a smaller middle passenger. VW no longer squeezes an emergency third row of seats in back, so there’s more cargo space this year, and rear seat passengers benefit with 38.7 inches of legroom. It may look a little shorter on the outside, and it is, with about two inches less length in total, yet the wheelbase remains the same and it’s still larger than the RAV4.
How big is the Toyota RAV4?
The Tiguan’s versatility might give it an edge over the RAV4. With the rear seats folded the RAV4’s cargo volume is 69.8 cubic feet, which is above average for the class. Its seats feel thinner, though, and head room is lower than the Tiguan by a couple inches, but there’s a bit more leg room in the cabin of the RAV4 than the Tiguan. Six-footers likely will find the Tiguan to be a roomier, comfier driving experience.
Advantage: The Tiguan’s interior has more usable space and better seats.
2022 Toyota RAV4
Tiguan vs. RAV4 fuel economy
- Toyota RAV4 Hybrid with AWD gets 41 mpg city, 38 highway 39 combined
- RAV4 PHEV goes 42 miles on electric power, or gets the equivalent of 94 mpg
- Toyota RAV 4 AWD gets up to 27/34/30
- Expect the Tiguan to improve on its 27 mpg combined rating, or 25 mpg with AWD
Most RAV4s aren’t hybrids or plug-ins, and with EPA fuel economy of 30 mpg combined in front-wheel-drive versions, that’s just fine. All-wheel drive doesn’t cost much more in fuel. The 39-mpg RAV4 Hybrid earns the nod as the most cost-effective and efficient model, but the Prime’s 42 miles of electric driving set it apart even from this strong lineup.
As for the Tiguan, it’s average, with front-drive models earning EPA ratings of 26 mpg combined. Heavier AWD versions check in at 25 mpg combined. No hybrid versions are offered.
Advantage: Toyota RAV4, even in its base versions.
2025 Volkswagen Tiguan
Tiguan vs. RAV4 styling
- RAV4 has adventurous looks
- The Tiguan’s more sedate
- Both SUVs get sharp touchscreens
The RAV4 looks edgier on the outside than the Tiguan, even though it’s older. Toyota channeled its truck line in the design of the RAV4 to hark back to when SUVs were based on trucks. Chunky fenders and a stout, broad face pretend to be truck-like, but the Adventure and TRD Off-Road models add even more cosmetically rugged features. Inside, the cabin works with a simple horizontal design lightened up by metallic trim, synthetic leather, and on some versions, a big 9.0-inch touchscreen.
The Tiguan sticks with a more conservative approach that doesn’t try so hard to be SUVish. It has now embraced design cues from its ID.4 electric vehicle, starting with an LED light bar across the brow. It’s taller and more upright than its predecessor and a bit wider, but VW shaved 2.1 inches off its overhangs. The subtle but stylish design blows up inside with a 10.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen with dials and knobs. It can be equipped with luxury-like finishes, and has far more style than the proletariat RAV4.
Advantage: The RAV4’s more engaging outside, but the new Tiguan wins inside.
2022 Toyota RAV4
Tiguan vs. RAV4 safety
- Excellent crash-test scores for RAV4
- Both have automatic emergency braking
- VW offers a surround-view camera system
How safe is the Toyota RAV4?
It’s earned a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS, and the NHTSA gives it five stars overall. The RAV4 also has standard automatic emergency braking, active lane control, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams; blind-spot monitors are an option.
How safe is the Volkswagen Tiguan?
It remains to be seen if the new Tiguan will improve on the old model’s 4-star NHTSA rating, or if it will once again earn an IIHS Top Safety Pick. We’ll update this when testing is completed. It comes better equipped than the RAV4, with standard automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, active lane control, rear cross-traffic alerts, and parking sensors.
Advantage: RAV4.
2025 Toyota RAV4
Which is better: Tiguan or RAV4?
By the numbers, the Toyota RAV4 walks away with the win here. It earns a TCC Rating of 6.5 out of 10; Primes would rate even higher thanks to their gutsy performance and efficiency. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
But the spacious Tiguan has its charms, and VW gives each one a 4-year/50,000-mile warranty that includes two years of complimentary scheduled maintenance. We’ll see if the updates add up to a higher TCC Rating of 6.0 out of 10 in its predecessor. Hybrid and plug-in options would make it more competitive, but VW already offers one excellent alternative: the all-electric VW ID.4 crossover EV.