Compare the2022 Toyota Rav4 HybridVS 2021 Lexus NX Series

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Lexus NX Series doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The Rav4 Hybrid has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The NX Series doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Rav4 Hybrid. But it costs extra on the NX Series.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and the NX Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is safer than the Lexus NX Series:

	Rav4 Hybrid	NX Series
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	152	209
Neck Injury Risk	29.3%	46%
Neck Stress	306 lbs.	509 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	400/388 lbs.	480/609 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	284	355
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Injury Risk	37.4%	42%
Neck Stress	258 lbs.	295 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	340/190 lbs.	442/307 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is safer than the Lexus NX Series:

	Rav4 Hybrid	NX Series
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	83	192
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	138 lbs.	148 lbs.
Hip Force	246 lbs.	352 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	317
Spine Acceleration	49 G’s	49 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
HIC	299	542
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	38 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rav4 Hybrid for 1 year and 15000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the NX Series (2/25000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 5 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rav4 Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Lexus vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Lexus is ranked third.

Engine

The Rav4 Hybrid’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 25 more horsepower (219 vs. 194) than the NX 300h’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is faster than the NX 300h :

	Rav4 Hybrid	NX Series
Zero to 60 MPH	7.1 sec	8.3 sec
Quarter Mile	15.4 sec	16.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.1 MPH	84.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Hybrid gets better mileage than the NX Series:

			MPG
Rav4 Hybrid
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	41 city/38 hwy
NX Series
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	33 city/30 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
		F Sport 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The NX 300 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Lexus NX Series (3 to 7). This means the Rav4 Hybrid produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the NX Series every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Rav4 Hybrid stops shorter than the NX Series:

	Rav4 Hybrid	NX Series
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Rav4 Hybrid’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the NX Series (105.9 inches vs. 104.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Rav4 Hybrid is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the NX Series.

The Rav4 Hybrid XSE handles at .80 G’s, while the NX 300 pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 Hybrid’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the NX Series’ (36.1 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 Hybrid has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the NX 300h (8.1 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the Rav4 Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Rav4 Hybrid’s minimum ground clearance is 1.2 inches higher than on the NX 300 (8.1 vs. 6.9 inches).

Chassis

The Toyota Rav4 Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 400 pounds less than the Lexus NX Series.

The front grille of the Rav4 Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The NX Series doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Rav4 Hybrid has 27.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the NX Series (98.9 vs. 71.6).

The Rav4 Hybrid has 1.3 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the NX Series.

Cargo Capacity

The Rav4 Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the NX Series with its rear seat up (37.6 vs. 17.7 cubic feet). The Rav4 Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the NX Series with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 54.6 cubic feet).

The Rav4 Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the NX Series’ in almost every dimension:

	Rav4 Hybrid	NX Series
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	40”	36”/71.5”
Max Width	59”	53”
Min Width	39.4”	44.3”
Height	36.6”	27”

Payload and Towing

The Rav4 Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the NX Series’ (1750 vs. 0 pounds).

The Rav4 Hybrid has a much higher standard payload capacity than the NX Series (1210 vs. 895 lbs.).

Ergonomics

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and the NX Series offer available heated front seats. The Rav4 Hybrid Limited also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the NX Series.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid XLE Premium/XSE/Limited offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The NX Series doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid and the Lexus NX Series, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Lexus NX Series by over six to one during the 2021 model year.