Compare the2024 Toyota Rav4 HybridVS 2024 BMW X1

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 BMW X1 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X1 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and the X1 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rav4 Hybrid the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 98 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X1 has not been tested, yet.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Rav4 Hybrid 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X1. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the X1 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rav4 Hybrid’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Rav4 Hybrid’s reliability 11 points higher than the X1.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, BMW is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. BMW is ranked 9th.

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Hybrid gets better mileage than the X1:

The Rav4 Hybrid can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 1.6 miles. The X1 can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X1 M35i xDrive requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Rav4 Hybrid has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The X1 doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Rav4 Hybrid is .6 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the X1.

The Rav4 Hybrid’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the X1’s (57.1% to 42.9%). This gives the Rav4 Hybrid more stable handling and braking.

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 Hybrid’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the X1’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The Rav4 Hybrid has .6 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear legroom and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the X1.

The Rav4 Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the X1 with its rear seat up (37.6 vs. 25.7 cubic feet). The Rav4 Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X1 with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 46.9 cubic feet).

The Rav4 Hybrid has a higher standard payload capacity than the X1 (1210 vs. 1111 lbs.).

The Rav4 Hybrid’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The X1’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Rav4 Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the X1 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The X1’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Rav4 Hybrid Limited’s optional adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The Rav4 Hybrid’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The X1 doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and the X1 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 X1.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Rav4 Hybrid Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The X1 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Rav4 Hybrid Woodland has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The X1 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid and the BMW X1, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the BMW X1 by almost 21 to one during 2023.