Compare the2025 Toyota Rav4VS 2025 BMW X1

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 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 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.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Rav4 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The X1 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Rav4 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, 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 all wheel drive, 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 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 114 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X1 has not been fully tested, yet.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Rav4 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’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’s reliability 25 points higher than the X1.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota second in reliability, above the industry average. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 9th.

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 gets better mileage than the X1:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Rav4 uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X1 M35i xDrive requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Toyota Rav4, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the X1.

The Rav4 stops shorter than the X1:

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

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 LE/XLE’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the X1’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.4 feet). The Rav4 XLE Premium/Limited’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the X1’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 LE/XLE has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X1 (8.4 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Rav4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Rav4 XLE Premium/Limited’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the X1 (8.6 vs. 8.1 inches).

The Toyota Rav4 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 400 pounds less than the BMW X1.

The Rav4 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 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 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X1 with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 57.2 cubic feet).

The Rav4 has a higher standard payload capacity than the X1 (1120 vs. 994 lbs.).

The Rav4 has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the X1 (1240 vs. 994 lbs.).

The Rav4’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 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 Rav4’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 and the X1 offer available heated front seats. The Rav4 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 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 is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The X1 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Rav4 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Rav4 will cost $610 to $1080 less than the X1 over a five-year period.

The Rav4 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Rav4 will retain 60.29% to 62.45% of its original price after five years, while the X1 only retains 53.35%.

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

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