Compare the2025 Toyota Rav4 Plug-In HybridVS 2025 Alfa Romeo Tonale

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 Plug-In 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 Alfa Romeo Tonale doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear 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 Plug-In Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tonale doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Rav4 Plug-In 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 Tonale 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.

Both the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid and Tonale have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid XSE offers optional Parking Support Brake (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Tonale’s Rear Cross-Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid and the Tonale 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

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

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Alfa Romeo doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Tonale.

There are almost 10 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Alfa Romeo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rav4 Plug-In 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 Plug-In Hybrid’s reliability 54 points higher than the Tonale.

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 Alfa Romeo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles, Alfa Romeo is rated below average.

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 17 more horsepower (302 vs. 285) than the Tonale’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid is faster than the Alfa Romeo Tonale:

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid running on electricity gets better mileage than the Tonale running on electricity (105 city/84 hwy vs. 77 city/77 hwy MPGe).

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the Tonale running its gasoline engine (40 city/36 hwy vs. 29 city/29 hwy).

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid can travel with zero emissions on electricity, only, on a full charge for 42 miles. The Tonale has to start its internal combustion engine after only 33 miles.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Tonale requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid has 3.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tonale (14.5 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid has a standard locking fuel door and a locking charge port and which locks and unlocks with the power locks, respectively. The Tonale doesn’t have a locking charge port. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank and a locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

The Rav4 Plug-In 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 Tonale doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Tonale are solid, not vented.

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Tonale; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid’s wheelbase is 2.1 inches longer than on the Tonale (105.9 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Tonale.

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid SE’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Tonale’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.9 feet). The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid XSE’s turning circle is .5 feet tighter than the Tonale’s (37.4 feet vs. 37.9 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid SE has a 2.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tonale (8 vs. 5.6 inches), allowing the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid XSE’s minimum ground clearance is 2.6 inches higher than on the Tonale (8.2 vs. 5.6 inches).

The front grille of the Rav4 Plug-In 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 Tonale doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid has 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tonale.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid’s rear seats recline. The Tonale’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Tonale with its rear seat up (33.5 vs. 22.9 cubic feet). The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tonale with its rear seat folded (63.2 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid. The Tonale doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tonale’s (2500 vs. 2000 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid uses the Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Tonale doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid has a higher standard payload capacity than the Tonale (1295 vs. 1197 lbs.).

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid XSE offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Tonale doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

Both the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid and the Tonale have standard heated front seats. The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Tonale.

The Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid XSE offers an optional 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 Tonale doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Consumer Reports® chose the Toyota Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Alfa Romeo Tonale isn't recommended.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Alfa Romeo Tonale by almost 208 to one during 2023.