A Toyota RAV4 EV For $2,000?

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In June, I wrote an article about a used Mitsubishi i-MiEV that cost only about $1,000. The same guy who bought it, Kyle, just got another really cheap used electric vehicle — this time a Toyota RAV4 EV. There weren’t a lot of these EVs made and they go back quite a while. Many of them were in California. I used to see them once in a while. Of course, I wanted one because they were one of the best EVs on the market then, but in limited supply. The second-generation RAV4 EV had a range of about 110 miles per charge.

Kyle got his for just $2,000 — it runs fine but has some paint peeling and was quite dirty inside, which required a deep cleaning. Inside the vehicle, a screen is also not working. The RAV4’s battery pack is just over 41 kWh. In the video, Kyle mentions another Toyota EV, the BZ4X. which he said is “not terrible.”

This particular RAV4 has a DC fast charging kit, which makes charging more convenient if compatible chargers are available. The DC fast charging kit makes it possible to charge at a rate of about 50 kW. Even though the EV is old, it still is under mechanical warranty, except for the battery.

A quick online scan for used RAV4 EVs of the same generation shows the price range is about $7,000–10,000. So, indeed, Kyle got quite a deal.

If you have watched any of Kyle’s videos about EVs, it’s clear he knows what he is talking about. His views on the Toyota EV are positive: quick, very quiet inside, fun to drive, etc.

The instrumentation and some of the driver control options are described as “awesome.” They do look smart and easy to understand, or “intuitive,” which is not so easy to achieve for carmakers.

One of the reasons to write about affordable electric vehicles is because there appear to be many, many people who are confused about EVs, and some of them keep repeating the misinformation that they “cost too much.”

Recently, I wrote about 6 new electric vehicles that are definitely affordable. See:

Just some months ago, I wrote an article about a used Tesla Model S for $9,000. As mentioned above, the i-MiEV was only $1,000 and the RAV4 EV in this article was only $2,0000. Five years ago, I also wrote about how affordable used Chevy Bolts are, and they still are affordable today. Zach has also written about affordable used EVs. The people who keep re-parroting the misinformation that EVs “cost too much” might have no awareness of the used EV market.

While these deals are sort of down-in-the-weeds information, there are also larger trends. By 2030, EV battery replacements might drop to $5,000, according to Recurrent. If that turns out to be true, then used EVs will cost even less than they do today.