Compare the2024 Toyota Rav4 HybridVS 2023 Fiat 500X

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
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 Fiat 500X doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Pre-Collision System in the Rav4 Hybrid as “Superior.” The 500X scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

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 500X 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Rav4 Hybrid (except LE/SE/Woodland) offers an optional Parking Support Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The 500X doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Rav4 Hybrid’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the 500X and is only available on 500X Sport.

The Rav4 Hybrid XSE/Limited offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 500X only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and 500X offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Rav4 Hybrid (except LE/SE/Woodland) has Parking Support Brake (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The 500X’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and the 500X 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, rearview cameras and available blind spot warning systems.

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 80 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 500X last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Rav4 Hybrid 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Fiat covers the 500X. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the 500X ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rav4 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. Fiat doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the 500X.

There are over 3 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Fiat dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rav4 Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

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 38 points higher than the 500X.

Engine

The Rav4 Hybrid’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 42 more horsepower (219 vs. 177) than the 500X’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Hybrid gets better mileage than the 500X:

		MPG
Rav4 Hybrid
	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	41 city/38 hwy
	Woodland 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	38 city/35 hwy
500X
	1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy

The Rav4 Hybrid can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 1.6 miles. The 500X can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Rav4 Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The 500X doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The 500X requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Rav4 Hybrid has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the 500X (14.5 vs. 12.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Rav4 Hybrid has a standard locking fuel door. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the 500X. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

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 Fiat 500X (6). This means the Rav4 Hybrid produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 500X every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

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 500X doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Rav4 Hybrid stops shorter than the 500X:

	Rav4 Hybrid	500X
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	123 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	145 feet	146 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Rav4 Hybrid has larger tires than the 500X (225/65R17 vs. 215/60R17).

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Rav4 Hybrid’s wheelbase is 4.7 inches longer than on the 500X (105.9 inches vs. 101.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Rav4 Hybrid is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 2.8 inches wider in the rear than the track on the 500X.

The Rav4 Hybrid’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the 500X’s (60.3% to 39.7%). This gives the Rav4 Hybrid more stable handling and braking.

The Rav4 Hybrid XSE handles at .80 G’s, while the 500X pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Rav4 Hybrid XSE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the 500X (27.6 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the 500X (8.1 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Rav4 Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

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 500X doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Rav4 Hybrid has 7.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 500X (98.9 vs. 91.7).

The Rav4 Hybrid has .4 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front hip room, 3.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear headroom, 3 inches more rear legroom and 3.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the 500X.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Rav4 Hybrid’s rear seats recline. The 500X’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Rav4 Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the 500X with its rear seat up (37.6 vs. 14.1 cubic feet). The Rav4 Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the 500X with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 39.8 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Rav4 Hybrid easier. The Rav4 Hybrid’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.8 inches, while the 500X’s liftover is 31.4 inches.

The Rav4 Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the 500X’s in every dimension:

	Rav4 Hybrid	500X
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	40”/73.4”	n/a
Max Width	59”	41.3”
Min Width	39.4”	37.8”
Height	36.6”	28.8”

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Rav4 Hybrid. The 500X doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Rav4 Hybrid (except LE/Woodland Edition) offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button or, optionally on the Rav4 Hybrid Limited/XSE, by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The 500X doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Towing

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Rav4 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 500X doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Rav4 Hybrid (except LE/SE/XLE/Woodland), the optional memory seats make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The 500X doesn’t offer memory seats.

The Rav4 Hybrid’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The 500X’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Rav4 Hybrid the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the 500X can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Rav4 Hybrid’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the 500X’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

The Rav4 Hybrid has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The 500X only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

The 500X Sport’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.

Both the Rav4 Hybrid and the 500X 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 500X.

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 500X doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Rav4 Hybrid XLE/SE/XSE/Limited/Woodland’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The 500X doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Rav4 Hybrid has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The 500X doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Rav4 Hybrid has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the 500X Sport.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Rav4 Hybrid has standard rear a/c vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The 500X doesn’t offer rear vents.

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 500X doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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 500X doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Rav4 Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Fiat 500X isn't recommended.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Fiat 500X by over 457 to one during 2022.

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