RAV4 Mania Continues
American car buyers can’t get enough of the Toyota RAV4, so much so that even 2025 model years are selling out at no discount. A couple of factors are allowing this to happen: Toyota can’t make the 2026 models fast enough, leading to a shortage; the remaining pool of 2025 models is still getting bought up, regardless.
The outright demand for the RAV4, as well as the transition to the new model, is causing 2025 model-year vehicles to be sold without discounts. One of the other reasons consumers are still buying the outgoing generation is that gasoline-only variants will no longer be part of the U.S. RAV4 lineup, which means a lower average price – or so one may think.
However, one Reddit user went online to vent out a rather shady story. Apparently, his dealer is marking up his purchase by $1,400, citing it as a “Tariff Adjustment.”
Toyota
The Setup
According to the poster, he put a $500 deposit down on a 2025 Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium back in January of 2026. According to him, he signed the paperwork, and the car finally came in about a week before he posted. The XLE Premium variant of the RAV4 comes equipped with a 2.5-liter gasoline engine paired with a hybrid system, which means it’s already on the pricier side of the lineup.
After he was told the vehicle was ready for him, the dealer’s “finance guy” said there was a $1,400 tariff-related market adjustment on top of the agreed amount. Talk about shady because the Toyota RAV4 isn’t even an imported vehicle. In fact, U.S.-made Toyotas are heading East as reverse imports to Japan.
Toyota
Locally Assembled ≠ Imported. Right?
Whether you’re talking about the 2025 or 2026 Toyota RAV4, both models are locally assembled, with the 2025 model year built at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky, plant. The production transition at the Kentucky plant is causing RAV4 sales to decline.
However, these products should not be subjected to President Donald Trump’s tariffs at the dealership. Ironic that this came up, considering that the U.S. Supreme Court has now deemed the President’s use of emergency powers to be “unconstitutional,” leading to refunds to importers.
The Reddit poster asked if “[he has] any ground to push back or is this becoming a standard practice now at Toyota stores?” Other users replied, stating that there is no basis for it, the “adjustment,” instead, it’s likely a shady dealer markup to sweeten the deal after everything is said and done.
According to the top comment, anything the window sticker didn’t specify is a dealer markup, and that even if the car was made in Japan, it would’ve been subject to a 15% tariff. According to the top commenter, “$1,400 does not sound like a 15 percent tariff.”
Another Reddit user stated that he works at a Toyota dealership, “and that $1,400 is just a dealer markup they are trying to get away with. There could be more to this story in the coming months, but hopefully by then, Toyota can get all its cards together and actually address the RAV4 backlog it’s had for months.
Toyota
