This $2,000 RAV4 EV Is Still Running on Its 2002 Battery

A 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV was listed for sale in Fort Collins, Colorado, at the end of October for $2,000, and its seller says it still runs on the original 27.4-kWh nickel-metal-hydride battery pack.

That pack was rated for 95 miles of EPA range when the car was new, though the seller gives no figure for what it delivers now. The car runs and drives, and the seller says every EV-specific part and every component carried over from the gas RAV4 still works. It has never been crashed and has no structural damage, but it is being sold as a project because of the battery’s age and the model’s rarity, and the seller recommends bringing a trailer.

The Drive found the listing in the Obscure Cars For Sale group on Facebook and reported it on October 31. Everything about the car’s condition comes from the seller, the mileage is not stated, and Toyota has no part in the sale and has not confirmed the vehicle’s history.

The body has lived a hard life. The seller says "pretty much every body panel" is dented, dinged or scratched, and calls that "kind of expected for a ’90s RAV4." The tires are gas-car tires fitted in August 2024 because EV-spec replacements are no longer available, and the windshield has a rock chip and may not be the original heated unit. Two MagneChargers with NEMA 14-50 plugs come with the car, and the seller says the onboard charger works.

Those chargers are part of what makes the car a period piece. The first RAV4 EV arrived in 1997 to meet California’s zero-emission vehicle mandate and charged through the same paddle-style MagneCharger system as the GM EV1 rather than a conventional plug. Most of the production run went to fleets, and retail sales began only shortly before production ended in 2003, with just 328 going to the general public.

A second-generation RAV4 EV followed in 2012 using Tesla powertrain components, and Toyota later built a small number of Scion iQ EVs before focusing on hydrogen fuel cells to meet the mandate.

The Toyota Report Take

A battery pack still moving a 24-year-old SUV down the road would be a remarkable thing, if the seller’s account holds up. I’d want to see a range test before believing much more than that, and anyone buying this needs to accept that the pack’s remaining life is the big unknown in the deal. At $2,000, though, the real value is historical. Only 328 of these went to retail customers, long before Toyota’s electric lineup meant anything to most buyers. This dented little crossover deserves a museum shelf or a very patient owner, and it should not end up in a crusher.

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