​​How Much Cargo Space is Does the New RAV4 Have​

The answer above depends on who you ask. Toyota’s spec sheet shows that the 2026 RAV4 has 37.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat. But Cars.com uses a different measurement that comes to 19.4 cubic feet. Autoblog uses a different approach that doesn’t use cubic feet at all. What gives? Sharp Toyota explains. 

Cars.com is very meticulous in its cargo measurements. It isn’t just depth x width x height. They account for angles caused by folded seats. If there are sliding rear seats, they are placed in their rearmost position. If the cargo floor is adjustable, it is set to the lowest position, and if there is space around a spare tire, it is included.  

So, why is Cars.com’s cargo figure just a bit over half of Toyota’s? The primary difference is that they measure cargo height to the top of the rear seatback, and this doesn’t include headrests. In short, they treat an SUV’s cargo space as though it were a trunk with a virtual lid. They do this for safety reasons, stating, “You shouldn’t consider space above the seatbacks as usable cargo volume, as it compromises visibility and safety.” 

It is all very responsible. However, as anyone who has moved an appliance, a piece of furniture (fully built, not Ikea flatpacks), or other bulky items knows, people load things above the rear seat height all the time. It is certainly not smart to put loose things up high that can slide up and impact rear passengers when the car brakes. And yes, it is nice to still be able to see through your inside rear view mirror when you have a load.  (This is when mirrors with rear camera images can really come in handy.)  But you would be hard-pressed to find any SUV owner who considers loading an item that sits higher than the rear seats a deal-breaker.  If so, they could have just saved money and gotten a sedan. 

So Toyota’s figures, of 37.8 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 70.4 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, are probably more indicative of how people will really use their cargo space.    

Now, what does 37.8 cubic feet really mean? 1 cubic foot is easy enough to picture. It is a box that is a foot high, deep, and wide. Eight cubic feet is a box that is two feet high, two feet deep, and two feet wide. 27 cubic feet is a box that is 3 feet wide in all dimensions, and 64 cubic feet is a box that is four feet on all sides. So, 37.8 is somewhere between, but closer to a 3-foot box than a four-foot box. Does that help? No? Well, OK. It isn’t like the dimensions are all identical anyway. 

Autoblog has its own way of measuring cargo space, and the metric is luggage. They have a set lineup of mid-size and carry-on suitcases, plus some soft bags, a cooler, and a few other items that they bring for every cargo space test. They haven’t tested a 2026 RAV4 yet, but fortunately, of all the things that are new about the RAV4, the cargo space has changed very little. As mentioned, the 2026 RAV4 is rated at 37.8 cubic feet behind the rear seats, and the 2025 RAV4 Hybrid was rated at 37.5, so the difference is about the size of a loaf of bread. 

Fortunately, Autoblog.com measured how much could be loaded into the previous-generation RAV4 hybrid, and they took the responsible approach, loading up to approximately seatback height. Here is what they could put behind the rear seats: 

• 2 midsize roller bags (26” x 16” x 11”) 

• 2 roller carry-on bags (24” x 15” x 10”) 

• 1 smaller carry-on bag (23” x 15” x 10”) 

• 2 soft bags (21” x 12” x 12”) 
• 38-quart cooler 

The image shows that if you didn’t care about seeing through your rearview mirror, you have room for about 3-4 more soft bags. So what this shows is that the RAV4 should be able to carry five people and their luggage without a problem.  Fortunately, then as now, this is all with an emergency spare under the floor.  

With the seats down, 70.4 cubic feet is not quite double 37.8 (technically, it’s 86% more), so you can pretty much double the numbers for everything in the above list, minus one bag, to get a luggage estimate for the 2026 RAV4 in full cargo mode.  That sure would be a lot of luggage for two people, though.  

Hopefully, this will give you a better idea of what the cubic feet figures mean, not just for the RAV4 but other SUVs as well. If you are really motivated to know for sure, when you visit Sharp Automotive to view cars, you are welcome to bring your luggage to conduct your own test.