Compare the2026 Jeep CherokeeVS 2026 Toyota Rav4

Both the Cherokee and Rav4 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Cherokee has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Rav4’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Cherokee. But it costs extra on the Rav4.

Both the Cherokee and the Rav4 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

There are almost 2 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Cherokee’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep above average in initial quality. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

The Cherokee has more powerful engines than the Rav4:

The Cherokee has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Rav4 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the Cherokee’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Rav4:

The Cherokee stops shorter than the Rav4:

The Cherokee has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Rav4 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Cherokee’s wheelbase is 7.1 inches longer than on the Rav4 (113 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Cherokee is 1.4 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than on the Rav4.

For greater off-road capability the Cherokee has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Rav4 GR Sport (8 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the Cherokee to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Cherokee uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Rav4 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Cherokee uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Rav4 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Cherokee has 8.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rav4 (107.4 vs. 98.9).

The Cherokee has 2.3 inches more front headroom and .6 inches more front shoulder room than the Rav4.

The Cherokee’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Rav4’s (3500 vs. 1750 pounds).

While the Rav4 GR Sport is not recommended to tow, any Cherokee can tow a minimum of 3500 pounds.

The Cherokee uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Rav4 uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Cherokee’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Rav4 has neither an oil pressure gauge nor a temperature gauge.

The Cherokee’s standard Keyless Enter-N-Go allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from pocket or purse. Smart Key System standard on the Rav4 doesn’t offer a sensor on the cargo door or the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear doors.

The Cherokee’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Rav4 LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

The Cherokee’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Toyota only offers heated mirrors on the Rav4 SE/Woodland/XLE/XSE/Limited/GR Sport.

The Cherokee Limited/Overland’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Rav4 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.