Toyota RAV4 key options: does your RAV4 have push button start?

Does the 2019 RAV4 have push button start?

Some do. Toyota launched the all-new, fifth-generation RAV4 as a 2019 model: the gas grades went on sale in December 2018 and the RAV4 Hybrid followed in late March 2019.

Toyota's launch release lists the Smart Key System with push button start among what the XLE grade adds, and Toyota's 2019 RAV4 quick reference guide marks the Smart Key System "if equipped", with separate instructions for vehicles without it. So a 2019 RAV4 can have a START button or a key you turn, depending on how it was built.

Not sure which one you have? The VIN settles it. Scan it in Partexia.

How to tell if your RAV4 has push button start

1. Look for the ENGINE START STOP button. If the RAV4 starts when you push it, in Park with your foot on the brake and the key in your pocket, it has the Smart Key System.
2. No button? You turn a key. A RAV4 without the Smart Key System starts with a key you insert and turn.
3. Grasp the front door handle. With the smart key on you, grasping the handle unlocks the door. Without the Smart Key System, you unlock with the remote buttons or the key.
4. Look at the key itself. A smart key hides a mechanical key that you slide out with a release lever. The key for a RAV4 without the Smart Key System has a blade that folds out when you press its button.

Then scan the VIN in Partexia for the OEM key that matches.

Toyota RAV4 key types: smart key vs regular key

• Electronic key (Smart Key System). The proximity key. It stays in your pocket: the doors unlock when you grasp the handle and the engine starts with the START STOP button.
• Mechanical key. The metal key stored inside the electronic key. Toyota says to carry it with you, because you need it at the door if the key battery is depleted.
• Master key. Toyota's name for the key on a RAV4 without the Smart Key System: the remote buttons and a folding blade in one, which you turn in the engine switch.

Toyota gives a standard key battery life of 1 to 2 years. On a smart key RAV4, a "Key Battery Low" message on the multi-information display tells you when to replace it.

Which one yours takes is in the VIN. Partexia shows it, with the OEM key to order.

RAV4 Hybrid and RAV4 Prime keys

The fifth-generation RAV4 Hybrid came in its own grades: LE HV, XLE HV, XSE HV and Limited HV. The RAV4 Prime, the first RAV4 plug-in hybrid, arrived as a 2021 model in SE and XSE grades and was renamed RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid for the 2025 model year.

On the Prime too, the smart key is tied to equipment: Toyota lists a 5-door SmartKey system as part of the XSE Premium Package. Name the exact variant and grade when you order a key, and use the same checks at the dash.

Gas, Hybrid or Prime, the VIN says which. Scan it in Partexia.

How to start a RAV4 with a dead smart key battery

1. Open the door with the mechanical key. Turning it rearward unlocks the driver's door; turn it again within 5 seconds to unlock the other doors.
2. Shift to P. Then depress the brake pedal.
3. Touch the Toyota emblem side of the key to the engine switch. A buzzer sounds when the key is detected and the engine switch turns to ON.
4. Press the brake firmly and press the engine switch. If the engine still does not start, Toyota says to contact your dealer.

These steps are from Toyota's owner's manual for the fifth-generation RAV4. Check your own manual for your model year.

Toyota RAV4 key fob upgrade: can a new key add push start?

Not by itself. Toyota lists the Smart Key System as "if equipped": it is part of how the vehicle was built, not a feature of the key. A RAV4 built without it starts with a key you turn.

Toyota's app-based Remote Connect is the same story. The owner's manual says it works through the vehicle's DCM and a smartphone with a subscription, on vehicles equipped with it, so a key does not add it.

Order the key that matches how the RAV4 was built. Partexia reads that from the VIN.

Where is the VIN on a Toyota RAV4?

• Through the windshield: on the top left of the instrument panel, readable from outside on the driver's side.
• On the driver's door: on the certification label on the door edge or the door post.
• Under the front passenger seat: Toyota says that on some models the VIN is also stamped under the right-hand front seat.
• On the registration: Toyota calls the VIN the number used to register the vehicle's ownership.

In Partexia, point the camera at the VIN barcode or type the 17 characters.

For locksmiths: Toyota RAV4 all keys lost

Before you quote, establish:

1. The generation: 2019 started the fifth generation and 2026 the sixth.
2. The variant: gas, Hybrid, or Prime (Plug-in Hybrid from 2025).
3. The ignition: ENGINE START STOP button or a key you turn.
4. The features: what the customer's key worked, such as the power liftgate.

After a new electronic key is registered, Toyota's manual says the display shows "A New Key has been Registered" for about 10 days when the driver's door is opened. Tell the customer to expect it.

Then scan the VIN in Partexia for the OEM key part numbers that fit that RAV4. Programming is a separate step, with your tool or at the dealer.

Smart key or a key you turn on other Toyotas

• Toyota Camry keys and key fobsPush-button start or a key you turn, and which key that means
• Toyota Corolla keys and key fobsSmart key or a key you turn, and the Hatchback and Corolla Cross