Owners of other Toyota and Lexus vehicles such as the Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Prius, Avalon, C-HR, GR86, Venza, Sienna, Sequoia, 4Runner, IS 250, IS 300, IS 350, ES 350, GS 350 and GX 460 may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

A few compatible replacement aftermarket cabin air filters with their part numbers include the following: EPAuto CP157, Spearhead BE-157, Premium Guard PC99237X and Beck/Arnley 042-2229.

No tools are required to access and replace the filter.

The first few steps are to sit in the front passenger seat, open the glove box and empty out the contents.

Move to the right outer side wall and locate the glove box damper arm.

Firmly push in the two side walls of the glove box until the plastic side stops can be released from behind the dashboard.

The plastic hinges on the bottom edge of the glove box might come apart. They can easily be reattached later on.

Once the glove box is out of the way, you'll be able to see the HVAC blower motor assembly and the rectangular shaped filter cover.

There are two release tabs on the left side of the filter cover and another on the right side.

Then squeeze together the two release tabs on the left of the cover.

Carefully pull the access cover off the filter slot.

Set the filter cover aside in a safe place.

Slide the filter tray straight out of the slot in the HVAC blower motor assembly.

Inspect both sides of the old filter.

If the old filter is relatively clean, tap out the large debris and remove any fine dust with a vacuum cleaner.

If the old filter is dark gray or black and clogged with dirt, dust, pollen, hair, insects, twigs, leaves, sand, soot and other debris, it should be replaced with a new element.

I recommend buying the Spearhead BE-157 cabin air filter since it has excellent reviews on Amazon from other RAV4 owners.

Note - If you bought an aftermarket cabin air filter and it has an "AIR FLOW" arrow. The "AIR FLOW" arrow should be pointing down towards the blower motor and the floor mat.

Check the slot in the HVAC blower motor housing for any large debris such as twigs, leaves or dragonflies.

Remove any large debris with a wet/dry shop vacuum or the crevice attachment on your home vacuum cleaner.

Slide the tray straight into the filter slot until it is fully seated.

Line up the filter cover with the slot.

First, reinsert the tabs on the left side of the filter cover into their corresponding slots on the left side.

Then swing the right side closed.

Push on both sides of the filter cover to secure the two retaining clips.

You should feel or hear the retaining clips "click" securely into place.

If the glove box hinges came apart, line them up and push them back together.

Raise the glove box towards the dash board.

Firmly push in the two side walls of the glove box until the plastic side stoppers can be reinserted

Replace the contents of the glove box and close it to complete the job.

Enjoy the fresh clean air from your A/C system!

Be sure to write down the filter change in your vehicle's service records.

According to the service schedule in the "Warranty & Maintenance Guide", the cabin air filter should be replaced every 30,000 miles or at least every 36 months. If you often drive off road or in dusty or sandy conditions, the service interval for changing the cabin air filter should be a bit shorter at around 15,000 miles (or 18 months).

For more, please check out all of my 2019-2023 Toyota RAV4 DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.