How safe is the Toyota RAV4?
Drivers of the 2020–2023 Toyota RAV4 died at a rate of 34 per million registered vehicle years, 8% lower than the average of 37 for all vehicles. That makes it riskier than most vehicles for its driver: it ranks 89th of 129 vehicles, safer than 31% of them, whether they're small cars, SUVs, pickups or minivans.
Where the Toyota RAV4 sits among all 129 vehicles
Toyota RAV4 (bar is the 95% range)Every other ranked vehicleDashed line: average of 37
The rate is based on plenty of data, so this ranking is reliable.
2WD vs. 4WD
IIHS rates each drivetrain separately. The score above combines them, weighting the version with more data more heavily.
| Version | Deaths* | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota RAV4 2WD | 39 | 27–52 |
| Toyota RAV4 4WD | 31 | 21–42 |
Vehicles ranked near the Toyota RAV4
These are the vehicles just above and below it on the all-class ranking. Notice they aren't all the same type: the ranking compares every vehicle against every other one. Ranks use each rate after adjusting for how much data is behind it, so a rate of 0 from a few vehicles can rank below a slightly higher rate from many. Why.
| Rank | Vehicle | Deaths* | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | Ram 1500 QuadPickup · Large | 33 | 33 |
| 87 | Chevrolet TrailblazerSUV · Small | 33 | 33 |
| 88 | Toyota Venza hybrid 4WDSUV · Small | 33 | 32 |
| 89 | Toyota RAV4SUV · Small | 34 | 31 |
| 90 | Toyota 4RunnerSUV · Midsize | 35 | 30 |
| 91 | Jeep Wrangler 4-door 4WDSUV · Midsize | 35 | 30 |
| 92 | Ford Bronco Sport 4WDSUV · Small | 36 | 29 |
How it compares with other SUVs
Among the 46 SUVs ranked, the Toyota RAV4 is 36th. The safest SUVs are below. See all SUVs.
| SUVs rank | Vehicle | Deaths* | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet Tahoe 4WDSUV · Large | 0 | 100 |
| 2 | Toyota RAV4 Prime Plug-in hybrid 4WDSUV · Small | 5 | 96 |
| 3 | Volkswagen AtlasSUV · Midsize | 6 | 95 |
| 4 | Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WDSUV · Very large | 6 | 94 |
| 5 | Ford Escape hybridSUV · Small | 7 | 91 |
| 36 | Toyota RAV4SUV · Small | 34 | 31 |
Earlier models
In the earlier IIHS study of 2019–2020 models, the Toyota RAV4 had a driver death rate of 43 (range 27–60) and ranked 85th of 127. The newer rate is lower.
Common questions
Is the Toyota RAV4 a safe vehicle?
By real-world driver deaths, the Toyota RAV4 is riskier than most vehicles for its driver. Its driver death rate of 34 per million registered vehicle years is 8% lower than the average, and it ranks 89th of 129 vehicles across all classes.
How does the Toyota RAV4 compare with other SUVs?
It ranks 36th of 46 SUVs. The safest is the Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD, with a rate of 0.
Is the 2WD or 4WD Toyota RAV4 safer?
The 4WD version had the lower driver death rate (2WD: 39, 4WD: 31). Their ranges overlap, so the difference may be down to chance.
Why is this different from the Toyota RAV4's crash-test rating?
Crash-test stars only compare vehicles of similar size and weight, so a 5-star small car and a 5-star SUV aren't equally safe. This ranking uses real-world driver death rates, which can be compared across every class.
* Driver deaths per million registered vehicle years. A registered vehicle year is one vehicle registered for one year.