Toyota RAV4 Safety Rating by Year
NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Toyota RAV4 in 15 model years from 2011 to 2025; the 2025 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. Check a specific RAV4’s crash and title history below.
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Toyota RAV4— By the Numbers
- Model years rated, 2011–2025
- 15
- 2025 overall rating
- 5★
- Highest overall on record
- 5★
- Lowest rollover risk shown (2022–2025)
- 15.5%
- Recall campaigns, 2025 record
- 3
Model years rated, 2011–2025
2025 overall rating
Highest overall on record
Lowest rollover risk shown (2022–2025)
Recall campaigns, 2025 record
Quick Answer
- What is the Toyota RAV4 safety rating?
- NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Toyota RAV4 in 15 model years from 2011 to 2025; the 2025 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. A rating applies to one model year and one body style or drivetrain, so check the year you are actually buying.
- Which Toyota RAV4 years have the highest safety rating?
- The 2015–2025 model years earned 5 stars overall, the highest score on record.
- Did NHTSA rate every Toyota RAV4 model year?
- Every model year from 2011 to 2025 has a rating on record.
Toyota RAV4 safety ratings, year by year
The RAV4's overall score climbs in steps: lowest in 2011, higher for 2012 through 2014, and at the top of the scale in every year from 2015 to 2025.
| Model year | Overall | Frontal | Side | Side pole | Rollover | Rollover risk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.5% | |
| 2024 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.5% | |
| 2023 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.5% | |
| 2022 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.5% | |
| 2021 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.9% | Full 2021 ratings |
| 2020 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.9% | |
| 2019 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.9% | Full 2019 ratings |
| 2018 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2017 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2016 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16.9% | |
| 2015 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16.9% | |
| 2014 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 16.9% | |
| 2013 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 16.9% | |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 17.4% |
Buying a used RAV4: which year's rating applies
A rating belongs to one model year and one version. Before relying on any figure on this page, match it to the RAV4 in front of you.
2015 is the dividing year. A RAV4 from 2011 through 2014 carries a lower overall score than any year from 2015 on, so a 2014 and a 2015 on the same lot are not equivalent on paper.
If someone will ride up front regularly, read the passenger column: from 2019 onward the frontal passenger result is higher than the driver's, in 2012 and from 2015 to 2018 it matches, and in 2011, 2013 and 2014 it is lower.
NHTSA rated more RAV4 versions in 2013 and 2015 than in the years around them, and in both of those years the row shown is a later-release build. For those years especially, confirm the drivetrain from the VIN and the build date from the door-jamb label before picking the row that applies.
The ratings describe the RAV4NHTSA crashed. Check the one you’re buying.
Salvage and rebuilt brands, reported accidents and odometer records follow the VIN.
What changed across Toyota RAV4 model years
The combined frontal result never reaches the top in any year from 2011 to 2025, and the driver's frontal result is unchanged across all of them. The side pole result, by contrast, sits below the top through 2014 and reaches it from 2015 onward.
The overall score reaches its highest, 5 stars, in 2015–2025.
Recalls and complaints by model year
NHTSA files these beside each year's crash-test results. They describe what owners and the agency reported afterwards, not how the vehicle was built to perform in a crash.
| Model year | Recall campaigns | Owner complaints | Investigations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 85 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 | 172 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 | 152 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 | 144 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 | 383 | 0 |
| 2020 | 6 | 633 | 0 |
| 2019 | 7 | 875 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 | 330 | 1 |
| 2017 | 3 | 306 | 1 |
| 2016 | 3 | 238 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| 2014 | 4 | 197 | 1 |
| 2013 | 2 | 256 | 1 |
| 2012 | 6 | 266 | 0 |
| 2011 | 11 | 287 | 1 |
Whether a recall was repaired on a particular car is in the manufacturer’s records for that VIN; a dealer or NHTSA’s VIN lookup can confirm it. The Toyota recall check by VIN lists the campaigns filed for a model and year.
How NHTSA's ratings work
NHTSA announced new NCAP crash tests and rating criteria in July 2008, including a new overall rating that combines the frontal, side and rollover results. It then postponed the change by a year: the new criteria apply to vehicles tested beginning with model year 2011, not 2010 as first announced.
In NHTSA's own words, its rollover resistance ratings “estimate the risk of rollover if a vehicle is involved in a single-vehicle crash.”
One limit applies to every vehicle here. NHTSA notes that the frontal crash rating “depends on vehicle mass, and cannot be compared across vehicle weight classes” — a full-size truck's frontal stars and a compact car's are not the same measure.
- Federal Register, 73 FR 79206 (Dec. 24, 2008) — new NCAP criteria begin with model year 2011
- Federal Register, 73 FR 40016 (July 11, 2008) — NCAP testing and rating changes, including the overall rating
- Federal Register, 68 FR 59250 (Oct. 14, 2003) — NCAP rollover resistance ratings
- NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Year pages and related models
Every version NHTSA rated in a given year, plus rating histories for other models.
Every rated version of the 2021, with inspection notes.
Every rated version of the 2019, with inspection notes.
14 rated model years, 2011–2024.
15 rated model years, 2011–2025.
15 rated model years, 2011–2025.
12 rated model years, 2011–2022.
Always check the VIN before you buy
The free preview shows title brands, theft status and open recalls in seconds, and flags whether accident and odometer records exist. The full history is $14.99 — one-time, no subscription.
Toyota RAV4 Safety FAQ
What NHTSA’s record shows across model years, and what it cannot tell you about one car.
What is the Toyota RAV4 safety rating?+
NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Toyota RAV4 in 15 model years from 2011 to 2025; the 2025 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. A rating applies to one model year and one body style or drivetrain, so check the year you are actually buying.
Which Toyota RAV4 years have the highest safety rating?+
The 2015–2025 model years earned 5 stars overall, the highest score on record.
Did NHTSA rate every Toyota RAV4 model year?+
Every model year from 2011 to 2025 has a rating on record.
Are Toyota RAV4 ratings from before 2011 comparable?+
Not like for like. NHTSA changed its crash tests and rating criteria starting with model year 2011, so this page lists 2011 and later only. Earlier ratings came from different tests.
Does the rating apply to a used RAV4?+
It applies to the RAV4 as built. A used one that has been in a serious crash, rebuilt from salvage or had airbags replaced is no longer the vehicle NHTSA tested. NHTSA's 2025 record lists 3 recall campaigns; a VIN check shows that car's title brands and reported accidents, plus the recall campaigns filed for its model and year.
Every year’s rating is for the model. The VIN is for the car.
A crash rating can’t see a salvage or rebuilt title, reported accidents or an odometer rollback. The VIN record can.
Or get the full VIN history reportRelated VIN Checks
More tools to verify any vehicle's history