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2019 Toyota RAV4 Top IIHS Safety Pick
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2019 Toyota RAV4 Gets IIHS Top Safety Pick

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has given the Toyota RAV4 crossover its highest safety rating.  It checked off every safety category the IIHS has to get the “2019 Top Safety Pick” rating. Those safety categories cover specific items under umbrella headings for crashworthiness, crash avoidance, and child seat anchors. Within each of these …
by Thom Taylor
Published on
2 min read

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has given the Toyota RAV4 crossover its highest safety rating. 

It checked off every safety category the IIHS has to get the “2019 Top Safety Pick” rating. Those safety categories cover specific items under umbrella headings for crashworthiness, crash avoidance, and child seat anchors. Within each of these categories are myriad related specific tests with analysis and then an overall score.

How It Rates

The IIHS’s four ratings for any category are Poor, Marginal, Acceptable, and Good. You always want “Good” whether you’re a manufacturer or merely a passenger. The RAV4 got them all, with one small caveat.

The IIHS found that only the RAV4’s optional Adaptive Front Headlight System rated a “Good.” Toyota’s standard LED lighting for the RAV4 was actually rated “Poor.” If you’re in the market for a RAV4, opt for the AFHS lighting.

What Else Rates This High?

For comparison, other crossovers with IIHS highest safety ratings include Hyundai’s Kona and Tucson, the Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester, and Volvo XC40.

All-New For 2019

The RAV4 is all-new for 2019. Even its 2.5-Liter engine is new, producing 203 hp, an increase over the previous engine’s 176 hp. The eight-speed automatic transmission is also new, and combined with the reduced weight of previous models gets a substantial increase in fuel economy. Estimates are 35 mpg highway and 26 mpg city. The RAV4 is also available as a hybrid with four trim levels.

Five trim levels are available on the RAV4: LE, XLE, XLE Premium, Adventure, and Limited. The Adventure gets an all-wheel-drive system, while all other versions are front-wheel drive. The RAV4’s AWD can be ordered with the higher-level torque-vectoring feature. Torque-vectoring transfers more power between the rear wheels when slip is detected.

For 2019 the RAV4 has sold well, with year-to-date sales of over 250,000. With this latest IIHS safety rating those numbers should continue to improve.

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Staff Writer

Thom Taylor

Thom Taylor is a celebrated automotive journalist. He was awarded the Top 100 Most Influential People in Hot Rodding from Hot Rod Magazine, and was inducted into the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame and the National Rod and Custom Hall of Fame. He’s a member of SEMA and the NHRA.

Thom has authored a number of books, including Hot Rod & Custom Chronicle and several guides for drawing vehicles like a pro, which pull from his distinguished ventures as an automotive illustrator.

Thom joined the MotorBiscuit team in 2019, and focuses his coverage on new vehicle releases, design, and the latest features and tech in the industry. His tenure of 25 years writing about the industry gives him a unique context for the auto news he covers, whether it’s part of the Rusty Monday series or the latest news from Chevy. Thom has built two complete cars from the ground up and driven vintage roadsters at the Indy 500.