Key highlights
- The new-generation Toyota RAV4 remains unrated by ANCAP despite being one of Australia’s best-selling SUVs.
- Toyota expects European and Australian crash testing to result in a five-star rating before the end of 2026.
- A five-star result could make the RAV4 eligible for more government, business and rental fleet purchases.
The new-generation Toyota RAV4 has quickly established itself as one of Australia’s most popular new vehicles, but there is still one important box left to tick. The mid-size SUV currently has no ANCAP safety rating, despite the previous-generation RAV4 carrying a five-star result and Toyota describing the new model as its safest RAV4 yet.
That is expected to change before the end of 2026. Toyota Australia sales boss John Pappas said the RAV4 is scheduled to undergo European crash testing in the final quarter of this year, with the Australian-market vehicle expected to subsequently receive an ANCAP rating.
Toyota expects the RAV4 to be on track for a five-star ANCAP safety rating, with its European crash-test result helping inform the Australian assessment. The Australian-spec model is similarly configured to the European version.
Read more: 2027 Toyota RAV4 safety upgrade arrives this month, with no price rise
Why does the five-star rating matter?
The absence of an ANCAP rating is more than a footnote for some RAV4 buyers. According to Toyota, government, business and rental fleet operators accounted for 39.5 per cent of RAV4 sales in 2025. Some of these organisations have workplace safety policies that require vehicles to have a five-star safety rating before they can be purchased. That has meant some fleet customers have been waiting for the new RAV4 to receive its rating.
Toyota says a five-star result would allow it to pursue those buyers more broadly, potentially giving the RAV4 an additional source of sales from 2027 onwards. The timing is particularly relevant because the latest RAV4 arrived in Australia in April 2026, rather than the previous year as originally planned. That means Toyota has had less time to build sales momentum with the new model, while some fleet buyers have had to delay purchases because of their safety-rating requirements.
Tougher ANCAP rules add another hurdle
The Toyota RAV4’s timing has also coincided with changes to ANCAP’s testing protocols for 2026. The latest requirements were developed alongside Euro NCAP and introduced tougher criteria than the previous testing regime. This means an older five-star rating does not automatically translate into a five-star result under the new rules.
Toyota has also confirmed that the RAV4 will receive a number of running upgrades during 2026, with vehicles arriving in Australia from October expected to incorporate them. The company has not yet detailed those changes, but says they are intended to help the RAV4 achieve the five-star ANCAP rating it is targeting.
Until the crash testing is completed and ANCAP publishes an official result, however, the five-star rating remains an expectation rather than a confirmed result.
Toyota RAV4 already a strong seller
The lack of an ANCAP rating has not stopped the RAV4 from performing strongly in the Australian market. According to September 2026 sales data, the RAV4 was fourth overall this year to date, behind the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Tesla Model Y. It also topped the monthly sales charts in April, July and August.
Its performance is notable given the current generation launched partway through the year and has been operating without the five-star safety rating that some fleet customers require. The RAV4 also faces rivals such as the Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson and Mitsubishi Outlander, all of which currently hold five-star ANCAP ratings. If Toyota’s expectations are met later in 2026, the RAV4 will finally have the safety credential needed to compete for those fleet purchases on equal footing.
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