Redesigned Toyota RAV4 takes highest safety award

The 2019 Toyota RAV4, a small SUV, earns a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when equipped with specific headlights.

The RAV4, redesigned for 2019, earns good ratings in six IIHS crashworthiness evaluations. These include the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests.

The RAV4 has a standard front crash prevention system that rates superior in IIHS tests. It prevented collisions in 12 and 25 mph track tests. It also includes a forward collision warning component that meets the criteria established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

There are three headlights options available on the 2019 RAV4. The curve-adaptive LED projector headlights, which are available as an option only on the RAV4's Hybrid Limited trim, earn a good rating. The RAV4's other available headlights — LED reflectors and static LED projectors — earn a marginal and poor rating, respectively. High-beam assist, a system that automatically switches between high beams and low beams, depending on the presence of other vehicles, is a standard feature on all headlight options.

To qualify for a 2019 Top Safety Pick+ award, a vehicle must earn good ratings in all six IIHS crashworthiness evaluations, as well as an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and a good headlight rating.

The RAV4 is the fourth model from Toyota and its luxury brand, Lexus, to earn a 2019 Top Safety Pick+ award. Six additional models from those brands earn the second-tier Top Safety Pick award.