With its standard Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, the Toyota Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volvo XC60, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
| 
 | Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid | XC60 | 
| Overall Evaluation | GOOD | ACCEPTABLE | 
| 
 | Crossing Child - DAY | |
| 12 MPH | AVOIDED | AVOIDED | 
| 
 | Crossing Adult - NIGHT | |
| 12 MPH Brights | AVOIDED | AVOIDED | 
| 12 MPH Low beams | AVOIDED | AVOIDED | 
| 25 MPH Brights | AVOIDED | AVOIDED | 
| 25 MPH Low beams | AVOIDED | AVOIDED | 
| 
 | Parallel Adult - NIGHT | |
| 25 MPH Brights | AVOIDED | -24 MPH | 
| 25 MPH Low beams | AVOIDED | AVOIDED | 
| 37 MPH Brights | AVOIDED | -23 MPH | 
| 37 MPH Low beams | -20 MPH | -11 MPH | 
| Warning Issued-Low beams | 1 sec | .6 sec | 
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Toyota Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Volvo XC60 has not been tested.
Both the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid and the XC60 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid is safer than the Volvo XC60:
| 
 | Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid | XC60 | 
| 
 | Front Seat | |
| STARS | 5 Stars | 5 Stars | 
| HIC | 69 | 73 | 
| Chest Movement | .5 inches | .7 inches | 
| Abdominal Force | 76 lbs. | 126 lbs. | 
| 
 | Rear Seat | |
| STARS | 5 Stars | 5 Stars | 
| HIC | 103 | 185 | 
| Hip Force | 457 lbs. | 906 lbs. | 
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid is safer than the XC60:
| 
 | Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid | XC60 | 
| Overall Evaluation | ACCEPTABLE | ACCEPTABLE | 
| Structure | GOOD | GOOD | 
| 
 | Driver Injury Measures | |
| Head/Neck | GOOD | GOOD | 
| Neck Tension | 134 lbs. | 201 lbs. | 
| Torso | GOOD | ACCEPTABLE | 
| Shoulder Deflection | .47 in | .59 in | 
| Torso Max Deflection | 1.34 in | 1.42 in | 
| Torso Deflection Rate | 7 MPH | 8 MPH | 
| Pelvis | ACCEPTABLE | MARGINAL | 
| Pelvis Force | 1093 lbs. | 1205 lbs. | 
| Head Protection | GOOD | GOOD | 
| 
 | Passenger Injury Measures | |
| Head/Neck | GOOD | GOOD | 
| Torso | GOOD | GOOD | 
| Shoulder Deflection | .94 in | 1.22 in | 
| Shoulder Force | 290 lbs. | 357 lbs. | 
| Torso Max Deflection | .83 in | 1.26 in | 
| Pelvis | GOOD | MARGINAL | 
| Pelvis Force | 692 lbs. | 1316 lbs. | 
Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Rav4 Plug-In Hybrid is 1.4% less likely to roll over than the XC60.

