How safe is the Toyota 4Runner?
Drivers of the 2020–2023 Toyota 4Runner died at a rate of 35 per million registered vehicle years, 5% lower than the average of 37 for all vehicles. That makes it riskier than most vehicles for its driver: it ranks 90th of 129 vehicles, safer than 30% of them, whether they're small cars, SUVs, pickups or minivans.
Where the Toyota 4Runner sits among all 129 vehicles
Toyota 4Runner (bar is the 95% range)Every other ranked vehicleDashed line: average of 37
The rate is based on plenty of data, so this ranking is reliable.
2WD vs. 4WD
IIHS rates each drivetrain separately. The score above combines them, weighting the version with more data more heavily.
| Version | Deaths* | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota 4Runner 2WD | 55 | 13–97 |
| Toyota 4Runner 4WD | 33 | 19–47 |
Vehicles ranked near the Toyota 4Runner
These are the vehicles just above and below it on the all-class ranking. Notice they aren't all the same type: the ranking compares every vehicle against every other one. Ranks use each rate after adjusting for how much data is behind it, so a rate of 0 from a few vehicles can rank below a slightly higher rate from many. Why.
| Rank | Vehicle | Deaths* | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87 | Chevrolet TrailblazerSUV · Small | 33 | 33 |
| 88 | Toyota Venza hybrid 4WDSUV · Small | 33 | 32 |
| 89 | Toyota RAV4SUV · Small | 34 | 31 |
| 90 | Toyota 4RunnerSUV · Midsize | 35 | 30 |
| 91 | Jeep Wrangler 4-door 4WDSUV · Midsize | 35 | 30 |
| 92 | Ford Bronco Sport 4WDSUV · Small | 36 | 29 |
| 93 | Subaru LegacyCar · Midsize | 37 | 27 |
How it compares with other SUVs
Among the 46 SUVs ranked, the Toyota 4Runner is 37th. The safest SUVs are below. See all SUVs.
| SUVs rank | Vehicle | Deaths* | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet Tahoe 4WDSUV · Large | 0 | 100 |
| 2 | Toyota RAV4 Prime Plug-in hybrid 4WDSUV · Small | 5 | 96 |
| 3 | Volkswagen AtlasSUV · Midsize | 6 | 95 |
| 4 | Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WDSUV · Very large | 6 | 94 |
| 5 | Ford Escape hybridSUV · Small | 7 | 91 |
| 37 | Toyota 4RunnerSUV · Midsize | 35 | 30 |
Common questions
Is the Toyota 4Runner a safe vehicle?
By real-world driver deaths, the Toyota 4Runner is riskier than most vehicles for its driver. Its driver death rate of 35 per million registered vehicle years is 5% lower than the average, and it ranks 90th of 129 vehicles across all classes.
How does the Toyota 4Runner compare with other SUVs?
It ranks 37th of 46 SUVs. The safest is the Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD, with a rate of 0.
Is the 2WD or 4WD Toyota 4Runner safer?
The 4WD version had the lower driver death rate (2WD: 55, 4WD: 33). Their ranges overlap, so the difference may be down to chance.
Why is this different from the Toyota 4Runner's crash-test rating?
Crash-test stars only compare vehicles of similar size and weight, so a 5-star small car and a 5-star SUV aren't equally safe. This ranking uses real-world driver death rates, which can be compared across every class.
* Driver deaths per million registered vehicle years. A registered vehicle year is one vehicle registered for one year.