Every year, Monash University’s Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) remind us that safety isn’t just about technology, it’s about choices. The 2025 report, built on real-world crash data from over 9.5 million vehicles and 2.6 million injured road users, shows just how far we’ve come, and where gaps remain.
The headline? Driving a 2023 model reduces your risk of death or serious injury by 43% compared to a 2001 model. That’s not marketing spin; it’s decades of engineering progress backed by hard evidence. Advanced driver assistance systems—think AEB, ESC, lane keep assist; are now standard in many vehicles, and they’re saving lives.
But the story isn’t uniform. Medium and small SUVs dominate the safety rankings, while commercial Utes lag behind, with one of the top 5 selling vehicles in Australia for the past decade scoring less than 3 stars across generations. Big sellers or larger size doesn’t always mean safer, and that’s a message fleets and buyers need to hear.
There are bright spots too. The Tesla Model 3 became the first fully electric vehicle to earn both a five-star rating and “Safer Pick” status, proving EVs can lead on safety as well as sustainability. In total, 130 models achieved five stars, and 72 earned Safer Pick status, setting a benchmark for what good looks like.
For RedBook, these insights aren’t just academic. We map every UCSR rating to our vehicle database so businesses, from insurers to fleet managers, can make smarter decisions. Whether it’s underwriting risk, shaping procurement policies, or guiding consumers toward safer choices, this data has real-world impact.
Safety evolves. So should the way we use it.
For more information, contact RedBook on info@redbook.com.au
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