Earlier this week it emerged that the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid AWD patrol vehicles employed by the Queensland Police Service (QPS) might overheat throughout excessive driving, and now new considerations have been raised concerning the car’s restricted weight-carrying capability.
An inner QPS car weight guideline doc, detailed by 7News Brisbane, reveals {that a} RAV4 Hybrid loaded with two officers, their gear, provides, and different obligatory gear might have inadequate payload capability remaining to soundly transport the rest, resembling criminals.
This, mixed with considerations over the RAV4’s battery overheating concern, which might result in a major discount in energy after overly aggressive driving, has led union representatives to query the car’s suitability for police duties, even when it’s supposed for common policing and never pursuits.
Talking with 7News, Australian Manufacturing Employees’ Union organiser Dan Lacey claimed “there are points with the car that haven’t been addressed”.
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Toyota yesterday confirmed to CarExpert that the activation of ‘limp mode’ is inbuilt failsafe mechanism to guard the car’s hybrid powertrain.
“Toyota Australia technical groups have inspected the autos in query and decided they’re functioning as designed,” it mentioned. “In excessive eventualities resembling police driver coaching, the car might intervene to guard the hybrid system.”
Within the weight guideline doc leaked yesterday, the QPS states {that a} RAV4 fitted with a driver safety display screen behind the entrance seats shouldn’t exceed a complete weight of 2230kg.
With out officers or gear, a RAV4 fitted with the display screen is estimated to weigh 1889kg. This leaves 341kg of leeway for 2 vested law enforcement officials, plus their package baggage and weapons, sometimes estimated to weigh round 240kg – leaving simply 101kg left over for detainees.
It turns into extra sophisticated if the RAV4 is carrying further gear like cease sticks (tyre deflators), a rifle package, a hearth extinguisher, and water, estimated to weigh a complete of roughly 26kg, by which case there would solely be 75kg of payload remaining earlier than hitting the 2230kg ceiling.
Given the common Australian male is estimated to weigh round 85kg and the common feminine round 70kg, it’s affordable to count on that 75kg will simply be exceeded when carrying detainees. The QPS maintains that the RAV4 can nonetheless safely transport individuals with out exceeding the load restrict, however Mr Lacey stays skeptical.
“[If exceeded], that raises, clearly, a threat to the officers driving them. It dangers elevated price and upkeep,” he informed 7News.
7News additionally stories mechanics tasked with sustaining and putting in gear within the RAV4 police vehicles voiced their considerations over the car’s weight earlier this 12 months, however to no avail. It’s understood the QPS will listing payload figures in every of the RAV4s as a reminder to officers.
In response, Mr Lacey outlined that “not everybody’s going to be good at judging how a lot they weigh, or one other particular person weighs, or what their gear weighs when it goes right into a car”.
In January 2025, the QPS bought 400 new RAV4 Hybrid patrol vehicles to exchange lots of of Toyota Camry autos utilized by common duties officers throughout the Sunshine State. It’s understood that round 200 have been rolled out as of October 2025.
Different autos within the QPS fleet embrace the Kia EV6 and Kia Stinger, that are arguably higher suited to high-intensity driving than the RAV4, alongside a number of variations of the Toyota LandCruiser (together with the 300 Collection and Prado) and Isuzu D-Max with elevated weight-carrying capabilities.
