The MotoCAP Report · Independent lab data
The tag says AAA. The lab crash-tested it and gave it a very different score. Here is how to tell protective gear from gear that just looks the part - and the highest MotoCAP-rated kit you can actually buy.
The honest broker
Every jacket, glove and pair of riding jeans in this shop carries a CE label. That label is useful - it means a garment has passed a recognised European safety standard. What it will not tell you is how far past the minimum a garment actually performs. Two jackets can both wear a "AAA" tag and behave very differently when they meet the road.
That is the gap MotoCAP exists to close. It is a government-funded, independent program run out of Deakin University that buys gear anonymously from ordinary shops - the same stock a rider would buy - and puts it through the same battery of lab tests regardless of brand or price. The result is a simple, comparable star rating for protection and a separate one for breathability, so you can weigh safety and comfort as two different decisions.
Because MotoCAP tests the whole garment - not a swatch supplied by the manufacturer - it captures things a materials label cannot: how the seams hold, where the weak zones are, and whether the armour inside actually absorbs impact. That is why experienced riders treat a MotoCAP score as the tie-breaker when two products look identical on paper.
Under the microscope
A garment's protection score is built from three lab tests. Breathability is scored separately, so a summer jacket is never punished on protection for being airy - it is simply told the truth on both counts.
Abrasion. A sample is dropped onto a moving abrasive belt and timed until it wears through. The longer it lasts, the higher the score. This is the number that decides how long the fabric keeps skin off the road in a slide.
Impact. The garment's armour is struck and the force that passes through is measured. Lower transmitted force means a higher score - and armour is the single easiest thing to upgrade after you buy.
Burst. A seam is clamped and pressure is applied until it bursts. Gear that comes apart at the seams in a crash cannot protect you, no matter how tough the panels are.
Breathability. A separate score for how easily sweat vapour escapes the fabric. It has nothing to do with crash protection and everything to do with whether you will actually wear the gear on a 38-degree day. More on that in our Australian heat gear guide.
Any garment sold as waterproof gets a fourth score. A dummy in cotton underclothes is seated on a bike and hit with high-pressure spray for twenty minutes; the score reflects how much water reaches the skin. Handy for anyone facing an Australian winter commute.
Read it like a pro
A star headline, three sub-scores and a breathability read. Here it is on a jacket we actually stock - the Rev'it Xena 4, MotoCAP's best-rated jacket of 2025.
Protection stars are the headline. MotoCAP recommends three stars or better for everyday road and highway riding. Five-star gear is rare - the Xena 4 was one of only four jackets to earn five stars in all of 2025.
The 0 to 10 bars for abrasion, impact and burst explain the star rating. Here abrasion and burst are a perfect 10, while impact sits at 7 - a garment can lose ground on a single zone even when the panels are strong, which is exactly the detail a label hides.
A low breathability score is not a safety failure - it just means the garment traps heat. On a leather jacket like this one that is expected, and a fair trade for the protection. It would be the wrong pick for a 38-degree day.
These are the Xena 4's real published MotoCAP figures, not a mock-up. For any other garment, the definitive numbers live on the free MotoCAP database - and we are happy to pull them up with you in store.
Labels, decoded
Both matter, but they answer different questions. CE certification (to the EN 17092 standard) sorts garments into classes by minimum performance. MotoCAP then measures how each garment actually performs on a comparable scale.
You will also see class C on armoured base layers - garments designed only to hold impact protectors, worn under or over your normal clothes. They are not a failing grade; they are simply a different job.
Here is the catch the honest broker has to name: a CE class is a threshold. Clear the bar and you get the badge, whether you clear it by a hair or a mile. MotoCAP shows the mile. That is why we point riders to both - the CE class tells you a garment is road-legal protective gear, and the MotoCAP score tells you how good.
We keep a plain-English explainer of every CE marking you will find sewn into your gear. Read CE ratings explained, then come back here for the tested performance.
We read the crash-test reports so you do not have to.
Peak Moto - Melbourne & Brisbane
Proof, not promises
Not a generic best-of grid. Each of these carries a strong, independently published MotoCAP result - and each one is on our racks. Scores shown are the figures published by MotoCAP.
A full-leather women's sport jacket that MotoCAP named its best-performing jacket of 2025, with a five-star protection rating. CE AAA, with Level 2 shoulder and elbow armour. Proof that a AAA label and a top lab score can live in the same garment.
MotoCAP's best textile pants of 2025. Worn on their own they score three protection stars; layered under a normal pair of jeans they reach four. An armoured base layer that turns the jeans you already own into serious protection.
MotoCAP scored the thin, flexible D3O Ghost Level 2 insert 10 out of 10 at the hip and 8 out of 10 at the knee. The single cheapest upgrade you can make - drop it into gear you already ride in. Also available as knee and elbow armour.
We only print a MotoCAP score against a product when the exact garment - down to the version number - has been tested and published by MotoCAP. Model names change year to year, and a "Mk3" does not inherit a "Mk2" score. If a garment you are eyeing is not shown here, that does not mean it is unsafe - it may simply be untested, or a newer version. Ask us and we will check the current database with you before you buy.
Shop the shortlist
Every collection below is filtered to protective riding gear. When you land on a product, check its MotoCAP score on the free database - and if you would like a hand, our team reads those reports for a living.
Straight answers
Not necessarily. CE classes (A, AA, AAA under EN 17092) are minimum thresholds - a garment that just scrapes into AAA and one that sails past it both wear the same tag. MotoCAP measures how far past the minimum a garment actually performs, which is why we treat the two together: the CE class confirms it is genuine protective gear, and the MotoCAP score tells you how good.
Some are excellent and some score poorly - the fibre name alone does not decide it. What matters is how the finished garment performs in the abrasion test, how much of the leg is reinforced, and whether it carries proper CE-rated armour at the knees and hips. Check the specific pair's MotoCAP result rather than trusting "Kevlar-lined" on the swing tag. Browse our riding jeans and ask us to pull the scores.
They are two independent scores. Protection stars come from the abrasion, impact and burst tests and tell you how the garment behaves in a crash. Breathability stars measure how well sweat vapour escapes - pure comfort, no bearing on safety. A five-star protection jacket with two breathability stars is a superb winter jacket and a poor choice for a heatwave. Our heat gear guide covers the summer side.
Partly, yes. The impact score depends on the armour fitted, and armour is removable. Swapping factory foam for a top-rated insert like D3O Ghost Level 2, or adding a Knox back protector, lifts the impact protection of gear you already own. The abrasion and burst scores are baked into the shell and cannot be changed.
Helmets are assessed through the related CRASH program rather than the clothing star system, and boots are not part of the current clothing ratings. For helmets, look for AS/NZS 1698 or UNECE 22 certification - every lid in our helmet range meets Australian requirements.
How we keep this accurate: figures on this page reflect MotoCAP's published results as at 6 August 2026. MotoCAP adds new ratings regularly, so we check the live database before recommending any product. Source: motocap.com.au. This guide is general information, not personal safety advice.
Book a fit consultation or drop into our Melbourne or Brisbane shop. We will pull the MotoCAP scores, check the armour, and make sure what you ride in earns its place.
