Reinforced concrete infrastructures are increasingly exposed to higher risks from impacts, explosions, and other extreme events. Understanding the strain rate effect on reinforcing steel bars becomes a crucial factor in accurately modelling the dynamic responses of reinforced concrete structures under such extreme loading. This paper explores the strain rate sensitivity of the key properties of reinforcing steels for the three categories of the current European standards, including austenitic stainless steel. The dynamic behaviour of reinforcing steels is examined across a broad range of strain rates: quasi-static, medium, and high. These regimes were investigated using an electro-mechanical universal testing machine, a hydro-pneumatic apparatus, and a Split Hopkinson Tensile Bar device, respectively. A critical analysis of various parameters as a function of strain rate is presented, utilizing the Dynamic Increasing Factor (DIF) and comparing the material parameters used in widely recognized material constitutive laws. The influence of strain rate on the fracture morphology is also examined. Finally, the true stress versus strain curves were analysed and discussed.