diff --git a/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device.rs b/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device.rs
index 8050ede9c85..f5db114b0c7 100644
--- a/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device.rs
+++ b/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device.rs
@@ -10,11 +10,11 @@
 
 use qemu_api::{
     bindings::{
-        error_fatal, hwaddr, memory_region_init_io, qdev_init_clock_in, qdev_new,
-        qdev_prop_set_chr, qemu_chr_fe_accept_input, qemu_chr_fe_ioctl, qemu_chr_fe_set_handlers,
-        qemu_chr_fe_write_all, qemu_irq, sysbus_connect_irq, sysbus_mmio_map,
-        sysbus_realize_and_unref, CharBackend, Chardev, Clock, ClockEvent, MemoryRegion,
-        QEMUChrEvent, CHR_IOCTL_SERIAL_SET_BREAK,
+        error_fatal, hwaddr, memory_region_init_io, qdev_init_clock_in, qdev_prop_set_chr,
+        qemu_chr_fe_accept_input, qemu_chr_fe_ioctl, qemu_chr_fe_set_handlers,
+        qemu_chr_fe_write_all, qemu_irq, sysbus_connect_irq, sysbus_mmio_map, sysbus_realize,
+        CharBackend, Chardev, Clock, ClockEvent, MemoryRegion, QEMUChrEvent,
+        CHR_IOCTL_SERIAL_SET_BREAK,
     },
     c_str, impl_vmstate_forward,
     irq::InterruptSource,
@@ -705,15 +705,18 @@ pub fn post_load(&self, _version_id: u32) -> Result<(), ()> {
     irq: qemu_irq,
     chr: *mut Chardev,
 ) -> *mut DeviceState {
+    let pl011 = PL011State::new();
     unsafe {
-        let dev: *mut DeviceState = qdev_new(PL011State::TYPE_NAME.as_ptr());
-        let sysbus: *mut SysBusDevice = dev.cast::<SysBusDevice>();
-
+        let dev = pl011.as_mut_ptr::<DeviceState>();
         qdev_prop_set_chr(dev, c_str!("chardev").as_ptr(), chr);
-        sysbus_realize_and_unref(sysbus, addr_of_mut!(error_fatal));
+
+        let sysbus = pl011.as_mut_ptr::<SysBusDevice>();
+        sysbus_realize(sysbus, addr_of_mut!(error_fatal));
         sysbus_mmio_map(sysbus, 0, addr);
         sysbus_connect_irq(sysbus, 0, irq);
-        dev
+
+        // return the pointer, which is kept alive by the QOM tree; drop owned ref
+        pl011.as_mut_ptr()
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/rust/qemu-api/src/prelude.rs b/rust/qemu-api/src/prelude.rs
index 2dc86e19b29..3df6a5c21ec 100644
--- a/rust/qemu-api/src/prelude.rs
+++ b/rust/qemu-api/src/prelude.rs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 pub use crate::qom::ObjectCast;
 pub use crate::qom::ObjectCastMut;
 pub use crate::qom::ObjectDeref;
+pub use crate::qom::ObjectClassMethods;
 pub use crate::qom::ObjectMethods;
 pub use crate::qom::ObjectType;
 
diff --git a/rust/qemu-api/src/qom.rs b/rust/qemu-api/src/qom.rs
index 4a2e84c9aed..fad4759d7a6 100644
--- a/rust/qemu-api/src/qom.rs
+++ b/rust/qemu-api/src/qom.rs
@@ -66,8 +66,8 @@
 
 use crate::{
     bindings::{
-        self, object_dynamic_cast, object_get_class, object_get_typename, object_ref, object_unref,
-        TypeInfo,
+        self, object_dynamic_cast, object_get_class, object_get_typename, object_new, object_ref,
+        object_unref, TypeInfo,
     },
     cell::bql_locked,
 };
@@ -759,6 +759,24 @@ fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
     }
 }
 
+/// Trait for class methods exposed by the Object class.  The methods can be
+/// called on all objects that have the trait `IsA<Object>`.
+///
+/// The trait should only be used through the blanket implementation,
+/// which guarantees safety via `IsA`
+pub trait ObjectClassMethods: IsA<Object> {
+    /// Return a new reference counted instance of this class
+    fn new() -> Owned<Self> {
+        assert!(bql_locked());
+        // SAFETY: the object created by object_new is allocated on
+        // the heap and has a reference count of 1
+        unsafe {
+            let obj = &*object_new(Self::TYPE_NAME.as_ptr());
+            Owned::from_raw(obj.unsafe_cast::<Self>())
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// Trait for methods exposed by the Object class.  The methods can be
 /// called on all objects that have the trait `IsA<Object>`.
 ///
@@ -799,4 +817,5 @@ fn debug_fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
     }
 }
 
+impl<T> ObjectClassMethods for T where T: IsA<Object> {}
 impl<R: ObjectDeref> ObjectMethods for R where R::Target: IsA<Object> {}
diff --git a/rust/qemu-api/tests/tests.rs b/rust/qemu-api/tests/tests.rs
index 69ddac7f1c5..9986925d71f 100644
--- a/rust/qemu-api/tests/tests.rs
+++ b/rust/qemu-api/tests/tests.rs
@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
 
 use std::{
-    ffi::CStr,
-    os::raw::c_void,
+    ffi::{c_void, CStr},
     ptr::{addr_of, addr_of_mut},
 };
 
@@ -132,10 +131,8 @@ fn init_qom() {
 /// Create and immediately drop an instance.
 fn test_object_new() {
     init_qom();
-    unsafe {
-        object_unref(object_new(DummyState::TYPE_NAME.as_ptr()).cast());
-        object_unref(object_new(DummyChildState::TYPE_NAME.as_ptr()).cast());
-    }
+    drop(DummyState::new());
+    drop(DummyChildState::new());
 }
 
 #[test]
@@ -152,12 +149,8 @@ fn test_clone() {
 /// Try invoking a method on an object.
 fn test_typename() {
     init_qom();
-    let p: *mut DummyState = unsafe { object_new(DummyState::TYPE_NAME.as_ptr()).cast() };
-    let p_ref: &DummyState = unsafe { &*p };
-    assert_eq!(p_ref.typename(), "dummy");
-    unsafe {
-        object_unref(p_ref.as_object_mut_ptr().cast::<c_void>());
-    }
+    let p = DummyState::new();
+    assert_eq!(p.typename(), "dummy");
 }
 
 // a note on all "cast" tests: usually, especially for downcasts the desired
@@ -172,24 +165,23 @@ fn test_typename() {
 /// Test casts on shared references.
 fn test_cast() {
     init_qom();
-    let p: *mut DummyState = unsafe { object_new(DummyState::TYPE_NAME.as_ptr()).cast() };
+    let p = DummyState::new();
+    let p_ptr: *mut DummyState = unsafe { p.as_mut_ptr() };
+    let p_ref: &mut DummyState = unsafe { &mut *p_ptr };
 
-    let p_ref: &DummyState = unsafe { &*p };
     let obj_ref: &Object = p_ref.upcast();
-    assert_eq!(addr_of!(*obj_ref), p.cast());
+    assert_eq!(addr_of!(*obj_ref), p_ptr.cast());
 
     let sbd_ref: Option<&SysBusDevice> = obj_ref.dynamic_cast();
     assert!(sbd_ref.is_none());
 
     let dev_ref: Option<&DeviceState> = obj_ref.downcast();
-    assert_eq!(addr_of!(*dev_ref.unwrap()), p.cast());
+    assert_eq!(addr_of!(*dev_ref.unwrap()), p_ptr.cast());
 
     // SAFETY: the cast is wrong, but the value is only used for comparison
     unsafe {
         let sbd_ref: &SysBusDevice = obj_ref.unsafe_cast();
-        assert_eq!(addr_of!(*sbd_ref), p.cast());
-
-        object_unref(p_ref.as_object_mut_ptr().cast::<c_void>());
+        assert_eq!(addr_of!(*sbd_ref), p_ptr.cast());
     }
 }
 
