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Best SUVs of 2025

KBB.com editors test drive virtually every SUV and rank them based on factors like safety, features, fuel economy, technology, performance, value, cargo space and more.

How we rate vehicles |

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2025 Volkswagen Tiguan

Best Compact SUVs

2026 Honda CR-V front-facing, side angle cropped car colored image
#1 in Compact SUVs
2026 Honda CR-V
4.8
rating
Expert Rating

The 2026 Honda CR-V remains a benchmark among compact SUVs, masterfully combining practicality, efficiency, and easy driving manners.

#2

2026 Kia Sportage

#2

2025 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid

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Best Mid-Size SUVs

#1 in Mid-Size SUVs
2025 Kia Telluride
4.8
rating
Expert Rating

The 2025 Kia Telluride is multi-talented, delivering all the essentials demanded by buyers of midsize 3-row SUVs.

#2

2025 Honda Pilot

#2

2025 Hyundai Palisade

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2025 Volkswagen Tiguan

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Best 2-Row SUVs

#1 in 2-Row SUVs
2026 Honda CR-V
4.8
rating
Expert Rating

The 2026 Honda CR-V remains a benchmark among compact SUVs, masterfully combining practicality, efficiency, and easy driving manners.

#1

2025 Hyundai Kona

#3

2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

See the List

Best Full-Size SUVs

#1 in Full-Size SUVs
2025 Ford Expedition
4.8
rating
Expert Rating

The full-size, 3-row Ford Expedition is the blue oval’s biggest, most family-friendly SUV, and it’s all-new for 2025.

#1

2025 Ford Expedition MAX

#3

2025 Chevrolet Tahoe

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Best Subcompact SUVs

#1 in Subcompact SUVs
2026 Hyundai Kona
4.8
rating
Expert Rating

The 2026 Hyundai Kona is our top-ranked subcompact SUV, boasting stylish design and exceptional warranty coverage, tech, and practicality.

#2

2025 Kia Seltos

#3

2025 Ford Bronco Sport

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Best Luxury SUVs
Best Luxury Compact SUVs
#1

2026 Genesis GV70

See All Best Luxury Compact
SUVs
Best Luxury Full-Size SUVs
#1

2025 Lincoln Navigator

Best Luxury Mid-Size SUVs
#1

2025 Genesis GV80

Best Luxury Subcompact SUVs
#1

2025 BMW X1

Highest Horsepower SUVs
Highest Horsepower SUVs
#1

2025 BMW XM

Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
Most Fuel Efficient SUVs
#1

2024 Toyota Venza

What Our Ratings Mean

  • 0-1.0: This is the rarest group of all because a really bad new car is really, really hard to find these days. We recommend that you pass on any vehicle receiving a rating between 0 and 1.
  • 2.0: Cars landing in this set are also rare. Only true love and limitless passion (or a free vehicle) should allow you to give in to temptation for one of these vehicles.
  • 3.0: Is the vehicle you’re looking at in this range? We’d bet that if you look a little harder, you’ll find a better vehicle at a similar price to fulfill your needs.
  • 4.0: This is the area where the rubber meets the recommendations. The 3-4 range is full of good cars and some great ones. Starting here, it’s OK to listen to your heart.
  • 5.0: These scores represent the cream of the crop, with “5.0” representing, well, near perfection. Any car you choose in this group will treat you very well over time.

How Kelley Blue Book Rates Cars

Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing.

Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.)

We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.

Meet our editors

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See All the Latest SUV News

FAQ

What is the best SUV to buy?

It is hard to say which is best because vehicles change every year, but we recommend you look at the KBB ratings and awards to see which are considered best year to year.

Because everyone has different needs and wants, the best SUV is the one that meets your needs. We have ten things we suggest looking at when buying an SUV:

  1. How easy it is to drive
  2. The number of seats
  3. Comfort level of the third row
  4. Towing capacity
  5. Gas mileage
  6. Driver-assist technology
  7. Dimensions
  8. Cargo space (think multiple people and luggage)
  9. Safety ratings
  10. Price differences between 2WD, 4WD, and AWD (which one do you really need)

What kind of SUVs are there?

  • Subcompact – Often the smallest SUVs, they are practical vehicles that are great for commuters and new drivers. Subcompacts are built on a unibody frame, and the ride is like a car.
  • Compact – Compacts can easily carry 4 adults, and most are not made for off-roading. However, some compacts have AWD, but they are built on a unibody frame and ride like a car.
  • Midsize 2 Row – These SUVs don’t have a third row which increases cargo space. It has room for 4 adults to comfortably travel. Some ride like a car and some towing and off-roading capabilities.
  • Midsize 3 Row – These SUVs are great for families, but the third rows often are not comfortable for adults. When choosing a 3 row SUV, you should check the amount of room between rows.
  • Full-size – If you have a large family or need to travel with 6-8 people, this is the vehicle to choose. Some manufacturers have two different lengths of full-size to increase the room between rows and cargo space. Some SUVs have 2 captain’s chairs as the second row, and others offer a 3-seat bench, which you would need to carry 8.

Which SUV has the best gas mileage?

Hybrid SUVs

  • 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid – City/highway/combined MPG: 42/44/43
  • 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid – City/highway/combined MPG: 41/38/40
  • 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime – Combined MPGe: 94
  • 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid – City/highway/combined MPG: 40/35/38
  • 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid – City/highway/combined MPG: 38/38/38
  • 2022 Kia Sorento Hybrid – City/highway/combined MPG: 39/35/37
  • 2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid – City/highway/combined MPG: 36/35/36
  • 2022 Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid – Combined MPGe: 80
  • 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid – City/highway/combined MPG: 36/31/34
  • 2022 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid – Combined MPGe: 79

Gas SUVs

  • 2022 Toyota Venza – City/highway/combined MPG: 40/37/39
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