Best SUVs of 2026 for reliability, value, and space

Best SUVs of 2026 at a glance

Use the table to narrow the field to two or three vehicles in the class you need, then read the section for that class.

Best subcompact SUVs

Subcompact SUVs are the least expensive way into the class, with the high seating position and hatch of a bigger SUV in a footprint that parks anywhere. The trade-off is a tighter back seat and less cargo room, and top trims can cost as much as a base compact.

The Mazda CX-30 is U.S. News’ top-rated subcompact and drives more like a sporty sedan than a small SUV. The Chevrolet Trax, which Road & Track lists from about $23,500, is one of the best values of any new vehicle, with a surprisingly roomy cabin. The Hyundai Kona offers gas, hybrid, and electric versions and strong fuel economy.

The Subaru Crosstrek, a Consumer Reports pick, starts just under $30,000 with all-wheel drive standard. Its engine and continuously variable transmission are adequate rather than quick, but it is one of the most affordable ways into an all-wheel-drive SUV, and the newer Crosstrek Hybrid improves its fuel economy.

Best compact SUVs

Compact SUVs are the most popular vehicles in the country for a reason: they seat four adults comfortably, carry a stroller or a weekend of luggage, and still fit in a tight parking spot. The Toyota RAV4 is the best-selling SUV in America, and for 2026 Toyota made every version a hybrid or plug-in hybrid. Cars.com, which made the RAV4 a finalist for its Best SUV award, reports 19.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat and 3,500 pounds of towing.

The Subaru Forester is Consumer Reports’ top-ranked compact SUV for 2026 and comes with all-wheel drive on every trim, which matters here. A new hybrid version adds fuel economy the gas Forester never had. The Honda CR-V remains the benchmark for interior space and comfort in the class, with a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine or a hybrid and Honda’s full driver-assistance suite standard.

Two more compacts deserve a test drive. Mazda redesigned the CX-5 for 2026, making it larger with far more modern technology, and U.S. News ranks it alongside the Hyundai Tucson at the top of the class. The Tucson, especially in hybrid form, packs in standard equipment and returns fuel economy in the high 30s.

Best midsize two-row SUVs

A midsize two-row SUV gives you a roomier back seat and more cargo space than a compact without the length of a three-row. It is a good fit for a family of four that carries a lot of gear.

The redesigned Honda Passport, a Cars.com finalist and a top pick at Car and Driver and Edmunds, adds real off-road ability and 5,000 pounds of towing while keeping a comfortable on-road ride. The Subaru Outback, now shaped more like a traditional SUV, earns top marks from U.S. News and Edmunds for practicality and safety, with all-wheel drive standard. The Mazda CX-70 and Ford Bronco round out the class, the first for a more upscale feel and the second for off-road ability.

Best three-row family SUVs

Consumer Reports calls the Toyota Grand Highlander a near-perfect people mover, and the description fits: unlike many three-row SUVs, its third row works for adults on more than a short trip, and the hybrid versions return fuel economy in the mid-30s. For families who regularly fill every seat, it is the one to try first.

The Hyundai Palisade, offered for 2026 with a gas engine or a new hybrid, gives you a lot of equipment for the money, with Cars.com listing a starting price around $41,000 and 5,000 pounds of towing for the gas version. The Kia Telluride, its corporate sibling, was fully redesigned for 2027 with an available hybrid and is U.S. News’ highest-rated midsize SUV. The Mazda CX-90, with a turbocharged inline-six and a more upscale cabin, is the other strong choice. The CX-90’s third row is tighter than the Toyota’s or Hyundai’s.

Best full-size SUVs

Cars.com named the 2026 Nissan Armada its Best SUV of 2026, pointing to versatility, safety, comfort, and value. Its 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 makes 425 horsepower, or 460 in the NISMO version, and it tows up to 8,500 pounds. All three rows have room for adults, and Cars.com measured 29 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row.

The Armada’s starting price, around $61,000, undercuts the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition. The Expedition, U.S. News’ top-rated large SUV, remains the choice if you tow at the top of the range, with up to 9,600 pounds, and the extended Expedition Max adds cargo space behind the third row. The Chevrolet Tahoe and longer Suburban offer the most interior room in the class, and the Toyota Sequoia comes only with a hybrid twin-turbo V6.

Best off-road SUVs

The Toyota 4Runner, redesigned recently and now available as a hybrid, is built on a truck-style frame and is the most durable choice for owners who actually leave the pavement. The Jeep Wrangler goes further off-road than anything else on this list but gives up on-road comfort and highway quiet in exchange, and the Ford Bronco offers similar removable-top ability with a more settled ride thanks to its independent front suspension.

For more luxury with the same frame-based toughness, the Lexus GX 550 and Toyota Land Cruiser both tow 6,000 pounds or more and are built to last for decades. The current Land Cruiser is smaller and less expensive than the old one and now has two rows of seats. For most Long Island owners, though, a compact or midsize SUV with all-wheel drive and good tires handles a snowstorm and a gravel beach lot just as well.

Best hybrid SUVs

Hybrids now lead most SUV rankings. U.S. News rates the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid as its top hybrid SUV, and Car and Driver’s compact hybrid picks are the Honda CR-V Hybrid, the Toyota RAV4, and the Nissan Rogue Hybrid. Among three-row SUVs, the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid, Kia Telluride Hybrid, and Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid top the lists at Car and Driver and Edmunds.

A hybrid pays back fastest with a lot of local, stop-and-go driving, which is exactly the kind most Long Island owners do. For the smallest fuel bill, the Kia Niro Hybrid and the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid lead the subcompact class.

Best electric SUVs

The Hyundai Ioniq 5, starting around $36,600 according to Cars.com, combines fast charging with one of the lowest entry prices among electric SUVs. The Kia EV9 is the electric choice for a family that needs three rows, with about 82 cubic feet of cargo space according to Road & Track. If you are not ready to rely on charging alone, a plug-in hybrid such as the Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid or Volvo XC60 covers a typical commute on electricity and keeps a gas engine for longer trips. Before choosing any electric SUV, confirm that you can charge at home, because public charging alone changes the ownership math considerably.

Best luxury SUVs

The Lexus NX is the luxury compact to beat on reliability and running costs, and Consumer Reports’ top pick in its segment is the NX hybrid, which returns up to 40 mpg combined. The BMW X3 is the better drive for anyone who enjoys corners, and the Cadillac XT5 offers more cargo room for the price.

In the midsize luxury class, Consumer Reports calls the BMW X5 one of the best luxury SUVs it has tested. The plug-in hybrid version delivers about 40 miles on electricity alone and more than 480 horsepower combined, which covers most daily commutes without using gasoline.

Best SUVs by price

Price narrows the field faster than anything else. These are the models the major rankings point to at each budget, based on starting prices.

Safest SUVs

Car and Driver lists the 2027 Kia Telluride, 2027 Honda CR-V, and Hyundai Ioniq 5 as its safest SUVs, and the Nissan Armada earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+. For any SUV you are considering, look up the exact model year on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and NHTSA websites, because ratings change with redesigns and test updates.

Best SUVs for snow on Long Island

All-wheel drive sends power to the wheels with grip, which helps you pull away on an unplowed side street or climb a slick driveway. It does nothing for stopping or turning, which depend entirely on tire grip. An all-wheel-drive SUV on worn all-season tires stops no better than a front-wheel-drive sedan on the same tires.

Car Talk singles out the Subaru Forester Wilderness as its best SUV for winter, and every Subaru SUV comes with all-wheel drive standard. For the few heavy storms a year that Nassau County sees, a compact all-wheel-drive SUV on good all-season or all-weather tires is enough for most drivers. If you commute early before the plows, budget for a set of winter tires. Salt is the other winter factor: rinse the underside regularly and have the brake lines and subframe checked on any SUV that has spent several winters here.

How to choose the right SUV for you

The best SUV on a list is not automatically the best SUV in your driveway. Work through these questions in order before you shop models, because each answer removes whole categories.

Should you buy one of these SUVs used?

A two- to four-year-old SUV has already taken its steepest depreciation, and most of the models above have been on sale long enough that used examples are plentiful. The best value is usually a vehicle from the second or later year of a generation, after the manufacturer has fixed the problems that only show up once thousands of owners are driving them.

The Toyota RAV4 shows this clearly. The first year of its 2019 redesign drew far more owner complaints and recalls than the 2021 and 2022 models that followed. Three-row SUVs such as the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade, both introduced for 2020, are now common on the used market. Whatever the model, ask for the service records, run the vehicle identification number through the federal recall database, and have a pre-purchase inspection done.

How these SUVs were chosen

SUVs and crossovers now make up roughly six in ten new vehicles sold in the United States, so every brand sells several and the differences between them are real but narrow. This list cross-checks the 2026 rankings from Car and Driver, U.S. News, Edmunds, Road & Track, Cars.com, Car Talk, J.D. Power, and Consumer Reports, and favors vehicles that several of them rate highly. It adds what we see every day in the service bay: which vehicles come in for routine work and which come in for expensive repairs.

Prices shown are approximate starting prices for the 2026 model year as reported by the sources named, including destination where the source included it. They move during the year and by trim, so treat them as a way to compare classes rather than as a quote.

Because Cherrywood Auto sells used vehicles, every pick also includes the angle most new-car lists skip: whether the model is worth buying a few years old, and which years of it to look for.