Best SUVs of 2024

The SUV world has expanded to include everyday commuter vehicles, family haulers, and of course, capable off-roaders. Let’s help find the best SUV for you.

How We Made Our Picks

Car Talk’s team of testers regularly drive new SUVs to size them up (and often push them beyond their comfort zones). We combine our own test experience with other information like owner surveys, reliability and safety features.

We selected the “Best SUV” in many subcategories since there are so many different types and different use cases. In addition to the Car Talk Staff Picks, we’ve included a bonus personal take from Car Talk’s co-founder Ray Magliozzi, who has probably the equivalent of 1,569,402 years of experience testing, fixing and pontificating about cars.

Car Talk Staff Picks For Best SUVs of 2024

• Best SUV Overall: Toyota RAV4 Prime & Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
• Best Subcompact SUV: Mazda CX-30 & Subaru Crosstrek
• Best Compact SUV (That Isn’t A Toyota): Ford Bronco Sport Badlands
• Best Midsize SUV: Ford Edge & Honda Passport
• Best 7-Passenger SUV: Toyota Highlander Hybrid
• Best 3-Row SUV: Hyundai Palisade & Ford Explorer
• Best 'Monstah' SUV: Jeep Wagoneer / Grand Wagoneer
• Best Electric SUV: Tesla Model Y & Toyota RAV4 Prime
• Best SUV For Winter: Subaru Forester Wilderness
• Best SUV If Great Aunt Birgit Left You A Pallet of Cash: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392
• Best SUV If You Want To Drive EV Advocates Nuts: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4xe
• Most Reliable SUVs: Mazda CX-5 & Toyota Highlander Hybrid
• Safest SUVs: Mazda CX-5 & Toyota Highlander AWD
• Best Off-Road SUVs - Jeep Wrangler, Ford Bronco, Toyota 4Runner, Subaru Forester

Ray's Personal Take

With over four decades of doling out trusted automotive advice and extensive vehicle knowledge, both behind the wheel and under the hood, Car Talk's founder and original Tappet Brother Ray Magliozzi shares his first-hand experience and expert opinion about the Best SUVs for 2024.

Spoiler alert: sometimes Ray’s take is different from the rest of the Car Talk staff. And we think it’s helpful to show you all perspectives because there’s no single right or wrong opinion!

• Best SUV Overall: The RAV4 is great. My other favorites are the Kia Telluride, Honda CR-V, and for those who are still fond of seeing out of their vehicles, the Subaru Forester.

• Best Subcompact SUV: I like the Subaru Crosstrek. I also like the Kia Niro. It’s available as an EV with 250+ miles. I also like the Honda HR-V.

• Best Compact SUV (That Isn’t A Toyota): Ford did a good job with the Bronco Sport. It’s comfortable, and practical. The Nissan Rogue is a solid choice, as is the Honda CR-V.

• Best Midsize SUV: I like the Honda Passport. The Honda CR-V is pretty close to midsized, in my opinion, and one of my favorites. The BMW X3, with the four-cylinder engine, is also a great SUV.

• Best 7-Passenger SUV: Can’t argue with the Highlander as a top choice, although the Kia Telluride is probably my favorite, and a slightly better value.

• Best 3-Row SUV: Give me a Kia Telluride any day.

• Best 'Monstah' SUV: I’m not a big fan of the 'monster' class of SUVs, but if you need enormous, I’d tell you to drive the new Toyota Grand Highlander hybrid.

• Best Electric SUV: Two solid Genesis make my list here. The Genesis GV60, with very good range, and the slightly more traditional SUV-ish, but ultra-smooth and luxurious GV70, which only falls short in the range department. It gets about 230, a little short of today’s standard. But a wonderful driving car.

• Best SUV For Winter: Skip the “Wilderness” editions. The Subarus do just fine in winter without the knobbier tires and raised ride height. You pay a real ride penalty for the wilderness stuff. And the badges are tacky. We don’t need no stinkin’ Wilderness badges.

• Best SUV If Great Aunt Birgit Left You A Pallet of Cash: People who love Jeeps love Jeeps, and you can’t talk sense into them. In my opinion, Jeeps are pretty barbaric, which I guess is part of the appeal. With extra money to spend, go to your BMW dealer and get an X5 or an X7.

• Best SUV If You Want To Drive EV Advocates Nuts: I don’t want to drive EV advocates nuts...

• Most Reliable SUVs: Toyota and Honda have been the most reliable cars I work on, for decades now.

• Best Off-Road SUVs: Off roading to me is the Trader Joe’s parking lot... And for me, the Ford Bronco murders the Jeep. And the Forester can go mildly off road and still be comfortable day to day.

What’s the Best SUV? Toyota RAV4 Prime & Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

The best SUV is a tie between the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Toyota RAV4 Prime. Hear us out on this. One gets 40 MPG, and the other can drive you around all week using only electrons. The RAV4 Hybrid is a real vehicle, and Toyota delivers them in huge volumes. The RAV4 Prime is much rarer, but if you can find one, grab it. It’s very special.

The RAV4 Hybrid and Primes are AWD. Every one of them. Each also ships in the U.S. market with a spare tire. The cargo area is generous for its class, and the interior design is classic Toyota. For 2023, Toyota addresses the vehicle’s one weakness, its infotainment offering. The fact that our top picks are the best two trims of America’s top-selling SUV model isn’t an accident. Did we mention that the RAV4 Prime has 302 hp and can smoke a Mazda Miata in a drag race?

Best Subcompact SUV - Mazda CX-30 and Subaru Crosstrek

The best smaller-than-compact SUV is a tie because one is an off-road hero and the other is a sports sedan with a lift kit. The Mazda CX-30 is a sleek, sporty, refined on-road performer that can still handle winter. The Subaru Crosstrek is a great vehicle for those who need the best possible snow performance and who plan to go off-pavement to find adventure. These two manage to set themselves apart in a segment that has a lot of great options.

Best Compact SUV (Other Than the RAV4) - Ford Bronco Sport

The RAV4 Prime and Hybrid both top our list overall, and they are indeed considered “compact.” However, there is a great option to consider in this class if you seek adventure and want a more rugged SUV. The Bronco Sport is a beast off-road compared to most compact SUVs. It has a 4X4 system that doubles as no-fuss all-wheel drive. You can also get utility features like snow-rated tires and a full-size matching spare in your Bronco Sport. What may surprise some Ford Bronco fans is that the Bronco Sport has more interior room than the “bigger” Bronco.

Best Midsize 5-passenger SUV - Honda Passport and Ford Edge

There are larger five-passenger SUVs than the compacts we often highlight. Honda’s Passport is a larger option than its legendary CR-V, and it has more off-pavement ability. The Ford Edge is a “chopped” Explorer with five seats. Its ST trim does a great job of making some sporty European SUVs seem slow, overpriced, and outdated. This is a stealth SUV segment and the Hyundai Santa Fe plug-in hybrid and Chevy Blazer both offer a lot of features hard to find in the compact class.

Best Midsize 7-Passenger SUV - Toyota Highlander Hybrid

The seven-passenger and “three-row” segments overlap a bit, but we can define the 7-passenger SUVs as ones that are on the smaller end of the size chart. The best seven-passenger SUV hands-down is the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The Highlander is a perennial best-seller for a reason. It offers best-in-class fuel economy, a legacy of outstanding reliability, top safety scores going back to its very first generation, and family-friendly features galore. And it’s pretty fun to drive compared to its peers as well. How important is the hybrid powertrain? The Highlander Hybrid has an annual fuel cost that’s $1,000 lower than the similar Honda Pilot. Over the vehicle's life, that can add up to $20K in cost savings with zero penalties, if you keep the car for 20 years.

Best 3-Row SUV - Hyundai Palisade and Ford Explorer

We chose the Hyundai Palisade over its sibling, the Kia Telluride, because the Hyundai comes with three years of included maintenance. Otherwise, the two are very similar. The Palisade is “Right-sized” for many families who need a minivan’s space for passengers but who want an SUV with more AWD off-pavement capability.

The Ford Explorer is a vast line of SUVs with so much to offer it is hard to summarize. The Explorer offers hybrid trims, sporty trims, off-road trims, and trims with an outstanding dollar per pound (value). Ford has refined and reshaped its Explorer to meet changing demands of consumers. If you owned an older generation, give the Explorer a look with fresh eyes, and you will be very happy with what you find.

Best Monstah SUV - Jeep Wagoneer / Grand Wagoneer

The truth is, there is no bad full-sized body-on-frame SUV on the market today. Every brand has poured a lot of resources into their monster SUVs, and much of the selection comes down to brand loyalty and taste. However, in our testing, the new Wagoneer line from Jeep impressed us the most. We found the infotainment, luxury appointments at mainstream prices, and Jeep toughness to be the best balance of the segment. If you want to go full Bahston with your monstah SUV, get it in green – just don’t plan on it being easy to drive around our fair city.

Best Electric SUV - Tesla Model Y and Toyota RAV4 Prime

Tesla’s Model Y is priced starting at around $60K. If you have a budget of about $85K, it can be a fantastic vehicle with either five or seven-passenger seating. The Y is barely an SUV. It’s more of a tall hatchback. There is no spare tire, and you’d have to be crazy to take this vehicle off-road. However, it is wildly popular among EV enthusiasts, so it gets our nod.

The RAV4 Prime is a plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV). It has a range of over 500 miles, and over 40 of those miles can be all-electric. It’s fast, it’s reliable, and every RAV4 Prime sold in America has all-wheel drive and a spare tire. If you want to live electric 90% or more of the time yet still be able to take a long road trip and never worry about public charging hassles, the RAV4 Prime fits the bill. In our living electric research, we are finding more and more battery-electric vehicle owners opting for PHEVs as their household’s second vehicle.

Best SUV For Winter - Subaru Forester Wilderness

Every Subaru SUV is an excellent choice for winter. Your author owns a cabin in a remote part of the New Hampshire woods. The majority of the neighbors in that area have Subarus, and all of them also have special winter-rated tires of one type or another. Your author does as well.

Subaru’s all-wheel-drive system just seems to work better than much of the competition in winter conditions of any type. The traction control doesn’t work against you. There is no delay noticeable when conditions are slippery. The Dual X Mode actually works as advertised. Why is the Wilderness trim of the Forester our top pick? Because the Wilderness comes standard with special tires rated for severe snow duty and has the most ground clearance in its class.

Best SUV To Buy If Great Aunt Birgit Just Left You A Pallet of Cash - Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392

If your great aunt from Luxembourg just passed (God rest her soul) and left you a phat stack, we can help. Find your nearest Jeep dealer and ask to see the owner. Tell her that you won’t leave until she finds a way for you to own the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 392. It’s gonna set you back about $80K before the astronomical dealer markup, but it’s going to 1) Be worth it and 2) Likely appreciate every day it is in your possession.

The Wrangler Unlimited 392 has a monster V8 engine with around 500 horsepower and a geared transmission. You need this but just don’t realize it. It also has a lift kit. Why not? It accelerates so hard the front of the Jeep actually tilts towards the heavens. Just do it. You’ll thank us later.

Best SUV If You Want To Drive EV Advocates Nuts - Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4xe

The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4xe is an unusual vehicle. It has a two-liter turbocharger engine, plus it has a robust electric drive system. Together the two generate as much torque as the V8-powered Wrangler 392, and both make our list of the best SUVs available. Why will the 4xe drive EV advocates crazy? Because it solves a problem in a way they despise.

The 4xe can drive you around all week doing your normal commute and chores using nothing but electricity. You’ll be traveling “local emissions-free” during all those miles. We have tested the 4xe Rubicon trim multiple times and did this ourselves. You plug it in when you get home, and it’s always ready for your next local drive using just battery power. You save huge on gas while you use it this way. If you find a public charger on your travels, plug it in, and its battery will be full when you come back to it.

The part that drives the EV advocates nuts is that when you drive on a longer trip, say to your cabin for the weekend, or a long road trip ending in a camping trip, the gas engine operates, and you get about 20 MPG. This combination makes the EV crowd furious because they assume you will never plug it in. Well, we know you will since the vehicle is much more enjoyable with a full battery. Just don’t expect to make new friends at the local public charging stations.

What’s the Most Reliable SUV?

Car Talk picked over the (yawn) reliability data charts from multiple trusted sources, so you don’t have to. We were fully expecting a Toyota to take both size categories, but to our surprise, Mazda’s CX-5 is the most reliable two-row SUV you can buy. And that applies to a new CX-5 you buy today or a used one you purchase. This thing has more reliability stars than a Prius. No, not really, but it’s dangerously close to being that reliable.

Top tip: Don’t get the turbo if you want the most reliable type of the most reliable SUV.

If you are shopping for a three-row SUV, it is the Toyota Highlander (Hybrid trims included) that earns the award for most reliable SUV. One tip: If you opt for a well-worn used Highlander from its first generation, buy one from the last year of that generation. For example, 2007 if you opt for a first-gen Highlander. The last year before a generational change almost always earns the best reliability scores. The current Highlander is in the middle of its design cycle, and the 2023 is expected to have excellent reliability.

Are SUVs Safe? Which Are Safest?

Yes, SUVs are the safest type of vehicle you can buy today. Sure, there was a time back in the early days of the SUV expansion when the body-on-frame SUVs with leaf springs in the back would tip over and roll with terrible consequences. All of those - literally all of them - have since been redesigned many times over with more modern chassis, suspensions, and anti-roll technology galore.

Today, SUVs come with active safety features to prevent accidents, stability control, and road departure mitigation to prevent rollovers, and a lot of passive safety gear to protect passengers in all types of crashes.

SUVs are also positioned perfectly for safety. You are up higher in the event of a side-impact collision, which is a significant advantage in this case.

IIHS has looked at real-world safety data gathered by law enforcement to determine which vehicles have the lowest overall death rates. Many SUVs topped the list, including the Toyota Highlander, year after year. And much to the surprise of many automotive experts, vehicles with all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive did the best. Even better than the same model if it was offered in just two-wheel drive.

Among the safety standouts year after year are all of Subarus’ SUVs, all of Mazda’s SUVs, and the Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid. As you may have noticed, these SUVs appear in many of our other award categories as well. Mazda’s CX-5 is notable in that it was the very first vehicle tested by IIHS to pass the new, tougher, side-impact test. Rather than score “Good” on the new test as the CX-5 did, many of the CX-5’s peers earned a “Poor” rating. SUVs may all look equally safe, but testing proves that is not the case. We suggest any shopper look at the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety’s (IIHS’s) website for ratings on vehicles they are considering.

Best Off-Road SUV - You Decide

Car Talk could easily name the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, Ford Bronco Raptor, Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro, or Subaru Forester Wilderness the best off-road SUV. However, is there really one best off-road SUV? To begin with, these special trims are rarer than unicorns on dealer lots. If you find one, expect to pay a large dealer markup. And then what? Where will you specifically drive it?

Each of the models above is outstanding when the road ends, but each is also good at different things. Are you overlanding in Colorado? All four are equally good at this. Traversing a snow-covered trail to a cabin in New England? We’d probably select the 4Runner or the Forester. Blasting over a desert expanse at high speeds? Bronco Raptor. Climbing the rocks at Moab? Wrangler. See what we mean? Each is good in all off-road scenarios, but the term off-road means a lot of things to a lot of different off-road enthusiasts.

We will let you call this one. Our only advice is to think seriously about what you will be doing with your off-roader and then buy one that has a kit designed for that specific activity. Speaking of narrow, in much of America, the limiting factor off-road is the space between trees. A compact SUV with a short wheelbase is much better in the woods than a long wide pickup truck, based on our testing.

Should I Buy an SUV? Heck yes, you should get an SUV. Like to kick it old school and assume an SUV isn’t your thing? Look back to pre-World War II “cars.” Every one of them was the shape of an SUV. America flirted with sedans and coupes for half a century before returning to the formula that made the most sense from the beginning. Need it spelled out for you? Here are some reasons to get an SUV instead of another type of vehicle:

1. You already own a truck.
2. Many of the most energy-efficient vehicles today are SUVs.
3. SUVs are among the safest vehicles in almost all types of crashes.
4. SUVs tend to hold their resale value.
5. You can use it to move your kid to college.
6. Winter.
7. You can see out better on the highway and open road.
8. Getting in and out of a small SUV is easier and you’re not getting more nimble.
9. You just wanna drive a wicked awesome SUV, so there.

Look at driver death numbers and SUVs rank among the safest vehicles sold. However, though SUVs are excellent at keeping their occupants safe, the larger ones can have significant blind spots (especially in parking lots), require extra stopping distance and require extra driving attention and skill. The huge ones, especially the super-fast top trims, are not good choices for new drivers.

How Much Do SUVs Cost?

SUVs are available starting in the low $20Ks, and you can spend up to $100K on a mainstream brand if you go big and go all-in on options. However, there are some common price points to note.

• Subcompact - $27K to $31K
• Compact - $30K to $40K With RAV4 Prime Topping the list at around $50K
• 7-Passenger three-row - $40K to $50K
• Three-Row Midsize - $40K to $55K
• Full-Size Monster SUVs - $55K - $115K

These prices are before dealer markups, presently averaging about $4K at the time of this publication, but which vary wildly by region and will hopefully settle down soon as the economy changes.

*Estimated prices include destination and delivery charges but do not include dealer doc fees, additional dealer markups, or added dealer content. Prices are per the manufacturer’s current price pages and rounded to the nearest thousand.

How Many People Can Fit in an SUV?

How many folks have you got? SUVs start at five passengers, but there are SUVs you can buy that could double as church vans. There are multiple legit eight-passenger SUVs, and a few rare trims of some of the monsters that can seat up to nine people.

Two-row SUVs like the Ford Bronco Sport and Honda CR-V offer seating for five. These vehicles are really four-plus-one-seaters. The unfortunate soul in the middle of the rear row is squished and has its feet resting on the driveshaft hump.

Three-row SUVs vary greatly in their interior volume. The Mitsubishi Outlander starts off the segment. The third row in that vehicle is really just for kids. The same can be said for the larger three-row SUVs like the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander. The Kia Telluride and Ford Explorer offer a bit more room for full-sized folks in the third seat.

Most three-row SUVs will offer shoppers a choice. You can get a middle row with two big comfortable captain’s chairs, or you can get a bench seat that accommodates three. Many of the latest SUVs have a three-across rear seat. That is how it adds up to eight 2-3-3 with the bench option, or 2-2-3 if you have the middle captain's chairs. Some three-row SUVs still have the older two-across third row. Here the options are usually 2-2-2 or 2-3-2. Before you get your heart set on one trim of one model, be aware that not all trims offer the same seating configurations. Generally, top trims and hybrid trims offer the 7-seat option, not the 8-seat choice. Your dealer can help here.

How Much Cargo Space Do SUVs Have?

SUV cargo volumes range from around 20 cubic feet in subcompact models to well over 87 cubic feet in full-size SUVs with seats folded. Cargo volume for SUVs requires that we acknowledge that cargo space varies by the position of the second and third-row seats. When all the seats are in the upright position, the SUV is maximized for people and minimized for cargo. You will notice that the cargo volumes for two-row SUVs read something like 29/54 cubic feet (cu ft). The first value is the cargo volume with the seats up, and the second with them stowed flat. If there are three rows, the values may look something like 29/54/76. Here you can see that the numbers indicate the cargo volume with the various seats folded.

In our testing, we often stuff SUVs both large and small to the gills. We also move the seats by folding the rear seat only or folding just half of a row. SUVs are fantastic because you can take your kids with you and go buy a huge TV. Or three sets of ocean fishing rods. Or a half-dozen hockey sticks, or an area rug. Heck, maybe all of these things at once, and still make it all fit. When you move a kid to college in the rain, an SUV is a lot handier than a pickup truck. When you camp, even compact SUVs like a Forester can accommodate two sleeping adults, provided dinner wasn’t a big dish of campfire beans. Ask us how we know!

We will offer our readers a bit of caution. Sure, we will list out the cargo volumes of SUVs for you. But be aware that in our testing, we find little meaningful difference in the models within a given segment. A Honda CR-V may have a few cubic feet greater total volume than a Mazda CX-5, but is it practical, usable space, or is the ceiling just a few inches higher, resulting in a bigger value on a chart?

*All cargo volumes are rounded to the nearest single cubic foot. All values are per the manufacturer's official specification page.

Something we do find that matters is the shape of the cargo bay and the floor height of SUVs. The subcompact 2023 new Honda HR-V, as an example, has a perfect cargo bay we found to be large for its segment. The liftover height is ideal and there is no lip to clear. When you load heavy items the floor is not too low, and not too high. The opening is wide and the floor is perfectly flat. In our testing, it proved to be the best of the breed

We also like under-floor cargo space. Most compact SUVs and many mid-sized models have a compact spare under the cargo floor. Some offer a deep and wide space you can use to store your supplies like your trailer ball, an air compressor, tools, and winter clothes. The Subaru Forester and Honda Passport are the best of the best in this regard. Each offers great overall cargo volume, plus a generous segmented storage compartment under the floor of the cargo area, and they still manage to fit a spare tire in that space. Shop for your “utility vehicle’s” cargo space carefully.

What Should I Look For in an SUV?

Car Talk has some strong opinions on what an SUV should offer. AWD or four-wheel drive comes to mind. A spare tire seems logical given the U stands for utility. A towing package makes sense, even if it’s just used for a Thule four-bike rack.

That said, pick an SUV that meets your specific needs. Live in the snowbelt? Get a Subaru, you will not regret it. Really wish your SUV was a compact sports sedan? Buy a Mazda CX-30 Turbo. Are you that parent with six kids who coaches every team? You need a Chevy Suburban with plastic seat covers and a good psychiatrist . Do you lie awake every night dreaming of slowly crawling your SUV up a trail over boulders? The Ford Bronco or Jeep Wrangler will scratch that itch. Look for an SUV that has the abilities and features to make you happy, however you swing.

How Much Can SUVs Tow?

SUVs are outstanding vehicles for towing. Many of the burlier ones can tow another vehicle greater than their own weight. Compact SUVs can typically tow up to 2,500 pounds. That is more than enough for a gardening trailer with all of your tools and a riding mower. The midsize SUVs can tow up to 5,000 pounds. That is the weight of a good-size boat on a trailer, or two snowmobiles, or a Miata in a race trailer with two extra sets of tires, or two horses in a trailer. The monster class of SUVs can almost always tow around 7,500 pounds, and the max ratings rise to over 9,000 pounds. These top ratings are almost exclusively for big campers and massive boats.

Are SUVs Good on Gas?

SUVs get great gas mileage if you opt for one that was designed to do so. The RAV4 Prime gets 94 MPGe. The RAV4 Hybrid gets 40 MPG using only gas. The Tesla Model Y uses no gas at all. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid has three rows and gets 35 MPG. Electrification solved the fuel economy riddle once and for all. And even conventional SUVs offer great real-world fuel economy if you consider the seating possibilities. We recently tested the new 2023 Honda HR-V and 2023 Nissan Rogue. Both use “regular” gas engines with CVT transmissions. Both got over 35 MPG in mixed real world driving during our testing.

*All values provided by www.FuelEconomy.Gov. **RAV4 Prime is plug-in hybrid-electric. Combined value with electric charge and without are shown. ***Tesla Model Y is battery-electric.

Can I Get an Electric SUV?

All vehicles are trending strongly to electrified powertrains, and EV SUVs are now available from most manufacturers. The Tesla Model X went first. Now Tesla’s top seller is an SUV (the Model Y). The RAV4 Prime has a plug and was among the fastest-selling vehicles in America this past year. The truth is, by 2035, we expect almost every top-selling vehicle model to be an EV truck or EV SUV. Some great fully-electric SUVs to look into today include the VW ID.4 and the Hyundai Kona EV. Be warned - It is rare for a fully-electric SUV (BEV) to have a standard spare tire. We can’t name a single one. However, some plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs) like the Kia Sorento PHEV, RAV4 Prime, and Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV do come with spare tires.

Plug-in hybrid SUVs also offer much greater towing flexibility. A RAV4 Prime can tow up to 2,500 pounds, and its range when doing so is 300 miles or more in the dead of winter. By contrast, a battery-electric vehicle will have a winter towing range of about a third of that distance before needing to be charged. And charging in public when towing is a real challenge. Practically speaking, it is impractical unless you happen to know your route and know there is a special pull-through charger on it. Which is available. And not broken.

Factually, battery-electric sport utility vehicles like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 lean toward “sport” and not “utility.” Many have glass roofs, negating the possibility of a soft roof-top cargo bag and making loading bikes onto a rack a dicey venture. PHEV SUVs nicely bridge the gap.

How Did SUVs Murder Minivans to Become the Family Car of Choice?

You’ll find a lot of “practical” publications that say most SUV owners really should have gotten a minivan. The folks at Road and Driver still think everyone should have a sports coupe with a stick shift. Not us. SUVs are the big tent vehicle of our era for a reason.

There was a time when SUV meant a body-on-frame truck with an enclosed cargo area. No more. SUVs today come in all shapes and sizes, and most share the same construction methods as minivans and cars. Shoppers have proven to automakers that they want SUVs, and the automakers responded by offering every type imaginable. The Toyota Sienna may have all-wheel drive, but it can’t hang with a Subaru Ascent in a blizzard. If you need to take a half dozen pee-wees to a hockey tournament three states away, a Honda Odyssey isn’t going to fit them and their gear. A Jeep Grand Wagoneer will do it with room for the trophies on the way back.

Minivans have long been said to offer a “car-like ride,” but what does that even mean? A car like a Charger SRT Hellcat? No. A car like a Miata? Puh-leese. Most seven-passenger SUVs are just as good on the road as the best minivans. If you need any further proof that SUVs are better than minivans, check out how Kia markets the Carnival. It is a minivan built to look like an SUV. So…Why not just buy an SUV?