Best SUVs

What are the SUVs to buy?

If you’re in the market for a new family car, and need more practicality or a higher seating position than a saloon, hatchback or estate car can offer, then the best SUVs will be right up your street. These tall-riding hold-alls are now the default choice for most families these days, and with very good reason.

They tend to combine the best elements of all of the above – the compact footprint of a hatchback (despite generally looking larger than they are), the generous rear space of a saloon and the loadspace of an estate. The high driving position is an added bonus, which an increasing number of drivers are really being turned on to. Finally, getting a child seat into an SUV is a whole lot easier than a lower-bodied alternative.

The Parkers team has put all of the latest SUVs the reviewing process and have pulled together this list of the Top 10 choices for all budgets. To see how thoroughly, check out our how we test cars page…

What does SUV stand for?

SUV stands for Sports Utility Vehicle. They tend to be larger, high-riding cars, often with four-wheel drive. Originally all SUVs were designed for off-roading, but that's very much not the case now. Some are little more than tall estates and hatchbacks with a rugged look that families can't get enough of.

FAQ: SUV questions answered

Are all SUVs 4x4?

Absolutely not. The idea of an SUV being a four-wheel drive mud-plugger is outdated, and probably hasn't really been the case since mid-2000s. The emergence of cars, such as the Nissan Qashqai and Ford Kuga, and their popularity proves that an SUV works just as well as a front-wheel drive family car. Popular family SUVs are generally based on hatchback and saloon counterparts, and although some are available with four-wheel drive, the majority these days are front- or rear-wheel drive.

Do SUVs flip easier than cars?

Not these days. Back in the 1980s, when the popularity of SUVs blossomed, they earned a reputation for flipping in emergency manoeuvres. But these cars were very different to today's counterparts - they were often quite basic in their engineering and dynamics. Modern SUVs are much safer, designed to corner and steer within the same margins as their lower-bodied counterparts. They also  have an increasing number of electronic stability aids, which Euro NCAP now tests and assesses as part of the safety ratings. They might have more bodyroll in corners, due to a higher centre of gravity, but you need to do something quite drastic to flip a modern SUV.

Is an SUV a good first car?

A small SUV is just as easy as a small hatchback to drive, and has the added bonus of a higher seating position, so visibility is better. There's no reason to believe that a Vauxhall Mokka or Ford Puma is any less suitable as a first car than a Corsa or Fiesta.

Which is better: an SUV or MPV?

Functionally, they're pretty much the same thing these days, so it comes down to personal choice. If space is your absolute first priority then you're probably best off going with an SUV, which tends to be roomier within the same footprint in the road. However, if you're likely to be towing or driving on rougher roads, the raised ride height of an SUV will make one of these cars a better bet.

What is a compact SUV/mini SUV?

A compact or mini SUV is generally based on a small car. Out of your current options, a typical compact or mini SUV is a Nissan Juke, Ford Puma or Vauxhall Mokka. They're family-friendly cars, but also manageable in towns and cities - a good compromise.

What is a crossover?

It's interesting how the language around SUVs is changing. Cars such as the Renault Kadjar, Nissan Qashqai and Audi Q3 were clearly based on standard road cars and until recently what many people (and car manufacturers) referred to as crossovers. That meant they featured SUV-like styling with pretty standard road car engineering underneath. In other words, they were hatchbacks on stilts. These days, they tend to all be called SUVs, and that's how we refer to them.

Why are SUVs so expensive?

If we were being cynical, we'd say that they are more expensive than the hatchbacks and saloons they are based on for marketing reasons. They are in demand, so people will spend more on them. But with so many SUVs on sale now, prices are much fairer than they used to be as they increasingly become the norm. Having said that, used examples command higher prices, too, because they are more in demand. If you don't necessarily need all of the features of an SUV, you can save money by choosing an estate or hatchback instead.