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Compare the best SUVs

High quality SUV cars from rated and reviewed dealers

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Best SUV cars of 2022

Everyone wants an SUV right now, and car makers are falling over themselves to bring new tall-and-chunky models to the market as quickly as they can. Here are the best new SUVs on sale in the UK right now…

Skoda Kodiaq

1. Skoda Kodiaq

9/10
carwow price from
£350* / month (£31,550)
The biggest car that Skoda makes is also one of the best cars that Skoda makes. OK, so the Kodiaq is a laggard when it comes to offering hybrid or electric versions, but it sure delivers on the SUV front — bluff styling, masses of space inside, a huge boot, optional seats for seven, and a high-quality cabin. It’s even quite good to drive…
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Volvo XC40

2. Volvo XC40

9/10
Battery range up to 26 miles
carwow price from
£376* / month (£32,325)
The XC40 looks like an SUV should — tall and chunky, but thanks to its inherent Volvo-ness, it’s also kind of unthreatening. You can have it with petrol, plug-in hybrid, or fully-electric power and all three are good to drive, and pretty refined too. Cabin is a bit cheap in places, but it’s practical and suitably rugged.
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BMW X3

3. BMW X3

9/10
Battery range up to 26 miles
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£569* / month (£43,820)
From ugly duckling (the original X3 was seriously not good looking) to this current swan-like model, the X3 is basically a 3 Series Touring on stilts. We mean that in a good way, because it combines a beautifully-made interior with plenty of cabin and boot space, and still manages to just about drive like BMW ought to. Choose from petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, or even the fully-electric iX3.
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Audi Q5

4. Audi Q5

9/10
Battery range up to 32 miles
carwow price from
£506* / month (£44,362)
The Q5 does everything the BMW X3 does, but arguably does it while looking slightly nicer. A recent update tidied up the styling and brought with it an improved infotainment system, and you can pick from petrol, diesel, and plug-in hybrid models. It’s a good thing to drive, but not quite as good as the X3 in that regard.
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Volkswagen T-Cross

5. Volkswagen T-Cross

9/10
carwow price from
£246* / month (£21,510)
We love the fact that VW’s smallest SUV eschews roundy, curvy styling in favour of a proper, upright, SUV look. It’s basically a Polo under the skin, so you get all of that car’s frugality and safety, but you get more cabin space and a much bigger boot. Basic 1.0 TSI turbo three-cylinder is all the engine you’ll need.
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Kia EV6

6. Kia EV6

9/10
Battery range up to 328 miles
carwow price from
£474* / month (£44,800)
Kia’s dramatic EV6 puts the Korean company’s new electric car chassis to good use. You’ll get a 328-mile range, and ultra-fast charging which is usually reserved for the likes of Porsche and Audi. The cabin’s gorgeous and spacious, and the EV6 is surprisingly good fun to drive, too.
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Peugeot 2008

7. Peugeot 2008

9/10
carwow price from
£239* / month (£21,448)
Just because you want a smaller SUV doesn’t mean that you want to sacrifice style. If that sounds like you, then the striking Peugeot 2008 is the SUV for you. Taking the 208’s styling (and chassis) and making it even more in-your-face, the 2008 offers decent interior space, and a sparky driving experience. Literally sparky if you go for the all-electric e-2008, although that model is a little short on range.
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Skoda Karoq

8. Skoda Karoq

9/10
carwow price from
£265* / month (£25,006)
The Karoq might just be the most sensible car you can buy. It’s massive inside — there’s a whopping 588-litre boot back there, and you can get optional Varioflex rear seats that come out altogether to make even more space. It’s well built, and given Skoda’s rep should be reliable, and you can even get it with a frugal 1.0-litre engine that sounds way too small to shift something like a Karoq around, but proves to be anything but. Skoda’s updated it with slightly tweaked styling and an updated infotainment system.
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Audi Q4 e-tron

9. Audi Q4 e-tron

9/10
Battery range up to 314 miles
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£644* / month (£49,806)
Want to trim your emissions but look good doing it? Then the electric Audi Q4 e-tron is the answer. You get a range of up to 304 miles, plus rapid charging to 80 per cent power in just 29 minutes. You get a stylish, typically Audi-ish cabin, and lots of space. It’s even pretty good to drive, and hugely refined. The only problem? All this is also true about the cheaper, and mechanically identical, Skoda Enyaq.
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Land Rover Defender

10. Land Rover Defender

9/10
carwow price from
£690* / month (£60,705)
Right, time to stop messing about. The other cars on this list are SUVs, but the Defender is not. It’s a proper off-roader, capable of climbing every mountain and fording every stream. Other SUVs tackle the school run. The Defender can tackle the school run when the school is on the other side of the Kalahari. Rugged and tough, but also comfy and refined on the road, with an excellent but expensive P400e plug-in hybrid option that’s surprisingly frugal on long journeys.
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Advice about SUV cars

SUVs FAQs

An SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) typically has raised ground clearance making it look like a four-wheel drive car. People love the higher driving position and great view out you get in these type of cars. SUVs are generally fun to drive – that’s why Sports is in the title – but are practical for families too, with spacious interiors and decent-sized boots – which is why Utility is used in their name.

While an SUV car looks like a 4x4 they don’t necessarily have four-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive systems can be heavy, making the cars not particularly fuel efficient. Many customers like the styling of SUV cars but don’t need a car with off-road capability. That’s why many modern SUV cars today have the option to have both two- and four-wheel drive. Indeed some SUVs are two-wheel drive only.

Today, SUVs are some of the most popular styles of cars you can buy.

On paper, this is a tie between the Mercedes-Benz GLE 350de plug-in hybrid diesel, and the just-arriving new BMW X1 xDrive25e, both of offer 353mpg on the combined WLTP fuel economy test. Of course, that relies on you carefully charging up all the time and making the most of their electric driving abilities. For real-world economy, your best bets at the Toyota RAV4 (especially the plug-in hybrid version), the Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv-D, and at the smaller scale, the Peugeot 2008, which can hit 47mpg in petrol form, and an official 65mpg in diesel form.

To find out how to improve the fuel economy of your SUV, check out our guide on ways to get better MPG.

The Land Rover Defender is the theoretical winner here, with a maximum braked towing weight of 3,500kg. That can be matched by others, mind, and if we’re talking expert opinion, then the Caravan Club recommends the current Porsche Cayenne, which has lots of clever software that helps you tow more easily.

Check out or guides on the best SUVs for towing and UK towing laws for trailers and caravans.

The Skoda Kodiaq is the winner here, with a massive 835 litres beating even the massive Land Rover Defender’s 646-litre boot. Even the seven-seat version of the Kodiaq is big in the back, with 735-litres available. That said, if you want a seven-seater with a massive boot, check out the Peugeot 5008 which has a 780-litre boot when you fold the third row seats into the floor.

Take a look at our guide on the best cars with big boots to find out which cars we recommend.

Easy answer here — it’s the Land Rover Defender. Not only does it have permanent four-wheel drive, low-ratio gears, and optional adjustable air suspension, it also has a swathe of electronic off-roading aids from a low-grip launch control system to a camera setup that kinda-sorta allows you to see through the bonnet. Can’t afford a Defender? That’s OK — pick up a Suzuki Jimny. It’s tiny and unrefined, but brilliant in the mud.

Technically, you can pick up a Suzuki Ignis for just £14,749 and that’s kind of an SUV? Isn’t it? Ok then, how about a Fiat Panda Cross for £16,674? No? Still too small? OK then, what about a Citroen C3 Aircross for £21,005? Or a Volkswagen T-Cross for £22,130? Sorry, we’re just messing about here, really. The actual answer is a Dacia Duster for — wait for it — £14,485. Which makes anything else look like the wrong answer.

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