2024's best small SUVs – tested and rated

Volvo's first attempt at a compact sibling for its established XC60 and XC90 SUVs has been a real success. In the XC40, the Swedish marque has given us a car with instant kerbside appeal.

With a design sufficiently charismatic and alluring to bring younger family buyers into Volvo showrooms, the XC40 backs up its funky exterior with a cabin of laudable richness, comfort, usability and quality.

While this isn't the most practical car in the small SUV class, it certainly has plenty of luxury car ambience, not to mention all the in-car technology you'd hope for.

The XC40 has been around since 2017, and in that time, the model line-up has shifted around. There used to be manual, diesel, four-wheel-drive and plug-in hybrid options, but for 2024, only a pair of front-wheel-drive automatic petrols and a pair of EVs (recently renamed EX40) remain.

Rather than chasing other premium brands for driver appeal, the XC40 is happy to play the comfortable, refined, convenient and easy-to-use option - and it's an effective one. If an SUV's mission is to lift its driver above the hustle and bustle and filter out the pain from the daily grind, few do it better.

Like the XC40, the Mazda CX-5 is one of the senior citizens of this class. And yet it's easily one of the best-looking SUVs on the market and in the right spec has respectable fuel economy and an unusual level of handling verve for this class.

The CX-5's interior is solid, stylish and beautifully made and has the sort of usability that many other car makers could learn from. It offers plenty of passenger and boot space too.

Although it's now a bit older than some of the other entrants on this list, the CX-5 hasn't lost any of the handling pep that has made it one of our favourite small SUVs.

Of the engines, it's the unfashionable 2.2-litre diesel that's the pick, its blend of mid-range brawn and decent efficiency making it well suited to the CX-5's SUV remit. The petrols are a little smoother, but with no forced induction, the 2.0-litre feels a little overwhelmed by the car's rather bulky frame, while the automatic-only 2.5 is no economy miracle. The manual gearboxes are delightful, but the automatics are quite slushy.

The CX-5 offers a healthy mix of fun, frugality and family-friendly space, so it deserves serious consideration from buyers who want a car that does a little bit of everything.

The arrival of the fourth-generation Tucson was something of a watershed moment for Hyundai. Stylistically, it was a drastic departure from its handsome but slightly dull predecessors, and its cabin reaches new heights in terms of material appeal, too. Hyundai has long been trying to rebrand itself as an upmarket contender in Europe, and the Tucson has helped move the firm much closer to the Germans.

Dynamically, it plays things pretty safe, with a handling balance that prioritises ease of use over out-and-out dynamism, but it's still enjoyable enough to pedal down a twisty road. It’s at its best in simpler specifications: the 1.6 mild-hybrid petrol works well with both the manual and automatic gearbox, while the hybrids are potentially very efficient but a tad slow-witted.

More so than ever before, this is an impressively polished small SUV that's absolutely worthy of your attention. It’s getting an interior overhaul soon, which will take away some of the uniqueness but should still keep the usability that Hyundai is very good at.

Given that the Sportage has been such a big sales hit for Kia in what is normally a corner of the market with more conservative taste, it's a bit of a shock to see that went for a bold design with the fifth-generation car. Yet given the numbers on the road, it's clear that buyers aren't being put off by the, ahem, distinctive looks.

The truth is that behind the challenging exterior is an SUV offering much the same as before but in a more refined, grown-up and tech-laden package. It's not quite as spacious as the best, but there's enough room for most family needs, plus there's a wide range of engines, from mild-hybrid petrols and diesels through to a BIK tax-busting plug-in hybrid.

It also comes loaded with standard kit, can be easily connected to your smartphone and, of course, is backed by Kia's market-leading seven-year warranty.

To drive, the Sportage is something of a mixed bag. The handling is safe and predictable, but it's fairly inert when you're pressing on, while poorly surfaced roads quickly upset its composure. It's reasonably refined but doesn't ride as well as many rivals, jostling occupants over even smaller bumps. Experience suggests that opting for the smaller 17in wheels improves matters, but only a little.

Overall, the Sportage is a smart, well-equipped and hassle-free family SUV, but those wanting a little emotional uplift should look elsewhere.

It has taken Citroën’s entry to the small SUV class until middle age to feature in this list. Like a lot of Stellantis products, the C5 Aircross has wanted for a really good engine – and now that’s exactly what it has received. The familiar 1.2-litre three-cylinder has gained the help of an electric motor and has swapped its eight-speed automatic gearbox for a seven-speed dual-clutch unit.

If you’re tired of every car pretending to be sporty, the C5 Aircross is for you: soft, pillowy seats and pliant suspension combine to make quite a relaxing car. It’s roomy and decent value too.

The multimedia is quite clunky and around town the ride can deteriorate. The entry-level manual is also vague, while the plug-in hybrid doesn’t have the punch its 221bhp promises.

Right up until the end of its lifecycle, the old Qashqai stayed doggedly at the sharp end of the sales charts in this class, and so with its new, lighter chassis, more commodious dimensions and much-improved dynamics, you'd expect this new third-generation model to hit the ground running. And for the most part, it does.

There's little here for keen drivers, and both the 1.3-litre mild-hybrid petrol and novel e-Power hybrid are a little breathless, but what did you expect? Performance and handling aren't what the Qashqai is about and, as one tester put it, "it's very thoughtfully designed for families, well equipped and costs peanuts to buy and run". If you must have a two-pedal version, we’d go for the hybrid, rather than the wheezy CVT petrol.

The interior doesn’t look as jazzy as some, but the materials are pleasing, it’s solidly built and it's very easy to use, thanks to plenty of real buttons.

All early Qashqais had a multimedia system that was easy enough to use but looked slightly dated. About two years in, higher trims got a new system that retains all the usability but looks a lot nicer.

A game-changing effort? Not any more, but it's a demonstration that Nissan knows its customers extremely well. It's difficult to beat among the non-premium ranks.

While the first GLA was little more than an A-Class hatchback on stilts, this second iteration is more of a proper SUV. It’s still slightly smaller than the BMW X1, since Mercedes also has the larger, blockier, seven-seat GLB sitting on the same platform.

You get a choice of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid powertrains in the GLA, and there's even an electric version in the form of the EQA. In this case, we’d stick with the ones that have an engine, because the transformation to EQA isn’t quite fully formed.

The GLA 200 petrol benefits from mild-hybrid tech post-facelift, while the GLA 300e plug-in hybrid recently gained some extra electric-only range to make it cheaper to run as a company car.

Most GLAs have a fairly firm, sporty suspension set-up but do handle adequately well. The 300e gets softer suspension and rides a little more comfortably. All are somewhat noisy on the motorway, though.

The interior is familiar from the A-Class, and while it doesn’t have the same level of tech tinsel as the X1, it’s much easier to use and just as solidly built.

Now in its second generation, Audi’s Q3 is a stalwart of the class and comes with a good range of powertrains: petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid.

There’s also the option of the slope-backed Sportback bodystyle, although you’re better off maximising interior space with the regular version.

The Q3 is in general a strong contender, with slick drivability and plenty of space, but there are some quirks to the line-up. For one thing, the PHEV is surprisingly good value. For another, rolling refinement isn’t always as strong as it might be.

The powertrains are well mannered enough, but just make sure you don’t overdo it on the size of the wheels and ruin the ride. The latest versions are also lacking just a touch in terms of that bulletproof interior feel.