The best SUVs 2026 – driven, rated and ranked

We waited with great anticipation to drive the BMW iX3 having been wowed by its promise of a 500-mile range.

Indeed, this is a car that will travel hundreds of miles on a charge, but it proved to be far more than just a long-range SUV, arriving with a roomy cabin, suite of modern digital addenda and a sporting drive that has long been a hallmark of high-riding BMWs. 

The iX3’s 108.7kWh battery yields a motorway range of well over 300 miles, after which it can charge at a class-leading 400kW.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

BMW’s first Neue Klasse model is easily one of the most desirable electric SUVs you can buy, thanks to its premium interior, which sports a host of new technologies and functions. 

Despite a lack of physical buttons, BMW’s new touchscreen infotainment is logically configured and easy to get along with. It’s roomy enough for adults in the back and you get a decent 520-litre boot and frunk. 

Adding to the iX3’s appeal is its agile, rear-driven chassis balance and poised handling. It can be firm-riding in places but deals with larger potholes and bumps with ease. 

The Dacia Duster is now in its third generation and is one of the best SUVs on sale in the UK today.

Sitting on a new platform, the latest Duster features a far more modern and assertive look than the previous model. 

My preferred spec would be the mild hybrid in Expression trim, because apart from heated seats it has everything I need.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

The Duster recently adopted the Bigster’s engine line-up: the Hybrid 140 has been replaced by the Hybrid 155 (156bhp), while the entry-level 1.2-litre mild-hybrid petrol 130 has been ousted by the mild-hybrid 140 (138bhp). Regardless of powertrain, though, the Duster is simple, usable and economical. 

Prices start from just under £22,000, making the Duster the value champion of the SUV class. Sure, it’s not as cheap as it once was, but it’s still considerably less than most of its rivals. 

It provides a roomy four-seat cabin, a good-sized boot, good driving and cruising manners and a pretty healthy equipment specification, even in entry-level form.

The Land Rover Defender is a seriously versatile machine, as capable on the road as off it. It's a serious go-anywhere car, even if many examples will never leave the Tarmac.

Despite its size and its unmatched off-road capability, the Defender is easy to drive, with smooth steering, well-positioned pedals and great visibility. It feels supremely comfortable and controlled. 

The Defender has world-class capability. It's brilliant on and off road – at a price.

Matt Prior, Editor-at-large

The Defender is offered with a host of powertrain options in varying states of tune, including a mild-hybrid six-cylinder diesel, a hearty V8 and plug-in hybrid options.

Our pick of the range is the diesel, which is packed with pace and feels particularly refined.

It's one of the most versatile SUVs you can buy today, and the burly Defender is a great option for drivers who crave space, usable performance and a luxury feel. 

The BMW X5 is one of the largest SUVs on our list and can be equipped with up to seven seats, depending on the powertrain you choose. 

Speaking of which, the powertrain palette is one of the best around, consisting of petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid options.

The BMW X5 is now 25 years and several generations old, but it retains the key selling point with which the original forged its reputation back in 1999.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

Even the diesel is a 3.0-litre straight six with 282bhp, while the petrol straight six comes with 347bhp. Step up to the PHEV for 483bhp and a 0-62mph sprint of 4.8sec – plus 62 miles of electric-only range, which is decent for the class.

In diesel form, the only engine available with seven seats, the X5 gets 650 litres of boot space. That increases to 1870 litres with the seats folded down but drops to 500 litres in the PHEV, due to the addition of a drive battery.

Big, square cars have a lot of car-park presence. That’s why people notice SUVs in the first place – and you will certainly notice the Kia EV9.

Roughly the size of a Range Rover Sport or Mercedes-Benz GLE, the EV9 takes Kia into the full-sized premium SUV segment for the first time - and with some impact.

Dynamically, both the single-motor and dual-motor versions handle simply, predictably and without any trickery.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

Chunky, square-cornered, sharply drawn and sternly detailed, it has a boldness about its appearance of the kind that inspired the smaller EV6 and that makes passers-by double-take and say things like: “That’s a Kia? Really? Wow!”

Available with both six- and seven-seat cabin layouts, it’s also as spacious as any other three-row SUV on the market.

Mind you, quality isn't the best in some areas inside. The car’s 99.8kWh battery endows a real-world range of between 260 and 320 miles, depending on how and where you’re driving.

Performance is strong from the dual-motor version, while the ride and handling are a little soft but contained.

Lots of drivers just want a more practical, versatile and convenient family car for their money, and the Skoda Kodiaq is an SUV that fulfils that brief nicely. 

The Kodiaq has a lot going for it, including a vast interior. The boot measures 910 litres in the five-seater or 745 litres in plug-in hybrid versions. 

Even in base SE trim, it's equipped with everything it needs and is an eminently spacious, practical SUV that has never played to its key strengths quite as well as it does now.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

Plus, if you have a larger family, the Kodiaq can be selected in a seven-seat configuration, with decent levels of space for those in the third row. 

You can select the Kodiaq with petrol, diesel or PHEV power. Our pick of the bunch is the 1.5-litre petrol, but the PHEV also has its merits, with an excellent 71 miles of electric-only range.

The Hyundai Santa Fe is a practical SUV with room for up to seven people, but its standout feature is its interior. 

It's genuinely cavernous and Hyundai has retained an intuitive and accessible layout with dual touchscreens and buttons.

The interior has all the design and material appeal you could wish for and combines it with clever practicality solutions and excellent usability.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

Two of those buttons can be customised, and we would recommend using them to quickly disable the annoying ADAS features. 

The Santa Fe gets mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain options, both based around a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine. The PHEV gets a 13.8kWh battery with a slightly meagre 33-mile electric-only range. 

It might be a bit too big for many, but the Santa Fe is otherwise a great option if you're after an SUV with a pleasant interior and a standout design. 

Sometimes taking the simple approach can glean the best results, and this could not be more true of the, ahem, simply clever Skoda Elroq. Here we have a modest electric crossover with a neat design, broad range of powertrains and an appealing list price that makes it eligible for the Electric Car Grant (ECG). 

Our pick would be the 85 model which has the largest battery and a 282bhp single-motor drivetrain. This version starts from closer to £40,000 as opposed to the entry-level model, which costs from £32,000, but we think it's well worth the extra outlay for a car that offers up to 372 miles of range. 

A net fixed to the underside of the parcel shelf, to retain your charging cable and keep it accessible, is such a simple idea but, yet again, Skoda gets there first.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

It’s as spacious and versatile as any other compact SUV in its class, and you can add extra practicality features should you need them. This isn’t the most exciting or fun EV to drive, but it doesn’t need to be. The Elroq shines above the rest for its comfortable and quiet ride, efficient powertrain, seamless driveability and everyday usability.