SUVs or crossovers are popular for their roomy cargo areas, generous legroom, and high seating positions. But their tall, often boxy shapes aren’t ideal for cheating the wind, which hurts fuel economy. Over the past few decades, however, automakers have gotten better at making these crossover vehicles more fuel-efficient.
Here, we’ve come up with a list of our favorite small SUVs for the 2024 or 2025 model years with very good fuel economy – each has an EPA combined rating of 30 mpg or better.
Our Top Small SUVs With the Best Gas Mileage
- Factors to Consider When Choosing a Small SUV
- Our Favorite Fuel-Efficient SUVs
- Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
- Honda CR-V Hybrid
- Kia Sportage Hybrid
- Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
- Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
- Mazda CX-50 Hybrid
- Chevrolet Trailblazer
- Nissan Rogue
- Ford Escape Hybrid
- 2025 Lexus UX 300h
- Tips for Maximizing Gas Mileage in Your SUVs
- Fuel-Saving Features in New SUVs
Broadly speaking, new SUVs come with one of four powertrain options:
Traditional engine
Gas-powered models are familiar to all and usually the cheapest options on the market. The size and type of engine matters: Vehicles with, say, a turbo four-cylinder engine will be more efficient than those with a V6 or V8 under the hood.
Hybrid powertrain
Hybrid SUVs have a traditional internal-combustion engine plus an electric motor or two and a battery pack, which reduces the vehicle’s reliance on gas and helps improve fuel economy.
Plug-in-hybrid powertrain
PHEVs are like regular hybrid models, but they have an even larger battery pack and an external charging port. With a full charge they can run solely on electricity for a distance, usually for 20 to 40 miles, before the gas engine kicks in.
Electric powertrain
Everyone from Mercedes-Benz and BMW to Volkswagen and Hyundai have come out with at least one electric crossover in recent years. However, since these models don’t use gasoline (and therefore don’t have gas mileage), we’ve excluded electric vehicles from this list.
For our rankings we’ve set a budget of $45,000, which is the average price of a new car in 2024. We also ruled out any models that didn’t offer all-wheel drive (AWD), since that feature may be a must-have for drivers in wintry climates. Additionally, every model on this list has a good crash-test record, including a 2023 or 2024 Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) or a five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Small SUV
Nearly every automaker sells a compact or subcompact SUV, though not all are fuel-efficient. If you’re looking for the best gas mileage, be sure to look closely at the mpg estimates on the federally mandated window sticker or the EPA website. Note that these can vary by trim level.
Other important factors include driving experience, safety features, cargo space, and outward visibility. When you test-drive the SUV, get comfortable in the driver’s seat and make sure you have good vision all around. Practicality is a major reason shoppers consider SUVs and crossovers, so check out the model’s cargo space with both the back seat upright and with it down.
The most off-road-capable SUVs and crossovers tend not to be the most fuel-efficient, due to their knobby tires, high ground clearance, and additional mechanical bits — all of which can have an impact on your mpg. Consider how critical it is to take your vehicle off-road before making such capability a priority.
Our Favorite Fuel-Efficient SUVs
1. Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
The RAV4 Hybrid is a compelling value. All models come with AWD, and prices start at just $33,295. Not only that, but the RAV4 Hybrid boasts a 39-mpg combined estimate in most configurations. It’s also available as a plug-in hybrid with a combined output of 302 horsepower and a 42-mile all-electric range, but that model comes in above our price cap.
2. Honda CR-V Hybrid
Honda offers its compact CR-V in three different trim levels, with prices beginning as low as $36,000. Expect to see up to 40 mpg combined, per EPA test estimates. AWD comes in at $2,000 more, and models equipped with that driveline see 37 mpg.
3. Kia Sportage Hybrid
Hybrid versions of the Kia Sportage with front-wheel drive (FWD) boast EPA fuel-economy estimates as high as 43 mpg combined; the AWD version checks in at 38 mpg. At $29,965 to start, the Sportage Hybrid is something of a compact SUV bargain too.
4. Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
The Tucson isn’t the cheapest or the most fuel-efficient compact crossover, but it has a hearty 231 horsepower, a 38-mpg estimate, and crisp styling inside and out for $34,760. You can even move a Tucson Hybrid Limited in and out of a tight parking spot from outside the vehicle with the key fob.
5. Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid
Toyota’s subcompact SUV has RAV4 looks, an astounding 42-mpg combined estimate, and a $29,570 starting price. Like the RAV4, it comes standard with AWD.
6. Mazda CX-50 Hybrid
Wider, longer, and lower than the popular gas-only Mazda CX-5, the new-for-2025 CX-50 Hybrid borrows the RAV4 Hybrid’s powertrain. It comes in at $35,390, and although it doesn’t have published EPA ratings yet, Mazda claims it will return 38 mpg combined. Why is the CX-50 lower than the RAV4 on our list? The Mazda is offered in only three trim levels, while the Toyota has more than twice as many.
7. Chevrolet Trailblazer
You don’t have to spend big bucks or get a hybrid to achieve 30 mpg or greater. The Chevrolet Trailblazer has cheeky good looks, Google built-in tech, and a $24,395 base price, which make it worth serious consideration.
8. Nissan Rogue
Nissan’s compact SUV offers midsize-SUV-rivaling interior space at just $30,620. It’s also a good example of how the most off-road-capable version is often the thirstiest: Every Rogue trim other than the high-riding Rock Creek is estimated to deliver between 31 and 33 mpg. The Rock Creek? It checks in at 29 mpg.
9. Ford Escape Hybrid
Ford’s stylish Escape Hybrid wears clean styling over a high-tech interior with an available 13.2-inch infotainment system for $35.375. Interestingly, both the FWD and AWD models are estimated to return the same 39 mpg combined.
10. 2025 Lexus UX 300h
Yes, you can walk out of a Lexus dealership with a new hybrid crossover luxury SUV for less than $45,000. The UX 300h is the brand’s least costly model, but it’s no slacker when it comes to features or tech — and with an EPA rating of 43 mpg combined, it’s one of the most efficient SUVs on our list.
Tips for Maximizing Gas Mileage in Your SUVs
Keeping your fuel consumption low doesn’t have to be hard. Here are a few tips to improve you car's fuel economy:
1. Combine trips
Minimizing the number of miles you drive can save a lot of fuel.
2. Stick to the posted speed limit
Driving faster means making the engine work harder, increasing fuel consumption.
3. Only use your roof rack when you need it
Remove any attachments for bicycles, skis, or snowboards when you don’t need them. You’ll hear less wind noise too.
4. Take out all that extra stuff
You may be surprised at just how many unnecessary things you have crammed into the rear seats and cargo area. All those items add weight, which hurts efficiency.
5. Check your tire pressure
Automakers spend countless hours testing vehicles to determine the best tire pressure to maximize fuel economy, ride comfort, and safety. Follow their guidelines.
Fuel-Saving Features in New SUVs
Many new crossovers come with features designed to reduce fuel consumption. Here’s a look at three of the more common features:
Start/stop systems
These systems turn the car’s gasoline engine off at a stop and then start it up again when you take your foot off the brake or apply pressure to the gas pedal. These systems can dramatically curb idling consumption.
Grille shutters
Found on many vehicles including the Chevrolet Equinox, these little shutters sit behind the grille and open up when air is needed to feed or cool the engine and then close to improve aerodynamics.
Continuously variable transmissions, or CVTs
These transmissions allow for a nearly infinite set of gear ratios, meaning the car can automatically determine the optimal engine speed and maximize fuel economy.
