The 5 Best New SUVs to Buy in 2025, According to Consumer Reports – Jalopnik

As great as it would be if everyone could own cool sports cars, the unfortunate reality is that most people really just need a practical, reliable, and fuel-efficient daily driver. And for many, that means buying a crossover or SUV. If you’re looking for a new one, the good news is that you have a ridiculous number of options. The bad news is that with so many options, choosing one isn’t always easy, especially if you haven’t been paying close attention to the segment in recent years.

To help you narrow your search, our friends are at Consumer Reports has compiled a list of the top-rated crossovers and SUVs, taking into account on-road test scores, owner satisfaction, predicted reliability and safety. You don’t want to buy a car just because CR says this is the best, but this list should at least help you narrow down your options. Let’s take a look at what made CR’s top five.

The Hyundai Tucson Plug-In Hybrid actually matched the Honda CR-V Hybrid, and Consumer Reports ranks the CR-V Hybrid third among compact crossovers and the Tucson PHEV fourth. But for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, the Hyundai is ahead of the Honda on this particular list. The CR-V Hybrid also costs less, but CR still has a lot of nice things to say about the Tucson.

As long as you opt for the PHEV version, the Tucson offers an electric range of 33 miles, which should cover the vast majority of daily driving without the need to stop and charge if you run out of power. It’s also comfortable and spacious, and offers a decently responsive ride too. Aside from the price, the biggest downside to the Tucson PHEV is that if you don’t keep the battery charged, the gas mileage won’t be as good as the regular hybrid. Well, that, and Hyundai’s weird pseudo-column shifter.

The Subaru Outback isn’t available as a hybrid, so if you’re looking for an SUV with the best possible gas mileage, you’ll definitely want to skip the Outback. That said, it still performed admirably in Consumer Reports’ tests. Technically it’s more of a lifted wagon than a crossover, but at this point that’s really just a distinction without a difference. The roofline may be lower than its competitors, but it’s still a practical transporter with plenty of room for your belongings.

CR testers praised almost everything about the Outback, from the comfortable ride, seats and driving position to the visibility and transmission. That said, you’ll probably want to opt for the optional turbo engine, as the base engine is quite slow. Furthermore, not all controls are the most intuitive and the outdated infotainment system could seriously use an update. Luckily, it got a major update for 2026 with the new generation Outback (pictured above), which is probably worth the wait.

You probably expected to see a Toyota on the list of the best new SUVs you can buy, but you probably didn’t expect the Crown Signia. Many people reading this probably didn’t even know that Toyota made an SUV called Crown Signia. And yet it performed so well that it’s also Consumer Reports’ top-rated midsize crossover. Like the Outback, you could say it’s more of a lifted wagon, but oh well.

As long as you like the look, you’ll get great gas mileage from the hybrid powertrain. There’s no plug-in hybrid option, but you can still drive it at low speeds using just the electric motor. That hybrid system also means it can travel 830 kilometers without having to refuel. That said, the engine can be a little loud when accelerating, and a few controls aren’t super intuitive. Still, it’s worth checking out the Crown Signia, even if you’ve never heard of it.

While most of you probably had no idea the Crown Signia even existed, you’d have to live under a rock not to know about the RAV4. And if you want the best RAV4, you’ll be hard-pressed to beat the plug-in hybrid version. It also exceeds the range of the Tucson PHEV, allowing you to travel more than 40 miles on a single charge, while also being the fastest new RAV4 on the market. Moreover, it is a RAV4 that has been well tested and proven reliable at the same time.

That said, the current RAV4 is quite old compared to many of its competitors and will be replaced soon. So while Consumer Reports still praising its fuel economy, EV range, reliability, ride and controls, you’ll probably still feel its age. It also doesn’t have the best brakes in the segment, and you might find the noise it makes in reverse annoying. Oh, and good luck finding the most desirable RAV4 at your local dealer.

Toyota may have taken two of the top three spots on this list, but the top spot goes to the Subaru Forester. It recently got a controversial redesign and many people don’t like the new look, but as long as the styling isn’t an issue for you, you can at least take it for a test drive. Even if you’re pretty sure you hate the styling, there’s no harm in driving one anyway, just to see what you personally think.

The newly introduced Forester Hybrid is the one to get, at least as long as you can afford the roughly $7,000 price increase over the base model. Gasoline consumption is significantly better, but it’s also quieter inside and feels peppier than the non-hybrid version. But whether you can’t justify the higher price or can’t find one, the gas-powered Forester is rated almost as highly. Consumer Reports rates the non-hybrid Forester even higher than the RAV4 Hybrid, which is really saying something considering how much CR cares about gas mileage.