The Most Fuel-Efficient SUVs

SUVs are very versatile vehicles for transporting passengers as well as cargo, but now you don’t have to sacrifice fuel economy to get the space you want.  Many SUVs now have fuel economy that are comparable to sedans.  There are a few hybrids and diesel SUVs, but regular gasoline engines can be gas sippers in SUVs as well.

Among Consumer Reports’ vehicle test criteria are measurements of fuel economy. Our fuel economy numbers come from our measurements using a precision flow meter and are rounded to the nearest mile per gallon (mpg).

At the bottom of the list is the BMW X5 xDrive35i with 14/28 city/highway mpg.

Our overall mileage is calculated from equal portions of city and expressway driving.

The chart that follows features the 38 most fuel-efficient SUVs that Consumer Reports has tested. (See our list of the most fuel-efficient cars). Also see our Ratings comparison by category, which lists each vehicle’s overall mileage. 

Rank Make & model CR Overall MPG City MPG Highway MPG 1 Lexus NX300h 29 23 34 2 Honda HR-V LX 29 20 39 3 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid 28 21 35 4 Lexus RX 450h 26 22 31 5 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 26 19 35 6 Subaru XV Crosstrek Premium 26 19 34 7 Mini Countryman S 26 19 33 8 Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium 26 18 35 9 Mazda CX-5 Touring 2.5L 25 19 32 10 Chevrolet Trax LT 25 18 34 11 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Ltd. 25 18 32 12 Nissan Juke SV 24 18 31 13 Toyota RAV4 XLE 24 18 31 14 Lexus NX 200t 24 17 33 15 Jeep Grand Cherokee LImited (diesel) 24 17 32 16 Volkswagen Touareg TDI 24 17 31 17 Nissan Rogue 24 17 30 18 Jeep Renegade Latitude 24 16 32 19 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SE 23 18 28 20 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 23 17 30 21 BMW X1 xiDrive28i 23 16 32 22 Buick Encore Leather 23 16 32 23 Honda CR-V EX 23 16 32 24 BMW X3 xDrive28i 23 16 30 25 Kia Sportage LX (4-cyl.) 22 16 30 26 Ford Escape SE 22 15 31 27 Jeep Cherokee Latitude (4-cyl.) 22 15 31 28 Ford Escape Titanium 22 15 29 29 Jeep Compass Latitude 22 15 29 30 Acura RDX 22 14 31 31 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL 21 16 27 32 Kia Sportage SX (turbo) 21 15 29 33 Nissan Murano SL 21 15 29 34 Jeep Patriot Latitude 21 15 28 35 Lexus RX350 21 15 27 36 Honda Crosstour EX-L 21 14 32 37 Acura MDX Tech 21 14 31 38 Ford Edge SEL (2.0L EcoBoost) 21 14 31 39 Chevrolet Equinox 1LT (4-cyl.) 21 14 30 40 Kia Sorento EX (V6) 21 14 30 41 Audi Q5 Premium Plus 21 14 29 42 Jeep Cherokee Limited (V6) 21 14 29 43 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Pure 21 14 29 44 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 21 14 29 45 BMW X5 xDrive35i 21 14 28

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Source: Consumer Reports