The 5 Best New SUVs You Can Buy In 2025, According To Consumer Reports

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, fuel-efficient daily driver. And for many, that means buying a crossover or SUV. If you’re in the market for a new one, the good news is, you have a ridiculous number of options. The bad news is, with so many options, choosing one isn’t always easy, especially if you haven’t been paying close attention to the segment in the last couple of years.

To help you narrow down your search, our friends over at Consumer Reports put together a list of its top-rated crossovers and SUVs, factoring in road test scores, owner satisfaction, predicted reliability and safety. Of course, you don’t want to buy a car just because CR says it’s the best, but at the very least, this list should 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 tied 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 ranks ahead of the Honda on this particular list. The CR-V Hybrid also costs less, but CR still has plenty of nice things to say about the Tucson.

As long as you spring for the PHEV version, the Tucson offers 33 miles of electric range, which should cover the vast majority of daily driving you do without requiring you to stop and charge if you run out of juice. It’s also comfortable and spacious, while also offering pretty responsive handling. Aside from the price, the biggest downside of the Tucson PHEV is that if you don’t keep the battery charged, the gas mileage won’t be quite 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’ testing. Technically, it’s more of a lifted wagon than a crossover, but at this point, that’s basically just a distinction without a difference. The roofline may be lower than some of its competitors, but it’s still a practical hauler with plenty of room for your stuff.

CR testers praised pretty much everything about the Outback, from its comfortable ride, seats and driving position to its visibility and transmission. That said, you’ll probably want to spring for the optional turbocharged engine, since the base engine is pretty slow. Also, not all of the controls are the most intuitive, and the outdated infotainment system could seriously use an update. Luckily for the 2026 it did get a major update with the new-generation Outback (pictured above), which is probably worth waiting for.

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

As long as you like the way it looks, you’ll get great gas mileage from its hybrid powertrain. There’s no plug-in hybrid option, but you can still drive it at low speeds using only the electric motor. That hybrid system also means it can go 530 miles without stopping for gas. That said, the engine can be a little loud under acceleration, and a few of the controls aren’t super intuitive. Still, it’s worth giving the Crown Signia a look, even if you’d never heard of it before.

While most of you probably had no idea the Crown Signia even existed, you’d have to be living under a rock to not know about the RAV4. And if you want the best RAV4, you’re going to have a hard time beating the plug-in hybrid version. It beats the Tucson PHEV’s range, too, allowing you to drive a full 40 miles on a charge, while also being the quickest new RAV4 on the market. Plus, you know, it’s a RAV4 and tested well, while also proving reliable.

That said, the current RAV4 is pretty old compared to a lot of its competitors and is due to be replaced soon. So while Consumer Reports still praised 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 may find the sound 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 first place goes to the Subaru Forester. It got a controversial redesign recently, and a lot of people don’t like the new look, but as long as the styling isn’t an issue for you, at least give it a test drive. Heck, even if you’re pretty sure you hate the styling, it can’t hurt to drive one anyway, just to see what you think of it in person.

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