Choosing an SUV: Size, Fuel Economy and Safety

Unibody crossovers, which are the large majority of sales, share their structure with cars. They ride better, handle better, weigh less and use less fuel. Body-on-frame SUVs are built like trucks, with a separate ladder frame, which suits serious towing and off-road use and compromises everything else.

Size classes and what they mean in practice

Subcompact crossovers are essentially tall hatchbacks with raised seating. Good in cities, modest cargo space, best fuel economy in the category.

Compact crossovers are the volume segment and suit most households well: usable rear seats, genuine cargo capacity with seats folded, and reasonable economy.

Mid-size two-row models offer noticeably more space. Mid-size three-row models add a third row, and this is where honesty is needed — the third row in most mid-size models is genuinely usable only by children or for short journeys.

Full-size three-row SUVs, usually body-on-frame, provide adult-usable third rows plus cargo space behind them, along with substantial towing capacity and correspondingly poor economy.

The third-row question

Measure it rather than trust the brochure. Sit in the third row yourself with the second row set where an adult would actually have it. Check cargo volume with all three rows up, which is the configuration you would use with seven people aboard — in many mid-size models it is barely enough for a weekly shop.

Check third-row access too: does the second row slide and tilt easily, and can a child manage it unaided? A vehicle used for school runs benefits enormously from easy access.

All-wheel drive versus what you need

AWD improves traction when accelerating on slippery surfaces. It does not improve braking or cornering grip meaningfully, and it does not substitute for appropriate tyres.

Winter tyres on a front-wheel-drive car outperform all-season tyres on an AWD vehicle in snow and ice, particularly in stopping distance, which is what actually prevents collisions. If you face real winter conditions, tyres are the higher-return purchase.

AWD adds weight, cost, and typically one to three mpg. It is genuinely valuable for unpaved roads, frequent snow before ploughing, or towing on wet slopes.

Reading safety ratings properly

Two independent US sources matter: NHTSA's five-star ratings and the IIHS awards. IIHS testing has generally been more demanding and evolves faster, so their Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ designations are the more discriminating measure.

Check the specific model year and, importantly, the specific trim, because headlight ratings and crash-avoidance equipment sometimes differ between trims of the same vehicle. IIHS updated its side-impact and moderate-overlap front tests in recent years, so results are not comparable across older testing regimes.

Confirm which driver-assistance features are standard rather than optional: automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert are the ones with the clearest real-world benefit.

Fuel economy and the hybrid option

Hybrid versions of mainstream crossovers frequently deliver substantially better city economy for a moderate price premium, and they have become the sensible default for high-mileage urban drivers. Payback depends on your annual mileage and the premium charged.

Plug-in hybrids can run most short trips on electricity while retaining a petrol engine for long journeys, which suits households with home charging and mixed use. They only make sense if you will actually plug in — driven as a conventional hybrid, a PHEV carries extra weight for no benefit.

What to check on the test drive

Visibility, particularly over the bonnet and through the rear three-quarter. Turning circle in a supermarket car park. Whether the boot opening is a usable shape rather than merely a large volume. Whether child seats fit in the positions you need, with the anchors accessible.