The Best Hybrid SUVs For Less Than $45,000 According To Consumer Reports

The Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid is the least-expensive cars on this list, starting at a little over $28,000 and topping out in the low-$30k range. Pair the relatively low price with the EPA’s 45/38/42 mpg (city/highway/combined) rating, and you’ve got a solid, fuel-efficient little SUV that shouldn’t break the bank.

With the Toyota RAV4, you have two major options — the more affordable conventional hybrid and the more expensive plug-in hybrid. The regular hybrid starts about where the Corolla Cross tops out and still gets a solid EPA rating of 41/38/39 mpg (city/highway/combined). A base RAV4 Prime, on the other hand, is about $12,000 pricier, but its party piece is its 42 miles of all-electric range.

Like the RAV4, you have multiple hybrid choices when it comes to the Kia Sportage. The regular hybrid gets up to 42/44/43 mpg (city/highway/combined) and starts a little under $29,000. Bump up to the plug-in hybrid, and it’ll cost you an extra $11,000, but in return, you’ll get a 34-mile electric range. Just remember to actually plug it in if you do go for a PHEV of any kind.

While several of its competitors have begun offering plug-in hybrid versions of their compact, Honda continues to stick with a good old-fashioned conventional hybrid setup for the CRV. A base version starts at around $34,000 and according to the EPA should return 43/36/40 mpg (city/highway/combined).

If you’re just going by its road score, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid beats both the Kia Sportage and Toyota RAV4 in Consumer Reports’ testing. With a base price of about $33,000, it’s also EPA rated at 38/38/38 mpg (city/highway/combined). Upgrading to the Tucson PHEV only tacks on about $5,000 to hybrid’s starting price, and it comes with a 33-mile electric range.

If you’re interested in the Mitsubishi Outlander, you might as well go ahead and spring for the plug-in hybrid version, and you definitely want to charge it regularly. It has a starting price of just over $40,000 and a 38-mile electric range, but it’ll only get 26 mpg if you don’t keep the battery charged. While you may be nervous about buying a Mitsubishi, Consumer Reports also predicts reliability will be well above average.

The Ford Escape could probably use a redesign soon, but that doesn’t mean the hybrid version isn’t still a compelling proposition. For about $28,000, you get a compact crossover that the EPA says is good for 42/36/39 mpg (city/highway/combined).

If you’re looking for a minivan replacement that’s also a hybrid, you’re going to want to give the Toyota Highlander a look. It’s extremely well-rated and starts a little under $40,000 and gets 36/35/36 mpg (city/highway/combined). There’s no plug-in option, but compare that to the Honda Pilot’s 19/27/22 mpg, and you won’t miss the PHEV as much.

The Venza is a bit of an odd duck in Toyota’s lineup, as it’s only available as a hybrid with all-wheel drive. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though, and it still performed well in testing and gets great gas mileage. According to the EPA, the Venza is good for 40/37/39 mpg (city/highway/combined).

The Kia Sorento isn’t quite as big and spacious as the Toyota Highlander, but if you don’t want something that large (like the even larger Kia Telluride), the Sorento Hybrid could be a great alternative. Not only does it still have three rows, but it starts around $32,000 and is EPA rated at 39/35/37 mpg (city/highway/combined). There’s also a plug-in hybrid version, but it costs more than the $45,000 cap on this list.

No, the Toyota Sienna isn’t an SUV. Since it has a sliding door, it’s a minivan and automatically less desirable than the Highlander. On the other hand, why buy a minivan alternative when an actual minivan is so much cooler and more practical? It starts at a little over $37,000 and is EPA-rated at up to 36/36/36 mpg (city/highway/combined).