Top 10 best small SUVs 2024

Close News 1 min read 3 April 2024 The archetypal small SUV dates all the way back to the 1940s with the Willys Jeep and Series 1 Land Rover. Some 80 years on, the formula's now as fashionable as it ever has been. It’s easy to understand the appeal, with many compact SUVs providing a commanding view of the road ahead, without the heft – or indeed cost – of traditional full-size Chelsea Tractors. Radical-looking cars such as the Nissan Juke and Range Rover Evoque have also helped to push the envelope for small SUV design, drastically improving the kerb appeal of the entire ‘soft-roader’ class. They might not be as good to drive as the equivalent hatchback or saloon, nor as fuel-efficient, but they often come close. For many people, that's good enough; the best-selling cars charts don’t lie. Related articles So, what are the very best small SUVs on sale right now? These are our picks of the bunch. Top 10 best small SUVs 1. Volvo XC407Pros Wide range of engine optionsInterior ambienceBlend of ride and handling Cons Only so-so to driveNot as spacious as somePetrol engines can sound coarse Volvo's first attempt at a compact sibling for its established XC60 and XC90 SUVs has been a real success. In the XC40, the Swedish marque has given us a car with instant kerbside appeal.With a design sufficiently charismatic and alluring to bring younger family buyers into Volvo showrooms, the XC40 backs up its funky exterior with a cabin of laudable richness, comfort, usability and quality. While this isn't the most practical car in the small SUV class, it certainly has plenty of luxury car ambience, not to mention all the in-car technology you'd hope for.The XC40 has been around since 2017 and in that time the model line-up has shifted. There used to be manual, diesel, four-wheel-drive and plug-in hybrid options, but for 2024, only a pair of front-wheel-drive automatic petrols and a pair of EVs – recently re-named EX40 – remain.Rather than chasing other premium brands for driver appeal, the XC40 is happy to play the comfortable, refined, convenient and easy-to-use option - and it's an effective one. If an SUV's mission is to lift its driver above the hustle and bustle and filter out the pain from the daily grind, few do it better.Read our Volvo XC40 reviewSave money on a Volvo XC40 with What Car? Latest Reviews Jeep Renegade BMW X6 M Competition Mazda MX-5 9 Mazda MX-5 View all car reviews Back to top 2. Mazda CX-58Pros Good to driveExcellent interiorComfortable over distance Cons Straight-line performance not always up to snuffCan be loud at a cruiseFirm ride depending on wheels Like the XC40, the Mazda CX-5 is one of the senior citizens of the class. And yet it is easily one of the best-looking SUVs on the market, and in the right spec has respectable fuel economy and an unusual level of handling verve for this class.The CX-5's interior is solid, stylish, beautifully made and with the sort of usability that many other car makers could learn from. It offers plenty of passenger and boot space too. Although it's now a bit older than some of the other entrants on this list, the CX-5 hasn't lost any of the handling pep that has made it one of our favourite compact SUVs.Of the engines, it's the unfashionable 2.2-litre diesel that's the pick, its blend of mid-range brawn and decent efficiency making it well suited to the CX-5's SUV remit. The petrols are a little smoother, but with no forced induction, the 2.0-litre feels a little overwhelmed by the Mazda's rather bulky frame, while the automatic-only 2.5 is no economy miracle. The manual gearboxes are delightful, but the autos are quite slushy.The CX-5 offers a healthy mix of fun, frugality and family-friendly space, so it deserves serious consideration from buyers who want a car that does a little bit of everything.Read our Mazda CX-5 reviewSave money on a Mazda CX-5 with What Car?3. Hyundai Tucson8Pros Potentially very economicalStriking designGrown-up interior Cons Sluggish automatic gearboxLacklustre driving dynamicsSome cheap plastics to be found The arrival of the fourth-generation Tucson was something of a watershed moment for Hyundai. Stylistically, it was a drastic departure from its handsome but slightly dull predecessors, and its cabin reaches new heights in terms of material appeal, too. Hyundai has long been trying to rebrand itself as an upmarket contender in Europe, and the Tucson has helped move the firm much closer to the Germans.Dynamically, it plays things pretty safe, with a handling balance that prioritises ease of use over out-and-out dynamism, but it's still enjoyable enough to pedal down a twisty road. It’s at its best in simpler specifications: the 1.6 mild-hybrid works well with both the manual and automatic gearbox, while the hybrids are potentially very efficient, but a tad slow-witted.More so than ev