Best SUVs Under $40,000

If you are thinking about buying a new car, an SUV will likely appear on your shopping list. If so, you will have a dazzling array of options. Whether you're looking for a compact, full size, or something in between, SUVs cover basically every price point, every shape, size and powertrain configuration you can think of.

Here, we rank the best SUVs in each market segment based on approximately 200 data points, including acceleration performance, handling, comfort, cargo space, fuel efficiency, value for money, and driving pleasure. Car and Driver's ranking comes from the extensive instrument testing results we conduct on hundreds of cars every year, as well as the subjective feelings our professional editors gain when driving in real life. We take rankings very seriously because we want you to have a comprehensive understanding of every car you are interested in.

Car and Driver's rankings are based on the results of comprehensive instrument testing of hundreds of vehicle models every year, as well as the subjective feelings accumulated by professional editors during real road driving. We ranked the best SUVs under $40,000 based on approximately 200 data points covering acceleration performance, handling performance, comfort, cargo space, fuel economy, value for money, and driving pleasure. We take rankings very seriously because we want you to have an in-depth understanding of every car you are interested in. This list includes all SUVs in the $30,000 to $40,000 range that have been included in our "10Best" or "Editor's Choice" list.