Most of the UK's best-selling new cars are now SUVs, led by the small Ford Puma in 2025. So what is an SUV, and does it need four-wheel drive to count as one? The answer affects both what you get from the car and what you'll pay to run it.
What does SUV mean?
SUV stands for Sport Utility Vehicle, a car that sits higher off the ground than a hatchback or saloon, with a tall, upright body and a raised driving position. You can think of it as an ordinary car with an off-roader's stance.
The higher seat gives you a clearer view of the road, which is one of the main reasons drivers choose one.
Where the name SUV comes from
The term SUV came from American car makers, who used it for rugged four-wheel-drive models. British drivers called the same kind of car a 4x4 or an off-roader until the American name caught on. Today it covers almost any car with a raised body and higher seats, whether or not it's built to leave the road.
What makes a car an SUV?
An SUV has no single legal definition, so car makers use the name for cars that share a mix of features rather than meet one fixed rule. Most SUVs have these in common:
- Higher ride height: there's more ground clearance (the gap between the road and the underside of the car) than on a hatchback. On many models the difference is only a few centimetres.
- Raised seating: you sit higher and more upright, closer to sitting on a chair than stretching out low. There's a list of cars with high driving positions if that's what you're after.
- More space: the taller body gives more headroom and usually a bigger boot than a hatchback of the same length.
- Easy access: the seats sit nearer hip height, so getting in and out takes less bending.
- Tough looks: chunky bumpers, plastic trim around the wheel arches and, often, roof rails.
- Optional four-wheel drive: some models drive all four wheels, but many drive only two.
Do all SUVs have four-wheel drive?
Not all SUVs have four-wheel drive, and many drive only the front wheels despite their rugged looks. Small models such as the Ford Puma, Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008 are sold with two-wheel drive only. Big premium models usually have four-wheel drive as standard.
On mid-size models, four-wheel drive is often an option on the pricier versions. Four-wheel drive adds weight and cost, and uses a little more fuel. But it's worth paying for if you tow, live up a steep or unmade lane, or drive on snow or grass often.
And four-wheel drive helps you pull away and climb, but it doesn't help you stop or steer on ice. Grip there comes from the tyres. The Carplus guide to the best cars for snow and ice has more.
SUV vs crossover vs 4x4
A crossover is a smaller, road-focused type of SUV rather than a separate body style. Most crossovers are built on a hatchback's platform (the floor and parts underneath) and sold with two-wheel drive. A 4x4 sits at the other end, as a four-wheel-drive SUV built for off-road use, such as a Land Rover Defender.
| Crossover | Mid-size or large SUV | 4x4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Close to a hatchback | Family-car size and up | Usually large |
| Ride height | A little higher than a hatchback | Higher | Highest |
| Driven wheels | Usually the front two | Two or four | Four |
| Built for | Town and motorway | Family trips and light tracks | Towing, mud and rough ground |
| Examples | Ford Puma, Renault Captur | Kia Sportage, Skoda Kodiaq | Land Rover Defender, Toyota Land Cruiser |
In everyday use, the crossover and SUV labels overlap, and the same model can be called both. So when you compare them, look at the size, height and which wheels are driven. There's a full crossover vs SUV comparison if you want more detail.
Types of SUV
SUVs range from compact town cars to seven-seaters. The type decides how much room you get and what the car costs to run.
Small SUVs
A small SUV is built mainly for town driving, with a hatchback-sized footprint and a higher seat. The Ford Puma, Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008 are typical.
Small SUVs are the cheapest SUVs to buy and run, and budget brands such as Dacia and MG price theirs below many family hatchbacks. Plenty of used ones appear on this list of the best used SUVs under £10,000.
Mid-size family SUVs
A mid-size SUV suits most families, with room for five and a boot that takes a pushchair without folding the seats. The Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage and Ford Kuga sit here.
Large and seven-seat SUVs
A large SUV can have seven seats, with a third row that folds into the boot floor when you don't need it.
With all seven seats up, the boot is tiny. So the third row works best for children or the odd extra passenger. The Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe all offer seven seats.
Coupe SUVs
A coupe SUV has a sloping roofline, which trades rear headroom and boot space for a sleeker look. The Renault Rafale and BMW X6 are two examples.
Luxury and performance SUVs
A luxury SUV, such as a Range Rover, adds a premium cabin and a price to match. Performance models like the Porsche Cayenne add sports-car power, which usually brings higher insurance and fuel bills too.
Electric and hybrid SUVs
An electric SUV has no exhaust emissions and is usually heavier than a petrol version of the same size, because of its battery. The range runs from the compact Volvo EX30 to the seven-seat Kia EV9.
A hybrid SUV, such as the Toyota RAV4, pairs a petrol engine with an electric motor to cut fuel use. Here's how electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars differ. And car finance for an electric SUV works the same way as for any other car.
SUV vs hatchback, saloon, estate and MPV
An SUV sits higher and taller than a hatchback, saloon or estate of a similar length, which gives you more headroom and an easier climb in. At the back, an SUV opens the same way as a hatchback, with a tailgate hinged at the roof. So the real difference between the two is height.
The Carplus hatchback guide explains how a hatchback differs from an SUV from the other side.
| Body style | Seating position | Space | Running costs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV | High and upright | Tall cabin, good boot | Higher than a similar hatchback | Families, rough roads, towing |
| Hatchback | Low | Compact, flexible boot | Usually the lowest | Town driving, low costs |
| Saloon | Low | Separate boot, less flexible | Low | Long motorway trips |
| Estate | Low | Longest, lowest boot | Low | Luggage, dogs, bulky loads |
| MPV | Medium and upright | Most flexible seating | Medium | Larger families |
An estate car can carry more luggage than an SUV of the same length, because its boot is longer and lower. An MPV gives more flexible seating, and the MPV vs SUV guide compares the two for families.
Pros and cons of an SUV
An SUV's main advantage is the higher, roomier cabin, and its main drawback is the extra cost of running a bigger, heavier car.
Pros
- Better view of the road: the raised seat lets you see over hedges and traffic.
- Room for people and luggage: the tall body gives more headroom and a bigger boot than most hatchbacks.
- Easier with children: child seats go in without bending low.
- Copes with rough roads: extra ground clearance helps over potholes, speed bumps and farm tracks.
- Tows more: many family models can pull 1,500 to 2,000 kg, and the biggest up to 3,500 kg, so check the handbook for your exact version.
Cons
- Higher fuel use: a taller, heavier body uses more fuel and emits more CO2 than a similar hatchback, though hybrid and electric versions narrow the gap.
- Less agile: a higher centre of gravity makes the car lean more in corners.
- Harder to park: the largest models can be a squeeze in car parks and on narrow lanes.
- Costs more: buying, insuring and fitting tyres cost more than for a hatchback of the same size.
- Not always the roomiest: an estate of the same length may carry more.
Are SUVs safer than other cars?
An SUV isn't automatically safer because it's bigger. How well it protects you depends on the model's Euro NCAP rating, which scores new cars from 0 to 5 stars. Check it for the exact model.
A heavier car does tend to protect its own occupants better in a crash with a lighter one. Yet a 2025 review of crash studies found that an SUV's taller, blunter front makes it more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, especially children.
Are SUVs more expensive to insure and run?
Large and powerful SUVs cost more to insure, tax and run than a hatchback, while many small ones cost about the same.
Insurance depends partly on the car's insurance group, from 1 (cheapest) to 50, which reflects its price, repair costs and performance. Small models with modest engines can sit in fairly low groups, while big, fast ones sit much higher.
Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), or road tax, depends on a car's CO2 emissions and list price, not on whether it's an SUV. But many large SUVs cost over £40,000 new, which adds the expensive car supplement to the yearly bill from the second to the sixth year. For electric cars registered from 1 April 2025, the expensive car supplement threshold is £50,000, and the current vehicle tax rates are on gov.uk.
A heavier car also uses more fuel and wears through tyres faster, and larger tyres cost more to replace. Or you can cut the fuel bill with a hybrid or electric version.
Add fuel, tax, insurance and tyres to the monthly repayment the Carplus eligibility checker shows you, so you see the full cost before you choose. This breakdown of what it costs to run a car covers each bill.
Can you buy an SUV on finance?
You can buy a new or used SUV on car finance, as long as a lender is happy the repayments fit your income. With Hire Purchase (HP), you own the SUV once the final payment is made. With Personal Contract Purchase (PCP), monthly payments are usually lower, and ownership passes only if you pay the optional 'balloon payment', a final lump sum, at the end.
The Carplus PCP vs HP comparison sets out which suits you.
Carplus can arrange finance on cars priced from £4,000 to £40,000 with up to 120,000 miles, which covers most used small and mid-size SUVs. Many new large SUVs cost more than £40,000, so a nearly new or used one is often the way to bring the price within range. You can browse used SUVs on finance from dealers across the UK, or start with the best used SUVs to buy now.
Carplus works with any UK dealer, so you can choose the car first and get an insurance quote on that exact car before you apply. The Carplus car finance eligibility checker uses a soft search, so checking won't affect your credit score.
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