The seven best compact SUVs to buy used in 2026 are the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, Mazda CX-5, Mazda CX-50, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage. They're the only compact SUVs you'll find for sale on Bestest, vetted across nine respected industry sources including Consumer Reports, Kelley Blue Book, and IIHS. We also filter out second-tier dealers and listings with more than five years or 50,000 miles on the clock. Only the best of the best. About each model →
Only 7 of the 13 compact SUVs Bestest scores qualify as good enough for Bestest shoppers. We've driven and evaluated each and every one of these SUVs, and we've been tracking their reliability, safety and resale value for a couple decades in some cases. With the most important research and vetting already done, you're free to choose the one that's as roomy or comfy or sporty or rugged as you want.
The Gold Standards
The highly regarded and wildly popular RAV4 pairs the second-best reliability of the 13, measured by repair bills, with the strongest resale value in its class, two of so many reasons it's one of the easiest-to-recommend used cars on the market.
What else to know. Refreshed in 2022, completely redesigned in 2026. The 2019–2025 generation isn't quite as refined as the other compact SUV benchmark, the Honda CR-V.
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The CR-V is the RAV4's closest rival in every way that matters. It's roomy, efficient, well-built and satisfying to drive, with the best reliability of the 13 compact SUVs Bestest scores, measured by repair bills, and resale about as strong as anything on the road. Exceptionally thorough refinement is a Honda hallmark, and the CR-V is dripping in it.
What else to know. Completely redesigned in 2023, refreshed in 2026. The CR-V's strengths are no secret, and that shows up in the price. Used examples hold their value very well, so be prepared to pay more than you would for a comparable Tucson or Sportage.
Bestest listings →Personality Plus
The CX-5 has long been the most stylish, most fun-to-drive compact SUV money can buy. It's genuinely engaging in a way most of the segment isn't — sharp, composed, eager — and its interior punches well above its price, with materials and design that could be mistaken for those of a luxury marque.
What else to know. Refreshed in 2022, completely redesigned in 2026. That driver-focused design comes with a trade: the CX-5's back seat and cargo hold are tighter than most compact SUVs. If you regularly carry adults in back or haul a lot of gear, weigh it against the roomier picks. (The redesigned 2026 model is larger.)
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The CX-5's newer, larger, more outdoorsy sibling — and the newest nameplate on this roster. It keeps Mazda's hallmark driving feel and upscale interior, but adds a more rugged stance and a bit of genuine trail capability.
What else to know. New for 2023. Technology lovers should know Mazda's tech suite tends to lag a bit behind in capability.
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With a more robust all-wheel drive system and greater ground clearance than competitors, the Forester's reputation as the outdoorsy one of the group is well-earned. Excellent outward visibility and a spacious interior help round out a decidedly capable and practical compact SUV.
What else to know. Refreshed in 2022, completely redesigned in 2025. The Forester's infotainment system lags the competition in most regards. Maybe all regards.
Bestest listings →Bang for the Buck
The Tucson combines distinctive styling, a longer list of standard features than most rivals at the same price, and a longer-than-most warranty: on a three- or four-year-old Tucson the 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage is still running, when most rivals' ends at 3 years/36,000 miles.
What else to know. Completely redesigned in 2022, refreshed in 2025. Stay away from the 2022 gas model, whose engine had a pattern of fuel-injector failures in the first year of the redesign. (It's on our banned list, so you won't find one for sale on Bestest. The 2022 hybrid is fine.)
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Mechanical kin to the Tucson, and built on the same appeal: lots of equipment per dollar, a long warranty, bold design and great tech.
What else to know. Completely redesigned in 2023, refreshed in 2026. The 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty drops to 5 years/60,000 miles for second owners, but on a three- or four-year-old car the 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage is still running, longer than any listed rival but the Tucson.
Bestest listings →We score every compact SUV on expert ratings, our own experience, reliability and resale value, incorporating trusted data from Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, Car and Driver, Motor Trend, CarEdge and iSeeCars. Reliability is measured by repair bills: what insurers expect to pay to fix a used car bought with about 30,000 miles, from the rates four insurers file with the California Department of Insurance for breakdown coverage. Most used-car shoppers are (or should be) looking first and foremost for a reliable car that holds its value, so our proprietary algorithm weighs those measures higher than any others. As you can see in the graphic above, there's a clear gap in scoring between the seven Bestest-approved compact SUVs and those that don't make the cut.
Bestest scores 13 compact SUVs and lists the seven above. The other six each have a page of their own now: why Bestest doesn't list it, how it ranks against the seven with Car and Driver, Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds and on five-year resale, and what to check if you want one anyway.
Two I wouldn't let a friend buy. The Volkswagen Tiguan is one of the best compact SUVs in the group to drive, and Car and Driver likes it as much as I do. It's also last of the 12 with Kelley Blue Book, near the bottom with Edmunds and last on reliability (repair bills), and a used Volkswagen is hard to recommend once the 4-year, 50,000-mile warranty runs out, which on a used car is soon. The Ford Escape has a roomy cabin and a 40-mpg hybrid, and that's the end of the good news: last of the 13 on five-year resale, reliability in the bottom third, measured by repair bills, and a 1.5-liter engine Ford has recalled three times for the same leaking fuel injector.
Four are fine, just not among the best. The Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain share a platform and a story: every reviewer puts them near the bottom for the slow 1.5-liter turbo and the dated cabins, both sit near the bottom on reliability (repair bills), and both give back more at trade-in than any compact SUV Bestest lists. The Nissan Rogue is roomy and quiet with the fourth-best reliability of the 13, measured by repair bills, but its 1.5-liter turbo has been recalled twice for a bearing defect, and its reviews and resale sit below the listed average on every measure. The Mitsubishi Outlander rides on the Rogue's platform, is a much better SUV than it used to be, and is still one of the worst in the group at holding its value.
None of the six is a bad vehicle. They're just not as good as the seven that make the cut, and when you're buying used and will own the car out of warranty, that gap is the whole point.
Bestest measures reliability by repair bills: what insurers expect to pay to fix a used car bought with about 30,000 miles. By that measure, the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 are the most reliable of the 13 compact SUVs Bestest scores, with the Mazda CX-50 next.
The Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V have the best resale value of any compact SUV. iSeeCars' 2026 study finds a five-year-old RAV4 keeps 74.6% of its value and a CR-V keeps 70.3%, compared with a 58.8% average for small and compact SUVs. Kelley Blue Book also named the CR-V the best compact SUV for projected resale value in its 2026 awards. Among the 13 compact SUVs Bestest scores on five-year resale, the Subaru Forester, Mazda CX-50 and Mazda CX-5 form a strong second tier. The Hyundai Tucson comes next, then the Kia Sportage and Volkswagen Tiguan, nearly tied. The GMC Terrain, Nissan Rogue, Chevrolet Equinox, Mitsubishi Outlander and Ford Escape hold their value least.
For a used-car shopper, the extra money for strong resale mostly comes back. On Bestest, comparing three-year-old 2023 gas models by trim, drivetrain and miles across listings from April to November 2026, a Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V asks about $6,000 more than a Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage, though new it cost only about $2,000 more. Buy one at a dealer, keep it four years and trade it in, and iSeeCars' resale figures point to the RAV4 or CR-V still bringing about $6,000 more on trade-in day. Counting Orange County sales tax and a typical $3,500 dealer trade-in spread, the four years cost about the same either way. A used Tucson or Sportage trades a lower price up front for a smaller check when you sell.
Yes, for most drivers. A used Toyota RAV4 Hybrid lists for about $2,200 to $4,100 more than a comparable gas RAV4 at Orange County dealers, with the smaller gap on older model years. The EPA rates the hybrid at 39 mpg combined against 29 for an all-wheel-drive gas RAV4, which at 1,000 miles a month and $6 gas is about $55 a month less in fuel. That repays the premium in about three to six years on gas alone, and sooner once you count the part of the premium that comes back when you sell. Drive half as much and the payback doubles, which is when the gas RAV4 makes more sense. The hybrid is also the quicker RAV4.
A hybrid. The strongest choices are the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Honda CR-V Hybrid, with the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid as a third. Hybrids recover energy under braking and run on the electric motor at low speeds, exactly where a gas engine is least efficient. At 1,000 miles a month and $6 gas, EPA figures put the fuel savings at about $50 a month for a front-wheel-drive CR-V Hybrid, $55 for a RAV4 Hybrid and $80 for an all-wheel-drive Tucson Hybrid, each against the gas version of the same model. Toyota has sold the RAV4 Hybrid since the 2016 model year, the longest record of the three, and the CR-V Hybrid is the more refined.
Certified, when the car you want is one. On the compact SUVs Bestest lists, a certified car usually lists for well under $1,000 more than a non-certified one, miles and trim being equal, and the certification adds factory warranty time. On a HondaTrue Certified CR-V, that's one extra year of bumper-to-bumper coverage and two extra years on the powertrain. If the color, trim and miles you want only come non-certified, a Bestest-approved compact SUV is a safe buy either way.
