The wide array of SUVs available today includes many models that offer a hybrid powertrain. These hybrid SUVs come in all shapes and sizes, and some focus on fuel efficiency while others also boast enhanced performance. The segments listed here span across different sizes and price points.
Car and Driver's rankings are arrived at from the results of our extensive instrumented testing of several hundred vehicles each year and from our expert editors' subjective impressions gained in real-world driving. We've ranked the best hybrid SUVs based on roughly 200 data points encompassing acceleration, handling, comfort, cargo space, fuel efficiency, value, and how enjoyable they are to drive. We take rankings seriously because we want you to know everything about the vehicles that you're interested in.
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid takes the inherent goodness of the CR-V compact SUV and adds a polished hybrid powertrain for increased efficiency and performance.Learn More
C/D SAYS: Redesigned for 2026, the RAV4 Hybrid and RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid models are new, improved, and ready to take on our favorite compact SUVs.Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid SUV doesn't cost much more than its nonhybrid sibling but offers better fuel efficiency and quicker acceleration. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The mid-size 2026 Hyundai Palisade SUV Hybrid makes its debut sharing the same all-new boxy styling and premium feature updates as the nonhybrid model.Learn More
C/D SAYS: For the second generation of its popular Telluride SUV, Kia has added a hybrid variant with more power and better fuel economy than the standard model. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid SUV is bigger inside than the standard Highlander and offers a satisfyingly strong powertrain not available on the shorter version.Learn More
C/D SAYS: Decent, affordable transportation like the 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is becoming a rarity, but if you want more excitement you'll need to look elsewhere. Learn More
C/D SAYS: Read our 2026 Volvo XC60 Hybrid review for information on ratings, pricing, specs, and features, and see how this SUV performed in our testing. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class Hybrid SUV is a plug-in that can go an impressive 54 miles on electricity alone, but it's not as impressive when the charge runs out. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Cayenne E-Hybrid is Porsche’s attempt at distilling nearly 80 years' worth of sports car pedigree into a plug-in-hybrid SUV — and it mostly works. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The BMW X5 Hybrid brings all the luxury and sportiness of the regular X5 with a plug-in hybrid powertrain for increased fuel efficiency.Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Cayenne E-Hybrid is Porsche’s attempt at distilling nearly 80 years' worth of sports car pedigree into a plug-in-hybrid SUV — and it mostly works. Learn More
C/D SAYS: Offering world-beating luxury and signature Bentley style, the Bentayga is exactly what you'd expect from an SUV with the Flying B hood ornamentLearn More
C/D SAYS: The BMW X5 Hybrid brings all the luxury and sportiness of the regular X5 with a plug-in hybrid powertrain for increased fuel efficiency.Learn More
Just like standard sport-utility vehicles, hybrid SUVs are spacious, high-riding vehicles that typically provide seating for five or more passengers. Unlike regular SUVs which use a gas-burning engine as their sole power source, hybrid SUVs are also aided by a battery pack and one or more electric motors. As a result, hybrid SUVs tend to be more fuel-efficient and, in some cases, more powerful than their gas-only counterparts. There are several different types of hybrid SUVs, with traditional hybrid and plug-in hybrid SUVs being the two main categories.
Fuel efficiency is the main benefit of choosing a hybrid SUV over a standard one, as most hybrid SUVs have higher miles per gallon (mpg) ratings than their nonhybrid counterparts. That’s because they use their gasoline engines less often, therefore using less fuel. Also, after harnessing energy that would typically be wasted during braking, hybrid SUVs send that stored energy back to the battery pack that supplies power to the electric motor. Most plug-in hybrid SUVs can also travel short distances on electricity alone, acting like battery-electric vehicles during short commutes.
Hybrid SUVs, especially plug-in-hybrid models, are usually more expensive than standard SUVs. While that additional initial cost is typically offset by the money saved in fuel over the span of a few years, it can sometimes take much longer depending on the initial upcharge amount and the vehicle’s fuel economy. Hybrid SUVs sometimes sacrifice interior space for the battery and other hybrid components, meaning that some hybrid SUVs have less cargo capacity or passenger room than their nonhybrid counterparts.
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid takes the inherent goodness of the CR-V compact SUV and adds a polished hybrid powertrain for increased efficiency and performance.Learn More
C/D SAYS: The mid-size 2026 Hyundai Palisade SUV Hybrid makes its debut sharing the same all-new boxy styling and premium feature updates as the nonhybrid model.Learn More
C/D SAYS: For the second generation of its popular Telluride SUV, Kia has added a hybrid variant with more power and better fuel economy than the standard model. Learn More
C/D SAYS: While it's best known as the SUV of choice for wealthy estate owners and British Royals, the 2026 Range Rover continues the brand's tradition of off-road capability. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The venerated 4Runner returns for 2025 packing a hybrid powertrain and a new Trailhunter trim that is ready to bash the boonies straight off the showroom floor. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid takes the inherent goodness of the CR-V compact SUV and adds a polished hybrid powertrain for increased efficiency and performance.Learn More
C/D SAYS: The BMW X5 Hybrid brings all the luxury and sportiness of the regular X5 with a plug-in hybrid powertrain for increased fuel efficiency.Learn More
C/D SAYS: The mid-size 2026 Hyundai Palisade SUV Hybrid makes its debut sharing the same all-new boxy styling and premium feature updates as the nonhybrid model.Learn More
C/D SAYS: For the second generation of its popular Telluride SUV, Kia has added a hybrid variant with more power and better fuel economy than the standard model. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid SUV is bigger inside than the standard Highlander and offers a satisfyingly strong powertrain not available on the shorter version.Learn More
C/D SAYS: The mid-size 2026 Hyundai Palisade SUV Hybrid makes its debut sharing the same all-new boxy styling and premium feature updates as the nonhybrid model.Learn More
C/D SAYS: For the second generation of its popular Telluride SUV, Kia has added a hybrid variant with more power and better fuel economy than the standard model. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid SUV is bigger inside than the standard Highlander and offers a satisfyingly strong powertrain not available on the shorter version.Learn More
C/D SAYS: Decent, affordable transportation like the 2026 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is becoming a rarity, but if you want more excitement you'll need to look elsewhere. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The Sportage Hybrid is a roomy, comfortable, and practical SUV, but we expected better fuel efficiency from its hybrid powertrains. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid takes the inherent goodness of the CR-V compact SUV and adds a polished hybrid powertrain for increased efficiency and performance.Learn More
C/D SAYS: With three rows of seats and excellent fuel economy, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is a no-brainer SUV for family buyers looking to save on fuel. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid SUV doesn't cost much more than its nonhybrid sibling but offers better fuel efficiency and quicker acceleration. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid takes the inherent goodness of the CR-V compact SUV and adds a polished hybrid powertrain for increased efficiency and performance.Learn More
C/D SAYS: The mid-size 2026 Hyundai Palisade SUV Hybrid makes its debut sharing the same all-new boxy styling and premium feature updates as the nonhybrid model.Learn More
C/D SAYS: For the second generation of its popular Telluride SUV, Kia has added a hybrid variant with more power and better fuel economy than the standard model. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid SUV is bigger inside than the standard Highlander and offers a satisfyingly strong powertrain not available on the shorter version.Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid takes the inherent goodness of the CR-V compact SUV and adds a polished hybrid powertrain for increased efficiency and performance.Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Mazda CX-90 Hybrid brings the same refined interior and exterior styling as its gasoline sibling but provides 26 miles of electric-only range—and is quicker to 60 mph in the bargain.Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid takes the inherent goodness of the CR-V compact SUV and adds a polished hybrid powertrain for increased efficiency and performance.Learn More
C/D SAYS: The mid-size 2026 Hyundai Palisade SUV Hybrid makes its debut sharing the same all-new boxy styling and premium feature updates as the nonhybrid model.Learn More
C/D SAYS: For the second generation of its popular Telluride SUV, Kia has added a hybrid variant with more power and better fuel economy than the standard model. Learn More
C/D SAYS: The 2026 Cayenne E-Hybrid is Porsche’s attempt at distilling nearly 80 years' worth of sports car pedigree into a plug-in-hybrid SUV — and it mostly works. Learn More
For more than 60 years we've been answering the objective questions—How fast? How quick? How much grip?—comprehensively, and with an authority based in experience that our readers have come to rely on. Read on for the full details on how we collect more than 200 data points on the roughly 400 vehicles that we test every year.
Dave VanderWerp has spent more than 20 years in the automotive industry, in varied roles from engineering to product consulting, and now leading Car and Driver's vehicle-testing efforts.