Nine compact SUVs, ranked on four criteria applied in this order: (1) powertrain choice and fuel economy, (2) cargo space, with room behind the rear seats weighted first, (3) starting price including destination, and (4) towing. Every figure is a manufacturer-published number for the 2026 model year, checked in October 2026. The headline story is simple: five of these nine offer a hybrid, two offer a plug-in, and the ones that ask you to pay extra for electrified power are losing ground to the ones that include it. Prices moved during the model year at several brands; where launch and current figures differ, the article says so.
The ranking
2026 Toyota RAV4
$33,350 to start, with destination
Hybrid standard on every trim: 226 hp front-drive, 236 hp AWD, 43 mpg combined (42 AWD). Plug-in RAV4 from $42,950 delivered with 324 hp and up to 52 miles of electric range. Cargo: 37.8 cu ft behind the seats, 70.4 max. Tows 3,500 lb in most AWD grades. The priciest start here, bought back with the best economy and the strongest towing.
2026 Kia Sportage
$30,135 to start, with destination
All three powertrains: gas (187 hp), hybrid from $31,985 delivered (232 hp, 42 mpg combined), and a plug-in from $41,985 (268 hp, about 34 electric miles). Cargo: 39.6 cu ft behind the seats, the most here, and 74.1 max. Tows 2,500 lb as a gas model. Loses #1 only on the RAV4's economy, hybrid-standard lineup, and towing.
2026 Hyundai Tucson
$30,800 to start, with destination
Gas, hybrid, and plug-in, like the Sportage it shares hardware with. Hybrid from $33,800 delivered at launch (231 hp, 38 mpg combined), plug-in from $41,675 (268 hp, 32 electric miles). Cargo: 38.7 cu ft behind the seats on gas and hybrid alike. Tows 2,750 lb as a gas model with trailer brakes, the best gas towing in the class.
2026 Honda CR-V
$32,315 to start, with destination
Gas (190 hp) or hybrid from $37,025 delivered (204 hp, 40 mpg combined), no plug-in at any price. Cargo: 39.3 cu ft behind the seats and 76.5 max as a gas model, both class-best numbers; the hybrid measures 36.3 and 71.8. Tows 1,500 lb (1,000 as a hybrid). Excellent, but the priciest hybrid entry here buys less choice than the two Koreans above it.
2026 Subaru Forester
$31,445 to start, with destination
AWD standard everywhere, a Subaru signature nothing else here matches at this price. Gas (180 hp) or hybrid from $36,180 delivered (194 hp, 35 mpg combined). Cargo is the weak point: 27.5 cu ft behind the seats on most trims, 69.1 max. Tows 1,500 lb, or 3,500 in Wilderness trim. The winter pick, held to fifth by its cargo and its hybrid's price.
2026 Nissan Rogue
About $30,585 to start at launch pricing
The 1.5L VC-Turbo three-cylinder (201 hp) returns 32 mpg combined, the best gas-only economy here, and cargo is strong at 31.6 cu ft behind the seats and 74.1 max. But there is no conventional hybrid, and the Rogue Plug-in Hybrid is a separate seven-seat model starting near $47,485 delivered. Later 2026.5 pricing runs higher than the launch figure. Tows 1,500 lb.
2026 Volkswagen Tiguan
$32,280 to start, with destination
Gas only, but the strongest gas-only offering: 201 hp, 29 mpg combined front-drive, and a 268-hp SEL R-Line Turbo at the top. Best towing of the gas-only group at 1,800 lb with AWD. Ranked here on two cautions: no electrified version exists, and its cargo figures are disputed, 26.5 cu ft behind the seats in VIN-level spec data against 33.8 in VW's published material.
2026 Chevrolet Equinox
$30,795 to start, with destination
The cheapest delivered price in the group and 27 mpg combined from its 1.5L turbo (175 hp). That is the whole case: no hybrid, the smallest cargo hold here at 29.8 cu ft behind the seats and 63.5 max, and 1,500-lb towing. A value pick for buyers who do not want a hybrid, nothing more.
2026 Mazda CX-5
$31,585 to start, with destination
The redesigned third-generation CX-5, on sale as a 2026, brings standard AWD and 33.7 cu ft behind the seats at a fair price. It finishes last under these criteria for one reason: the sole powertrain is a gas 2.5L (187 hp) at 26 mpg combined, the thirstiest here, and the hybrid Mazda has announced does not arrive until 2027. Drivers who rank steering feel over fuel economy will move it up several places, honestly.
The numbers together
| Model | Start (delivered) | Cheapest hybrid (delivered) | Best mpg | Plug-in? | Cargo behind / max | Max tow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota RAV4 | $33,350 | $33,350 (standard) | 43 | Yes | 37.8 / 70.4 | 3,500 lb |
| Kia Sportage | $30,135 | $31,985 | 42 | Yes | 39.6 / 74.1 | 2,500 lb |
| Hyundai Tucson | $30,800 | $33,800 | 38 | Yes | 38.7 / 74.8 | 2,750 lb |
| Honda CR-V | $32,315 | $37,025 | 40 | No | 39.3 / 76.5 (gas) | 1,500 lb |
| Subaru Forester | $31,445 | $36,180 | 35 | No | 27.5 / 69.1 | 3,500 lb (Wilderness) |
| Nissan Rogue | ~$30,585 | None | 32 | Separate model | 31.6 / 74.1 | 1,500 lb |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | $32,280 | None | 29 | No | 26.5 or 33.8 / 58.9 or 69.8 | 1,800 lb |
| Chevrolet Equinox | $30,795 | None | 27 | No | 29.8 / 63.5 | 1,500 lb |
| Mazda CX-5 | $31,585 | None (2027) | 26 | No | 33.7 / 66.5 | 1,500 lb |
How to read this ranking
The order follows the criteria, even where it stings. The CX-5 in last place will surprise Mazda loyalists, but with economy weighted first, a gas-only 26-mpg lineup cannot finish ahead of hybrids in 2026; it beats the Equinox on cargo and standard AWD and still loses on criteria 1 and 3. The CR-V's fourth place is the other argument: it is the best-built-feeling vehicle here with the most gas-model cargo, but Honda charges $37,025 to enter its hybrid while Kia charges $31,985 and Toyota includes the hybrid in the base price. Choice at a fair price is what this class is for.
Two practical notes before the dealer section. First, AWD pricing philosophy differs: Subaru and Mazda include it, Toyota charges $1,400, Honda $1,500, Chevrolet $2,000, so the delivered-price order shuffles once every vehicle is built the way New England buyers actually buy them. Second, the cheapest hybrid in the class is not in this ranking's top spot debate by accident: Kia's $31,985 Sportage Hybrid exists because Kia treats the hybrid as a volume trim, not a flagship.
Comparing offers on any of these? Doc fees vary by hundreds of dollars between stores on the same vehicle. CarThrive grades every dealer's fee transparency; check the dealer grades before you visit.
Where to buy the Sportage
Four Kia dealers in southern New England hold CarThrive's joint-top fee-transparency grade for the brand, 92 A, each with its doc fee published and itemized inside the advertised price. Ordered by Google rating inside the tie:
Tasca Kia
Johnston, Rhode Island
$399 documentation fee, itemized inside the advertised price. Google 4.8 stars from 2,276 reviews.
Quirk Kia of Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
$499 doc fee, itemized inside the advertised price. Google 4.5 stars from 1,226 reviews.
Quirk Kia South
Marshfield, Massachusetts
$499 doc fee, itemized inside the advertised price. Google 4.5 stars from 215 reviews.
Quirk Kia
Braintree, Massachusetts
$499 doc fee, itemized inside the advertised price. Google 4.2 stars from 822 reviews.
Where to buy the Tucson
Quirk Hyundai
Braintree, Massachusetts
$499 doc fee, itemized inside the advertised price and published on a dedicated fee page. Google 4.3 stars from 521 reviews.
Disclosure: CarThrive's publisher also handles marketing for Quirk Auto Dealers, which operates three of the five stores above. Every store shown was graded on the same published rubric applied to every dealer CarThrive grades, scored from its own published pricing and checked in October 2026, which is why Tasca Kia, which has no connection to Quirk, leads the Sportage list on its Google rating inside the tie.
How we ranked, and sources
Criteria, applied in order: powertrain choice and fuel economy; cargo space, behind the rear seats first; starting price including destination; then towing. A model with a hybrid or plug-in option ranks ahead of gas-only models unless the gas-only model beats it decisively on the later criteria, which none did. Pricing and specifications are manufacturer-published figures for the 2026 model year from Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, Nissan, Kia, Chevrolet, and Volkswagen, cross-checked against Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book and checked in October 2026; Hyundai published no U.S. pricing release for the 2026 Tucson, so its figures rest on Hyundai dealer sources cross-checked against Kelley Blue Book, and a front-drive Tucson Hybrid SE added mid-year brings the hybrid entry to about $32,550 delivered on dealer listings. Several brands raised prices or destination charges mid-year: the Rogue's figure is launch pricing (later 2026.5 listings run higher), later Sportage listings run about $150 higher, and the CX-5's figure reflects Mazda's August 2026 destination increase. The Tiguan's two cargo figures are both shown because Volkswagen's published number and VIN-level spec data disagree; the ranking is unchanged under either figure, since its position is set by the absence of an electrified powertrain. Towing figures are maximums for properly equipped models; the Tucson's and Sportage's require trailer brakes. Prices are MSRP including destination before tax, title, and dealer fees.