SUVs, as common on UK roads as they ever have been, possess the practicality of Mary Poppins’ carpet bag. And these days, the best cars also tend to be SUVs.
Making an ideal choice for drivers and families with active lifestyles, SUVs tend to swallow luggage and passengers like a magic chalk drawing (without the freaky dancing penguins, of course). If you’re looking for budget-friendly SUV recommendations, this list comprises the UK’s cheapest SUVs based on their RRP price.
Of course, while these are the cheapest in terms of cash prices, it doesn’t mean they’re the cheapest when it comes to finance. It’s also worth bearing in mind that these picks are powered by fossil fuels – unlike these best electric family cars.
UK’s Cheapest SUVs for 2024
Dacia Duster – £17,295
Renault-related budget SUV is simple yet smart
Pros:
✅ Attractive styling
✅ Not lacking kit
✅ Available with four-wheel drive
Cons:
❌ Rear seats don’t fold flat
❌ Fair amount of road noise
Dacia holds the title for cheapest new SUV in the UK with the Duster. If the average price of a new medium-sized car is £22,000-£36,000 (according to the latest research), a smart looking and practical SUV for around £10,000 less puts the Duster on top of the pile for cheap SUVs.
While this is for the very cheapest Essential model (so basic it does without alloy wheels or electric rear windows), it’s an affordable starting point for drivers facing rising energy costs in a cost-of-living crisis.*
Read our full Dacia Duster review
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Suzuki Ignis – £17,349
Friendly frugal cheap SUV
Pros:
✅ Genuine off-road capability
✅ Low running costs
✅ Easy to get in and out of
Cons:
❌ Limited luggage capacity
❌ Struggles on motorways
The little Ignis is by far the smallest car on this list. It’s an SUV made for the city, which means it’s a pretty similar size to other city cars such as the Toyota Aygo X, VW Up, and Hyundai i10.
Good news: that means running costs are superbly low. The 1.2-litre engine should do close to its official 60mpg (we certainly managed even more in our Suzuki Ignis long-termer), plus, Suzuki has a solid reliability record, meaning trips to the dealer should be minimal. Obviously, this tiny car is nowhere near as practical as other cars on this list, but you can option it with four-wheel drive.*
Read our full Suzuki Ignis review
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MG ZS – £17,820
Designed with value in mind
Pros:
✅ Seven-year warranty
✅ Decent standard kit
✅ Impressive practicality
Cons:
❌ Uninspiring drive
❌ Rivals outshine the ZS
You might remember MG as a maker of natty sportscars, but today it’s better known for churning out Chinese-made hatchbacks and SUVs. The ZS is the smallest car in its SUV lineup, offering Nissan Qashqai-shaped practicality, for much less money. It’s even cheaper than the Qashqai’s little brother, the Juke.
Your sub-£20,000 will afford you an Excite model with the 1.5-litre engine and a manual gearbox. Standard kit is good – you’ll get Apple CarPlay, (but weirdly, not Android Auto), plus a reversing camera.*
Read our full MG ZS review
Dacia Jogger – £18,295
Award-winning budget landboat
Pros:
✅ Seven seater
✅ Bargain price
Cons:
❌ Low-rent interior
❌ Seats aren’t especially flexible
While many of the choices on this list are the runts of their brand family SUVs, the Dacia Jogger is the chunky monkey that will haul up to seven passengers. Comfortable and easy-to-drive, the Jogger aims to blend ‘the practicality of an estate car with the spaciousness of an MPV and the styling of an SUV.’
Does it succeed? Well, the Jogger won the Parkers 2023 Best Value Car of the Year, so in our opinion, yes. While it might be lacking in luxuries compared with cars which share the same basic platform, but it more than makes up for it with that price tag.*
Read our full Dacia Jogger review
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Citroen C3 Aircross – £19,520
Practical choice for a cheap SUV pick
Pros:
✅ Persuasive price tag
✅ Well-equipped
✅ Very supple seats
Cons:
❌ Manual box ambiguous
❌ Average infotainment package
The Citroen C3 Aircross is the small SUV to choose if you value comfort above all else as it has one of the supplest suspension setups in this price range and super comfy seats. The interior is decent, though if you’re looking for physical switchgear, swipe right.
Taller than a hatchback, the C3 Aircross is easy to get in and out of and with petrol and diesel engines on offer as well as manual and automatic gearboxes, has broad appeal. The real clincher? The price tag is really tempting and means the C3 will make most drivers’ cheap SUV short lists.*
Read our full Citroen C3 Aircross review
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SsangYong Tivoli – £20,055
Specialist carmaker shouldn’t be written off
Pros:
✅ Spacious
✅ Impressive five-year warranty
✅ Plenty of kit
Cons:
❌ Automatic gearbox not recommended
❌ Fierce competition arguably better
SsangYong is a South Korean car manufacturer that specialises in SUVs. The Tivoli is the smaller and cheaper of the three UK models – the Korando and Rexton being the others – but it still gets the all-important Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone systems.
To get the cheapest model you’ll have to make do with a 1.2-litre petrol engine, but we recommend upgrading to the 1.5-litre as it’s quieter and quicker. It’s backed by SsangYong’s seven-year/150,000 mile warranty too – a great deal for those looking carefully at their budgets.*
Read our full SsangYong Tivoli review
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Kia Stonic – £20,720
Competent and customisable compact family SUV
Pros:
✅ Range of peppy engines
✅ Customisable flexibility
✅ High level of standard equipment
Cons:
❌ Basic interior plastics
❌ Dull when pitched against rivals
Reasons to choose a Kia Stonic range from a seven-year warranty, hardwearing interior and sturdy construction to generous kit levels and two-tone colour choices. It’s easy to get in and out of and it really is very easy to live with.
Sure, there are rivals that offer a more inviting interior or greater space, but very few do that with such a feeling of solidity for such little money.*
Read our full Kia Stonic review
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Hyundai Bayon – £21,320
An affordable, comfortable and compact SUV
Pros:
✅ Smooth mild-hybrid engines
✅ Loads of safety kit
✅ Comfortable ride
Cons:
❌ Limited choice of engines
❌ Boot space wanting
Hyundai’s tiddliest SUV shares the same platform as the i20 supermini. Like many others on this list, it’s aimed squarely at young-folk. There’s no denying that the sharp exterior creases are a bit more avant-garde and a bit less garden centre.
Under the bonnet, the Hyundai Bayon keeps things nice and simple. You only get the choice of 1.0-litre petrol engines, with either 100 or 120hp. Both get the option of manual or auto gearboxes and importantly, everything about the Bayon is feather-light and easy-to-use.*
Read our full Hyundai Bayon review
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SEAT Arona – £21,695
Smart, stylish and fun SUV
Pros:
✅ Economical
✅ Plenty of standard kit
✅ Punchy engines
Cons:
❌ Firm ride
❌ No electrified choices
The Arona deftly combines luggage space and a well-equipped cabin with a choice of 1.0-litre or 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engines to bring customers a truly pragmatic SUV choice.
The 1.0-litre engine offers top real-world fuel economy, while the 1.5-litre gives punchy driving performance. Entry-level models come with wireless phone charging, cruise control and a leather-trimmed steering wheel, demonstrable of the great value the Arona provides.*
Read our full SEAT Arona review
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SsangYong Korando – £22,190
Handsome SUV from a brand more synonymous with pick ups
Pros:
✅ Great towing capacity
✅ Impressive five-year warranty
✅ One of the larger cars on this list
Cons:
❌ Noisy engine
❌ Shallow boot
The Korando’s strengths are easy to spot. For the money it’s very spacious, packed with equipment and should prove a good towcar thanks to its combination of high towing limit and high kerbweight. SsangYong’s so confident that the towing community will love the Korando that it’s aimed a trim level specifically at them.
The styling is on par with competition and the interior is sensible and well laid out. Top spec cars get expensive quickly so we recommend a base model for ultimate value.*
Read our full SsangYong Korando review
SsangYong Korando lease deals | VIEW OFFER
* These deals are indicative examples of some packages available as of 19 December 2023, but are subject to change without prior notice. Everyone’s financial circumstances are different and the availability of credit is subject to status. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Parkers cannot recommend a deal for you specifically.
What is an SUV?
The SUV initialism stands for Sport Utility Vehicle, but you should consider the Sport an acknowledgement of the activities you can do rather than the lap-times you can pump out.
Sling golf clubs and footballs in the rear, bikes on the back or kayaks on the top. Best of all, thanks to their slightly rugged capabilities, you won’t feel bad about parking them away from the road in order to get to your chosen activity.
SUVs have been around since the thirties if you wanna get technical, or at least since the eighties if you don’t. But it’s this past decade where the SUV has really made progress. They’re now aimed at regular people who might need a bit of go anywhere-ability rather than battle-worn adventurists.
In other words, most modern SUVs exchange four-wheel drive and locking diffs for Isofix points and automatic gearboxes.
Being a cheapest list, you won’t find footballer-spec SUVs like a Range Rover or anything as advanced as a plug-in hybrid.
Instead, the cars mentioned here are aimed at people who like the look of something big and expensive but prefer small car running costs.
