What Used SUV has the Best Gas Mileage?

SUVs are becoming increasingly popular as people realize all of the benefits they bring to the table.

They provide more comfort while traveling, they are generally safer than other cars, and they are more durable than other vehicle options. 

While SUVs have all of these benefits and more, they generally do not have the best fuel economy when compared to smaller cars. But which used SUV gets the BEST gas mileage?

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has the best gas mileage out of any used SUV with 41 miles per gallon on city streets and 38 miles on highway streets. While it is the best based on strictly fuel economy, there are other good options like the Nissan Rogue, Honda CR-V EX, Subaru Crosstrek, and several others.

While we know which used SUVs have the best gas mileage, we need to know how they compare with each other, and which one is the best overall deal. 

Keep reading to find out which used SUV is the best one for you.

Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid easily takes the title of the best gas mileage for a used SUV. 

While this is impressive on its own, this vehicle has a lot more to offer. 

We will take a look at the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and all of its ins and outs which will help you understand why it is the best SUV when it comes to gas mileage and any other factors.

Fuel Economy

The first aspect of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid that we will talk about is its gas mileage, or fuel economy. 

This is the reason it is one of the best SUVs, so we should talk about it first. 

When it comes to SUVs, they are known for not having a great fuel economy because of their size. 

A larger, heavier vehicle requires more power to get it moving and to keep it moving.

Using more power means using more fuel. 

This gives most SUVs a much worse fuel economy than a smaller car. 

However, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is not like most SUVs.

Part of the fuel efficiency of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is that it is a hybrid vehicle, meaning that most of its power comes from a typical gas engine, and part of its power comes from electric motors. 

This makes the fuel economy of this vehicle incredibly efficient. 

It gets more miles per gallon than a lot of smaller cars!

The engine on this vehicle is where all of the gas mileage benefits come from. 

The engine on the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is a 2.5-Liter Dynamic Force 4-Cylinder engine. 

It gets 176 horsepower pounds per foot at 5,300 rpm. 

With the electric motors, it gets an added 118/54 horsepower and has a torque of 149/89 pounds per foot. 

This is a very powerful engine that any car enthusiast would be impressed by.

The amount of power that the electric motors add reduces the amount of fuel needed to get the vehicle moving. 

Therefore, it saves gas and money for the owner.

In addition to a powerful engine, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has incredible batteries to help it keep running properly and consistently. 

It has a Nickel-Metal Hydride battery with 244.8 Volts of power and a Lithium-ion battery with 259 Volts of power. 

These batteries help the internal electricity requirements of the car work, and they help keep the electric motors working properly so that it always gets great fuel economy.

More Specs

Now that we know all of the little details that help the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid get the gas mileage that it does, we can talk about all of the other great aspects of this SUV. 

The inner workings are more than just an engine and battery, so let’s look at some of the other great benefits of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid comes with an All-Wheel Drive that can be turned on electronically and it has a ground clearance of 8.1″. 

This is pretty standard for an SUV, but when you want to protect the undercarriage of your vehicle, you will be glad for it. 

The gas tank can hold up to 14.5 gallons of fuel, and when used to its fullest will take you up to 594 miles on city streets and 551 miles on highway streets.

When it comes to comfort, this SUV seats 5 people, and while some SUVs seat more, their fuel economy is much worse because of the extra weight.

As far as legroom goes, there are 41 inches in the front seats and 37.8 inches in the back seats, which is great for taller people and those who want to put cargo in the back seats.

Safety Features

SUVs are known to be safer vehicles than smaller cars are, and the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is no exception. In addition to it being larger than a car and therefore, safer, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid also includes a bunch of new safety features for all situations.

This SUV has “Toyota Safety Sense” installed. 

This is a safety package included in many of Toyota’s new vehicles. 

It includes Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Lane Tracing Assist, Automatic High Beams, Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, and Road Sign Assist. 

These safety features can be found here.

In addition to “Toyota Safety Sense”, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has a “Star Safety System”, eight airbags, three-point seat belts, a backup camera, anti-theft programming, and vehicle proximity notifications. 

It also has other safety features that we did not mention, but they are all pretty standard. 

You can view all of the safety features at this link. 

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is a safe vehicle and Toyota put a lot of effort into making it as safe as possible.

Other used SUVs

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid easily has the best fuel economy out of a lot of SUVs, but it is not the only fuel-efficient option out there. 

There are a lot of other SUVs that are very fuel-efficient and they all come from different brands. 

Some other options for fuel-efficient SUVs are the Honda CR-V, the Subaru Crosstrek, the Nissan Rogue, and the Mitsubishi Outlander.

Honda CR-V EX

The Honda CR-V EX is one of the next best options for an SUV with great fuel economy. 

While its miles per gallon is lower than the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, it is on the higher end of standard SUVs’ fuel economies. 

The Honda CR-V EX gets 40 miles per gallon on city streets and 35 miles per gallon on highway streets (if you select the hybrid version of it).

The Honda CR-V EX Hybrid has a powerful engine to support its fuel economy. 

Its engine has 212 horsepower at 6,200 rpm for its In-Line 4-Cylinder engine.

It gets 129 pounds per foot of torque at 3500 rpm.

In addition to its powerful engine, the Honda CR-V EX has a Lithium-ion battery that helps secure great fuel efficiency.

Subaru Crosstrek

Next up is the Subaru Crosstrek. 

This SUV is a great contender, and while it gets even fewer miles per gallon, it is not a vehicle to ignore. 

The Subaru Crosstrek gets on average 33 miles per gallon on city streets and 28 miles per gallon on highway streets. 

This is incredible fuel efficiency, especially because this car is not a hybrid SUV. 

Here are the major specs that give the Subaru Crosstrek such an efficient fuel economy.

The Subaru Crosstrek has a 2.0 liter, 4-cylinder engine with 152 horsepower at 6,000 rpm.

It also has 145 pounds per foot of torque at 4,000 rpm. 

This engine produces a lot of power to get the Crosstrek moving which is very impressive because it does not have any extra electric motors or batteries to help with that. 

The fuel tank can hold up to 16.6 gallons which will take you 547.8 miles on city streets and 464.8 miles on highway streets per tank of gas!

Nissan Rogue

The Nissan Rogue is recognized as a great, fuel-efficient SUV by all kinds of people. 

This SUV, like the Subaru Crosstrek, is not a hybrid SUV, but it has good fuel efficiency. 

The Nissan Rogue gets about 27 miles per gallon on city streets, and 35 miles per gallon on highway streets. 

While its miles per gallon on city streets are significantly less than the Subaru Crosstrek, it makes up for it in the number of miles per gallon it gets on highway streets.

The Nissan Rogue features a 2.5 liter, 4-cylinder engine with 181 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. 

It has a torque of 181 pounds per foot at 3,600 rpm. This SUV also does not have extra electric motors to help with fuel efficiency. 

However, it still uses up less fuel than some smaller cars do. If you are looking for a cheaper SUV, the Nissan Rogue is a great option. 

The fuel tank holds up to 14.5 gallons of gas, which can take you 391.5 miles on city streets and 507.5 miles on highway streets.

Mitsubishi Outlander

The final option for a fuel-efficient SUV is the Mitsubishi Outlander. 

The Outlander is a larger SUV, but despite its size, it still has a better fuel economy than a lot of other SUVs. 

The Mitsubishi Outlander gets 24 miles per gallon on city streets and 31 miles per gallon on highway streets.

This is a significant amount of miles per gallon and for a larger SUV, it is very impressive.

The Mitsubishi Outlander can get a fuel economy like this because of its engine. 

It has a 2.5 Liter, 4-cylinder engine with 181 horsepower at 6,000 rpm.

In addition, its torque is 181 pounds per foot at 3,600 rpm. 

This is a nearly identical engine to the Nissan Rogue, but it is moving a much heavier vehicle, so the fuel efficiency is lower. 

Its fuel tank holds the same amount as the Nissan Rogue as well, with 14.5 gallons of fuel.

This can take you up to 348 miles on city streets and 449.5 miles on highway streets per tank of gas.

Why Buy an SUV

Now that you know about the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market right now you may start looking for an SUV that is a bit different from the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid but still has great mpg. 

We have mentioned several times how smaller cars have better fuel efficiency overall because there is less weight to move, so less power and fuel are required.

If cars are so much more fuel-efficient, why would you buy an SUV in the first place? Here are some major reasons why people purchase SUVs instead of cars:

Passenger Capacity

While not all SUVs are like this, many of them can carry up to eight passengers while cars can generally only take five passengers.

If the car you are buying is just for yourself and a few other people, then a smaller car might be what you need. 

However, so many people have large families or big friend groups, not to mention the extra cargo space that more seats provide. 

When people need to transport a lot of people, an SUV is much better equipped to handle the job than a small car.

Recreation

People that like more recreational activities tend to lean towards buying SUVs, even if they only have one or two other people to go with. 

When people like camping, hiking, or exploring, a small car does not usually have the undercarriage space that’s necessary to handle the rough roads. 

An SUV is better equipped to handle rough roads, rocks, and mud than a small car. 

It can also fit more recreational equipment in it than a car can, even with a decently sized trunk.

Traveling

When it comes to traveling long distances, a small car might make it so you spend less money on fuel, but an SUV is so much more comfortable. 

Most of them have a lot of space for legroom which makes any passenger more comfortable. 

Everything is raised, making it safer to travel in for such a long time on the road. 

There is more space to bring luggage because of the larger trunk and extra seat space. 

Generally speaking, traveling in an SUV is more comfortable than traveling in a car.