Everyone wants an SUV these days, and no wonder. These high-riding vehicles have come to dominate the British car market thanks to their combination of versatility, practicality, ease of access, high driving position, visibility and the increased feeling of protection they bring their occupants.
But SUVs are expensive to buy, right? Well, that’s not necessarily true. In fact, so far have SUVs come from the big, costly, off-road beasts they once were, that you can now find them among some of the cheapest cars on sale in the UK.
But don’t just take our word for it. Peruse our guide below to find out which SUVs are currently the cheapest on sale in the UK. We’ve ranked the top 10 in descending order. And along the way, we’ll try to help you to figure out which one is right for you as your next new car (or used car). Note: prices correct at time of publication and are regularly checked, but remain subject to change.
The 10 Cheapest SUVs On Sale in the UK:
- Dacia Sandero Stepway (from £15,295)
- Toyota Aygo X (from £16,130)
- Dacia Duster (from £17,295)
- Citroën C3 Aircross (from £17,470)
- Suzuki Ignis (from £17,949)
- MG ZS (from £18,320)
- Suzuki Vitara (from £20,249)
- KGM (Ssangyong) Tivoli (from £20,495)
- Nissan Juke (from £20,985)
- Kia Stonic (from £21,225)
- Other Popular SUV Choices and Prices
- What is an SUV and What Makes a Good One?
1. Dacia Sandero Stepway (from £15,295)
Leave it to budget brand Dacia to come up with the cheapest SUV on the market today. Okay, so it’s little more than a Sandero supermini with loftier suspension and some chunkier styling elements, but to our eye, it looks rugged enough to convince as an SUV, and at this price, it’s very difficult to argue with the amount of style and practicality you get. Yes, you make a few compromises for the pricetag, most notably in the areas of interior quality, dynamic polish, and luxury and safety kit, but those are understandable given the price.
Dacia Sandero Stepway Review
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2. Toyota Aygo X (from £16,130)
Some might argue whether the Toyota Aygo X is an SUV at all, or merely a city car with a jacked-up suspension and extra body cladding, but in fairness to it, the Toyota is far from being the only car on this list at which that accusation can be levelled. Regardless, it’s a relentlessly cheery and characterful little car, and it has a surprisingly generous amount of interior space given its compact dimensions. It also delivers brilliant fuel economy, and even the entry-level Pure version comes with stacks of standard equipment.
Toyota Aygo X Review
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3. Dacia Duster (from £17,295)
The Duster, now in its second iteration, is a brilliant car, with a peppy powertrain, a roomy interior, and a comfortable ride, all for a truly bargain-basement price. OK, it’s a sea of grey plastic inside, but clever styling means it doesn’t actually feel too dour, and the Duster is smart enough on the outside that you won’t feel ashamed to catch sight of it on your driveway. The cheapest version comes with two-wheel drive, but you can have four-wheel drive if you spend a bit more, and this turns the Duster into a surprisingly rugged compact off-roader.
Dacia Duster Review
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4. Citroën C3 Aircross (from £17,470)
The C3 featured on this list last year, but it’s improved by several places since then because it’s the only car here that’s actually come down in cost in the last 12 months, and by quite a significant amount. Just like it did with the C3 supermini, Citroen decided to offer a new entry-level You! trim to the C3 range, which offered less standard kit, but a more affordable pricetag. However, you still get the punchy little 108bhp 1.2-litre Puretech turbo engine, which is the best in the range, and you also get the C3 Aircross’s typical sense of style, both inside and out, meaning that it doesn’t feel like a budget choice.
Citroën C3 Aircross Review
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5. Suzuki Ignis (from £17,949)
Long gone are the days when bargain cars weren’t stylish; the Ignis is laden with neat design touches, both inside and out, and thanks to its clever sliding rear seat and a remarkably fuel efficient mild hybrid engine, there’s substance beneath its style. Granted, it’s smaller than most of the other SUVs here, sitting below the Vitara in Suzuki’s line-up of Sports Utility Vehicles, so interior space isn’t quite as impressive, but its compact dimensions make it extremely easy to drive and park in town.
Suzuki Ignis Review
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6. MG ZS (from £18,320)
The ZS is better known as a bargain-basement electric car, but the petrol version looks like pretty tremendous value, too. Granted, its interior quality and driving dynamics aren’t quite as polished as some of its more expensive rivals’, but the ZS makes up for this with a generous spread of equipment, an impressive warranty (seven years or 80,000 miles), and an interior that’s spacious enough for a family to use without compromise.
MG ZS Review
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7. Suzuki Vitara (from £20,249)
The Suzuki isn’t the most obvious choice in the small SUV class, but it is a good one, especially at this money. Okay, it’s not perfect: the interior is a bit plasticky, the touchscreen infotainment system looks rather dated and some rivals are more fun or more comfortable to drive, but it has lots going for it otherwise. It’s impressively roomy and practical, generously equipped, solidly built, affordable to run and has an impressive reliability record, so it’s a cracking all-rounder.
Suzuki Vitara Review
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8. KGM (Ssangyong) Tivoli (from £20,495)
Many UK carbuyers would struggle to recognise the name of the Ssangyong Tivoli, but now that the Korean carmaker has rebranded itself as KGM, the Tivoli’s name will be even less recognisable. We haven’t experience the Tivoli since it became a KGM, but if it’s still anything like it was as a Ssangyong, then there will be some compromises to be made for its low price; for one thing, its cockpit feels quite plasticky and cheap, and for another its petrol engine is rather noisy and not all that economical. Mind you, you can’t argue with the amount of space on offer inside.
Ssangyong Tivoli Review
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9. Nissan Juke (from £20,985)
Arguably the car that started the small SUV craze is now in its second generation, and the Juke is better than ever before. You can get it with a hybrid powertrain now, although we reckon the standard petrol turbo that you get in the cheapest version, with its standard six-speed gearbox, is the best engine of all. What’s without doubt is that the Juke is well made, stylish, and surprisingly spacious, and at this price, it’s tremendous value.
Nissan Juke Review
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10. Kia Stonic (from £21,225)
The Stonic’s always felt a little bit underwhelming, but at this price it’s hard not to be at least a little bit whelmed. This is a smart little car that feels more like a jacked-up hatchback than a proper SUV, and its mature styling means it feels a little more grown-up than some of its more faddish rivals. What’s more, you now get a mild hybrid powertrain as standard in the Stonic for reduced running costs, not to mention a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. For the price, no other car can boast that combination.
Kia Stonic Review
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Other Popular SUV Choices and Prices:
Renault Captur: Price from £21,495
Hyundai Bayon: Price from £21,570
Seat Arona: Price from £22,450
Jeep Avenger: Price from £23,600
Volkswagen T-Cross: Price from £23,965
DS3: Price from £23,990
Peugeot 2008: Price from £24,170
Skoda Kamiq: Price from £24,230
Mazda CX-30: Price from £25,350
Vauxhall Mokka: Price from £24,310
Toyota Yaris Cross: £24,855
Ford Puma: Price from £25,640
Hyundai Kona: Price from £25,725
What is an SUV and What Makes a Good One?
But before we get into our list, let’s first define what we mean by SUV, or Sports Utility Vehicle. You might also refer to cars like these as a Crossover.
They are, basically, any family car that has the basic shape of a traditional off-roader, but they don’t have to have four-wheel drive or any of that other stuff you don’t need on the school run. Well-known examples of SUV cars include the Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga, Volkswagen Tiguan, Peugeot 3008, Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4. However, these examples are all too big and too expensive to feature on our list of the best cheap SUVs, which mainly features compact SUV choices for obvious reasons. You won’t find any cars on our list from premium brands such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes or Volvo, either, and neither will you find cars with diesel engines or an automatic gearbox. You certainly won’t be stretching to a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Nevertheless, the best cars in our list of the most affordable family SUVs, still provide sensational all-round ability, with a fun-yet-comfortable driving experience, good motorway manners, lots of room inside, plenty of boot space, impressive quality and all the creature comforts you could want, including climate control, cruise control, a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, maybe even satnav.