Best used large SUVs for less than £25,000

Large SUVs and large price tags tend to go hand in hand. These cars are spacious and practical and they allow you to sit high above the ground.

However, that's not to say there aren't some great deals out there, especially on the used market. If you have £25,000 or less to spend, there are plenty of great options for you to choose from. Here are our top 10 favourites.

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If you only need five seats, you'll find the Toyota RAV4 is a highly practical large SUV and could potentially cost buttons to run. Added to that, its reliability record is exemplary. It's good value to buy used, too, and you get a lot of equipment and safety tech for your money. There's the option of a regular self-charging or plug-in hybrid, and some come with four-wheel drive. There's also its low fuel consumption and long warranty to help seal the RAV4 deal.

We found: 2021 Toyota RAV4 2.5 VVT-h Design CVT 4WD, 34,335 miles, £23,690

Read our full used Toyota RAV4 review

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Strengths

• Strong reliability record
• Excellent fuel economy for a large SUV
• Plenty of equipment

Weaknesses

• Early examples do without full smartphone connectivity
• Some rivals more engaging to drive
• No seven seat option unlike some rivals

Economical and practical, the Honda CR-V, especially in hybrid form, is a very tempting proposition. It's well-equipped, good to drive and has a huge amount of space inside. The hybrid uses a 181bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine and offers decent performance and pleasing economy. Our money buys a 2020 example and, on top of that, you've also got Honda's impressive reliability record.

We found: 2022 Honda CR-V 2.0 i-MMD Hybrid SE, 15,141 miles, £23,990

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Strengths

• Very well equipped
• Huge amount of space inside
• Hybrid option

Weaknesses

• No diesel option
• Bland interior
• Awkward infotainment system

Safety is one of the main concerns of large SUV buyers, and few cars have a better reputation for it than the Volvo XC60. Not only does it score highly for the crash protection it offers, but also for its safety technology, which helps prevent accidents from happening in the first place. All models are comfortable and well-equipped, but R-Design models are the best to drive – they have a decent ride and handling balance.

We found: 2020 Volvo XC60 2.0 D4 Momentum, 25,378 miles, £24,750

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Strengths

• High-quality interior
• Superb driving position
• Well equipped

Weaknesses

• Not as quiet as its rivals
• Shallow boot
• Uninspiring handling

The Kia Sorento is a fully fledged seven-seater and one with a handsome warranty: Kia offers a seven-year, 100,000-mile transferable warranty from new, so you may have several years of it left when you buy your used one. Combine that with its imposing looks and it’s no wonder that this 2015-2020 model proved such a popular car in the UK. There's a punchy 197bhp 2.2-litre diesel – the same engine found in the mechanically related Hyundai Santa Fe – and even the cheapest versions are well equipped.

We Found: 2020 Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi GT-Line S Auto AWD, 47,714 miles, £23,558

Read our full used Kia Sorento review

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Strengths

• Big and practical interior
• Well equipped
• Good towing ability

Weaknesses

• Vague steering
• High CO2 emissions
• Cumbersome handling

You won't find endless amounts of BMW X3s (from this latest generation) within our budget, but there's still a good batch to choose from. This premium SUV is a great buy – it's classy, comfortable and good to drive. You'll find a slick, class-leading infotainment here, too, as well as other desirable tech, to go along with its more practical elements. If there were more to choose from (and at lower prices, ideally), it would have finished even higher.

We found: 2021 BMW X3 2.0 30e SE, 52,874 miles, £25,000

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Strengths

• Sharp handling
• Class-leading infotainment
• Strong engines
• Good value used

Weaknesses

• Firm ride in M Sport trim
• Popular 20d engine sounds gruff

A consummate all-rounder like this seven-seat Skoda Kodiaq may not stand out from the crowd, especially when compared with the sharp-styled Peugeot 5008, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't put one on your driveway. It's a classy and highly capable car, and you can make big savings on nearly new examples, which only adds to the appeal of this likeable and practical Skoda.

We found: 2022 Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 TSI SE DSG (7 Seat), 23,412 miles, £23,000

Read our full used Skoda Kodiaq review

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Strengths

• Classy and spacious interior
• Smooth 2.0 diesel engine
• Good value for money

Weaknesses

• Unsettled low-speed ride
• Kia Sorento is more practical

This latest Ford Kuga is an impressive large SUV, being good to drive and practical in everyday use. We love the 1.5-litre Ecoboost version for its simplicity and affordability and the more expensive PHEV model for its decent range and pleasing performance – we say expensive, but even that version is available well within our budget.

We found: 2023 Ford Kuga 2.5 EcoBoost Duratec 14.4kWh ST-Line Edition, 10,287 miles, £23,499

Read our full used Ford Kuga review

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Strengths

• Spacious interior
• Efficient plug-in hybrid version
• Great value bought used

Weaknesses

• Interior quality not as good as some
• Infotainment not the best
• Boot not as big as some rivals

The Hyundai Santa Fe offers a spacious, versatile interior and a robust build quality. As well as hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions, you can get the Santa Fe with a 194bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine and that provides the car with enough oomph to make light work of sharp inclines and motorways. But its huge, seven-seat interior and immense practicality are its main selling points, as well as its handsome kit list. Few cars here can match its user-friendly interior, too.

We Found: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi Premium 4WD, 35,661 miles, £24,995

Read our full used Hyundai Santa Fe review

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Strengths

• Huge boot
• Seven-seat practicality
• Well equipped

Weaknesses

• Jiggly ride
• Heavy-ish steering
• Interior quality iffy in places

As a new car, the Audi Q5 a bit pricey, but it's relatively good value used – you should easily be able to pick up a four-year-old car for our budget. It's similar in prestige to the BMW X3, yet it has more up-to-date technology and an even swankier interior. It can be had with Audi’s excellent Virtual Cockpit digital instrument panel – a configurable 12.3in display that provides the driver with lots of information. It’s also extremely nice to drive and ride in.

We found: 2020 Audi Q5 2.0 TFSI 45 Sport, 39,269 miles, £24,049

Read our full used Audi Q5 review

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Strengths

• Smooth and punchy engines
• High-quality interior
• Relatively modest running costs

Weaknesses

• Steering could be more involving
• No seven-seat option
• You need air suspension or non-sport suspension for the best ride

The seven-seat Peugeot 5008 steals victory here over its premium-badged rivals. Why? Well, it's stylish, practical and good to drive for starters. Its sharp interior is impressively practical and will seat seven in reasonable comfort. Plus, there's a range of strong engines to choose from, it's well-equipped in all trims and it rides and handles surprisingly well. All in, it's a great car and really good value too.

We found: 2022 Peugeot 5008 1.2 PureTech GT, 31,900 miles, £23,995

Read our full used Peugeot 5008 review

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Strengths

• Stylish and practical inside
• Decent ride and handling
• Flexible seating

Weaknesses

• Not as well equipped as some rivals
• Head room limited by panoramic roof
• Slow-witted infotainment

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