The best cheap used SUVs you can buy without breaking the bank

09/17/2024 04:00 PM

In 2023, the list of Australia’s top 10 best-selling new cars featured exclusively utes and SUVs.

RELATED: The cheapest used cars you can buy with a factory warranty

According to comparison site Canstar Blue, in 2023 the average spend on a brand-new SUV was $39,857, but with the cost of living rising, many have opted to look on the used market.

The used car market is lively – as evidenced by data from the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) and AutoGrab showing that 214,588 used vehicles were sold in July 2024 alone. Conversely, just 99,486 new cars were purchased in Australia in the same month.

But while a lively used market means a wide range of choices, a wide range of choices can make picking just one model a lot harder.

Luckily, we have compiled a list of the best small, medium and large SUVs to keep an eye out for on the used market.

The best used SUVs you can buy

We have kept the cost of living prices in mind. All of the vehicles listed below are half the price, or less,than the average cost of a brand-new SUV.

Best used small SUVs

The small SUV category has exploded in popularity over the past decade. These vehicles often offer the fuel economy of a hatchback but with the interior space and ground clearance of a larger car. Here are some small SUVs to buy on a budget.

Mazda CX-3

The Mazda CX-3 launched in Australia in 2015 and quickly became one of the best-selling small SUVs in the country.

You have a wide range of choices, with model years from 2015 until the present, automatic and manual gearboxes (automatic only for 2024), and petrol or diesel four-cylinder engines (petrol only for 2020 and onwards).

The CX-3 returns a claimed fuel consumption of 6.3L/100km for the petrol model and 4.7L/100km for the diesel model.

The Transport Accident Commission’s (TAC) howsafeisyourcar website gives the CX-3 a safety rating of 8/10, thanks to its electronic stability control, autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot warning, and dual frontal, side chest, and side head airbags.

All models across the lifetime of the CX-3 are similar, with only minor styling and facelift changes. The best year to buy is any model from 2021 onwards, with the updated infotainment system sporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from the base grade.

High-kilometre or early model examples start from $12,000 on the used market, while models sporting the updated infotainment system (2021 onwards) start at $21,000.

Hyundai Kona

The Hyundai Kona has been another major player in the used small SUV market since its introduction in 2017, placing in the top three most-sold cars in its segment in 2019 and 2020.

There are a plethora of trim levels, engine and driveline layouts to suit a wide range of budgets, including an AWD turbo-petrol four-cylinder, a front-wheel-drive naturally aspirated or turbo-petrol four-cylinder, a hybrid model, and an electric model.

The Kona has a claimed fuel consumption of 6.6L/100km for the front-wheel-drive petrol model, 6.9L/100km for the AWD model, and 3.9L/100km for the hybrid.

Howsafeisyourcar gives the Kona a safety rating of 10/10 for the 2021-current models (8/10 for the models older than 2021) thanks to its electronic stability control, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, driver attention detection, blind-spot warning, and dual frontal, side chest, and side head airbags.

All Kona year models and trim levels come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard, with the main differences between the trim levels being aesthetic exterior and interior changes.

High-kilometre and early-model front-wheel drive and AWD examples start from $16,000, while early electric models start from $25,000.

Best used medium SUVs

Mid-sized SUVs dominate the new car market, meaning you can score some serious deals on safe and reliable mid-sized options.

Mazda CX-5

It’s hard to mention anything about the best used SUVs on the market without the Mazda CX-5. The CX-5 held the crown of best-selling new SUV inAustralia for seven consecutive years (2012–2019).

The CX-5 was introduced into the Australian market in 2012 and has since gone through two generations. It offers petrol front-wheel drive, petrol AWD, and diesel options (diesel was discontinued for the 2024 model).

Howsafeisyourcar awards the CX-5 a safety rating of 10/10 thanks to its dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags. The 2022 model saw the addition of more standard safety features, including blind-spot detection, adaptive lighting, a smart braking system that will warn you when a collision is imminent and even apply the brakes when necessary, lane-departure warnings, and a driver attention system that monitors your fatigue.

The current-generation model features a 10.25-inch wireless head unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a plethora of Mazda driving assistance technology, including lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and smart brake support.

The early model Mazda CX-5s without all of the gadgets start as low as $7500 on the used market, but if you want a CX-5 from the more recent model years (2021 and onwards), they start at $20,000 and above, depending on the trim level.

Subaru Forester

Another car with tremendous heritage in Australia is the Subaru Forester. With the announcement of a new generation heading Down Under in 2025, the current generation is hitting the used market at sub-$20,000 prices.

The current-generation Forester (2019 and onwards) comes with just one engine and gearbox option across the whole range: a 2.5-litre flat four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine with an automatic gearbox powering the Subaru all-wheel-drive system, which returns an average fuel consumption of 7.4L/100km.

Subaru also offers a hybrid Forester with a 2.0-litre flat four-cylinder petrol engine combined with a 12.3kW electric motor that lowers your fuel consumption to a claimed 6.7L/100km. However, this model starts at $28,000 on the used market, so you will have to increase your budget.

Howsafeisyourcar provides a safety rating of 9/10 for this generation of Forester thanks to its dual front airbags, driver’s knee airbag, side airbags and head-protecting side curtains, as well as electronic stability control, auto emergency braking, blind-spot warning, lane-keep assist and reversing camera.

All trim levels from this generation come fitted with an infotainment screen equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

High-kilometre examples start from around $15,000, but a well-serviced, average-kilometre model can be found for around $20,000.

Best used large SUVs

It’s slightly more difficult to buy a newer seven-seater SUV for under $20,000, but it’s not impossible if you’re willing to sacrifice some luxuries for a safe and reliable car.

Toyota Kluger

You simply cannot look past the Toyota Kluger if you’re looking for an affordable and reliable used large SUV. Since its induction into the Australian market in 2003, it’s been the choice for families who don’t need all the off-road-centric hardware of a LandCruiser.

A budget of $20,000 will get you into a third-generation (2013 to 2019) model. This generation is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, which is offered with an automatic transmission only. You can choose between a front-wheel-drive and an all-wheel-drive layout.

This generation of Kluger comes standard as a seven-seater across all trim levels, and it features some luxuries like flat-folding seats for the third row if you don’t need the rear two seats, as well as reclinable second-row seating.

Because this is a bit of an older model now, it unfortunately doesn’t feature all the luxuries of things like Apple CarPlay or lane keep, but it does come equipped with lane-departure warning, pre-collision warning, and blind-spot monitoring systems.

This generation of Kluger did score a 6/10 on howsafeisyourcar only due to its dated technology on crash avoidance for vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists). Still, it did score five stars for crash avoidance and driver protection thanks to its seven SRS airbags, reversing camera, stability control, lane-departure warning, pre-collision warning and blind-spot monitoring.

High-kilometre examples do tend to pop up for around $16,000 on the used market, but you can expect to pay around $20,000 with an average amount on the odometer.

Mitsubishi Outlander

The Mitsubishi Outlander is one of the newest seven-seater SUVs you can pick up for under $20,000. It has been a consistently good seller on the Australian market since its size upgrade from offering five seats as standard to seven seats in 2013.

The facelifted third-generation model (ZL/ZK 2016 to 2021) is the best option for buyers on a budget as it often features fewer kilometres, has more standard equipment than the base model, and is able to seat seven passengers.

All trim levels are powered by a four-cylinder engine, with the choice of a 2.0-litre or a 2.4-litre, and a choice of four-wheel drive or front-wheel drive across both engine choices. A 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel is also available in four-wheel drive only.

Howsafeisyourcar gives the ZL/ZK generation of Outlander a safety rating of 6/10 due to the lack of autonomous emergency braking as standard. However, it does offer five out of five stars for driver protection and protection for other road users thanks to its dual frontal, side chest, and side head airbags and a driver’s knee airbag.

The base-model Outlander offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from 2017 or newer, so if you value your interior gadgets, any model newer than 2016 is a good choice for you.

You can expect to pay around $12,000–$15,000 for a 2016 facelifted model, but later examples with fewer kilometres tend to hover around the $20,000 mark.

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