Attention Young Families: The Best Hybrid SUVs for Your Needs

Many families are young, just starting out, realizing the enormity of raising children in this modern world. Not everyone’s like you, with a five-car-garage full of: one sports car, one hypercar, a sports sedan, a luxury sedan, and one practical family hauler that does everything else and which you use almost all the time for just about everything.

Many young families can only afford one car. And if so, why not make it fuel-efficient, too, to save on expenses? Why not make it a hybrid SUV? A hybrid combines an internal-combustion engine with an electric motor to boost mileage across the board. As the vehicle slows to a stop or coasts down a long hill, the electric motor switches to generator duty and converts the momentum of the vehicle into electricity, which is stored in the onboard battery for use when it launches from the next stop sign. It’s a practical solution to vehicle efficiency, in this case packaged in a highly practical crossover utility body.

We have purposely left out plug-in hybrids, the super-efficient crossovers with big batteries that can be recharged by plugging in to the wall socket and can drive 30 or more miles on electricity alone. Here, we’re focusing on just the standard hybrids. Hence, we present here a list of some of our favorite hybrid SUVs, mostly the more affordable ones, since this is a list for families. So start with the Hyundai and work your way up.

2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid

Base Price: $34,645

MPG: 38 City/38 Highway/38 Combined

You can’t argue with 38 mpg, especially when you also get 137.8 cubic feet of interior space, seating for five, and a sticker price that’s within the budgets of most families.

The Blue is the least-expensive trim level of the practical Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, with a total system output of 226 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. It gets 59 hp from its permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor and 180 hp and 195 lb-ft from its 1.6-liter gasoline direct injection four-cylinder engine (with a hybrid, you can’t just add gas engine and electric motor outputs—it’s physics, argue it with Isaac Newton). That’s an appropriate amount of oomph to pull the 3692-pound crossover anywhere you want to go.

For even more efficiency, step up to the Hyundai Tucson plug-in hybrid, which increases weight by 423 pounds to accommodate a larger battery, but miles per gallon equivalent shoots up to 80, and you can go 33 miles on electricity alone. But this isn’t a PHEV!

While the Tucson was all-new in 2020, that smooth exterior styling treatment will likely be replaced for 2025 or soon after. Which means you may get a good deal, if you do your homework. Good luck.

2024 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

Base Price: $32,575

MPG: 41/38/40

The 2023 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has one gasoline-fed engine and two—count ‘em, two—electric motors. One is the typical Toyota pancake motor bolted between the gasoline engine and the (unfortunately for performance enthusiasts) CVT driving the front wheels, and the other sits at the rear, driving the rear wheels. This makes AWD a standard feature, and increases the RAV4 Hybrid’s appeal in the northeast, the upper Midwest, the Rocky Mountain states, or anywhere an owner might ever want to go skiing. All three power sources combine for an output of 219 hp.

Inside, Toyota's next-gen infotainment screen—better than the previous interface—includes standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as over-the-air update capability.

A total of 136.4 cubic feet of interior space for passengers and cargo makes it a practical people hauler for small families.

2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid

Base Price: $30,825

MPG: 43/36/40

It’s safe to say the Honda CR-V is a popular vehicle here in the US. Honda sold its 5 millionth example in the States in 2019 and is on its way to move over 200,000 units out showroom doors this year, half of those hybrids. The CR-V first launched in 1997 and is now in its sixth generation, so it still looks fresh. The hybrid was added in 2020, featuring Honda’s “award-winning” two-motor hybrid system. The system in this CR-V is the fourth-generation of Honda hybrid and the new CR-V is the first to get it.

There is a wealth of technical information available on the new hybrid: Its two electric motors are now side-by-side instead of right next to each other in line. The stronger propulsion motor now has more torque at 247 lb-ft (+15 lb-ft) while maintaining its 181 hp over a broader range of motor rpm, thereby improving response. There’s also a direct-drive gearset with a low-speed lockup clutch that allows the engine to drive at city speeds and means the CR-V can tow up to 1000 pounds, not a lot but a first for the two-motor hybrid system.

Yeah, yeah, but does it work for my small but growing family? Yes! Total system power from the 2.0-liter inline four combined with the “high-traction” electric motor and the lithium-ion battery is 204 hp, less than the RAV4 and Tucson hybrids but offering better mileage than the Hyundai and about the same as the Toyota.

Inside it’s loaded with comfort and control features, from Apple and Android compatibility to Bluetooth connectivity on a seven-inch touchscreen. There is 142.8 cubic feet of interior volume for all your worldly possessions. It features a CVT like its competition, so that’ll sap some fun, but they all do, so consider it a strong entrant on your list of possible family hybrid SUVs.

2023 Ford Explorer Hybrid

Base Price: $55,595