Breadcrumbs [Home](/index%2Ephp/) > [The Best SUVs For Different Lifestyles](/index%2Ephp/markdownify/node/3486) ![The Best SUVs For Different Lifestyles](https://media.slman.com/6ezO8MLLxwQsnOfAtgIdNuKuc3s=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fsl-man-260325-site-assets-best-suvs-hero-thumb.jpg) Image: @AstonMartin [Life](/index%2Ephp/life) / 26 March 2025 # The Best SUVs For Different Lifestyles More than half of all the cars sold around the world are now SUVs. High driving position, luggage space, off-road ability – practicality is key to their appeal, but it’s not everything. That’s why we’ve rounded up the SUVs that aren’t just good at their jobs. From a sporty Italian runaround to a retro pearl that isn’t afraid to get dirty, these are the best-in-class models that also look great doing those jobs… ByTobias Gourlay Image: @AstonMartin [ ![Porsche Macan](https://media.slman.com/7GX5yTPFYs5RKZhdxIm7pXH_q64=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fsl-man-best-suvs-porsche-credit-porschegb.jpg) ](https://www.porsche.com/uk/models/macan/macan-models/macan/) Porsche Macan @porsche_gb ## Best Small SUV ### Lexus LBX Its size and efficient hybrid system make this 2025 Car of the Year award winner cheap to run, yet its cabin exudes a quiet luxury, helped by plush accents, privacy glass, heated seats and some new vibration-dampening bits of kit. Nifty around town, it settles beautifully on a motorway – and we’re here for the full-width rear lightbar that has become a Lexus signature. The LBX is smart enough to hold its own in a corporate setting, but if this is your weekend runaround, loosen up and check out the primary colours it comes in. Visit [Lexus.co.uk](https://www.lexus.co.uk/new-cars/lbx) ## Best Medium SUV ### Porsche Macan The Macan is Porsche’s biggest-selling car in the UK. There are no secrets to its success: this is a premium marque offering high performance, easy driving, quality interiors and – crucially for this list – a sleek exterior. An electric Macan arrived in 2024, and for the next few years you can take your pick between the two. Whichever route you go down, these are Porsches. They’re fast. Visit [Porsche.com](https://www.porsche.com/uk/models/macan/macan-models/macan/) [ ![Jeep Avenger](https://media.slman.com/7eY2Ja338VoxKP-7OsObIGf7Soo=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fsl-man-best-suvs-jeep-avenger.jpg) ](https://www.jeep.co.uk/jeep-avenger/e-hybrid) Jeep Avenger ## Best Large SUV ### Range Rover Not the Evoque. Not the Velar. Not the Sport. Just the pure and original Range Rover. Made and designed on these shores not just to withstand but to impose itself on the British weather and countryside, it remains one of the UK’s greatest gifts to the world. This latest model arrived late in 2023 as only the fifth in half a century. For the first time, there are hybrid and electric versions to allay fears about the petrol guzzling, while a new emphasis on luxury interiors only enhances the Range Rover’s classic appeal. Nothing commands the road quite like it. Visit [RangeRover.com](https://www.rangerover.com/en-gb/range-rover/index.html) ## Best For The City ### Jeep Avenger Urban runarounds are not what Jeep is known for, but the Avenger is the brand’s smallest car for decades. Quick off the mark at traffic lights, it’s visibly still a Jeep – and we like it when a maker leans into its design history. As well as petrol, there are hybrid and electric options to help you outmanoeuvre congestion and ULEZ charges. If compact and fully electric are your requirements, also keep an eye out for the [Renault 4](https://www.renault.co.uk/electric-vehicles/r4-e-tech-electric.html) that’s due out very soon. Visit [Jeep.co.uk](https://www.jeep.co.uk/jeep-avenger/e-hybrid) ## Best For The Country ### Toyota Land Cruiser Some SUVs have evolved far from their origins as off-roaders. Others have not. In looks and build, the new Toyota Land Cruiser harks back to those older models that were always in the background of news reports from 80s and 90s conflict zones. It’s a burly, boxy beauty that looks like you could take it anywhere and, thanks to its proper 4x4 chassis, you actually could. Potential owners have one crucial decision to make: do you want the round headlights or the rectangular ones? (The correct answer is round.) Visit [Toyota.co.uk](https://www.toyota.co.uk/new-cars/land-cruiser) [ ![Range Rover](https://media.slman.com/rd039_MOMSsGK8g50aytB2zRcX0=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fsl-man-best-suvs-credit-rangerover.jpg) ](https://www.rangerover.com/en-gb/range-rover/index.html) Range Rover @RangeRover [ ![Aston Martin DBX](https://media.slman.com/prdCkeeaFffzCR0Z65VIRUR2oH8=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fsl-man-best-suvs-aston-martin.jpg) ](https://www.astonmartin.com/en-gb/models/dbx707) Aston Martin DBX @AstonMartin ## Best Value SUV ### Peugeot 2008 Don’t sleep on Peugeot. The French maker might have dozed through the first two decades of the 21st century, but it’s woken up now – and a change of logo has given it a new edge. Behind the updated badge of the 2008 sits a sporty grille that says it is here to compete in a crowded market. A small, squared-off steering wheel enhances the mild feelings of raciness. Order in all black and you’ll have a match for any Audi Q2s or VW T-Rocs on the street – at a good price. Visit [Peugeot.co.uk](https://www.peugeot.co.uk/models/new-peugeot-2008/hybrid-petrol.html) ## Best Luxury SUV ### Aston Martin DBX A thrilling SUV could sound like an oxymoron. SUVs are usually designed to provoke feelings of safety and security. Not this one. It’s perfectly safe and secure, of course, but the DBX is also an Aston Martin. The throaty exhaust, the lightning acceleration, the shark-like front grille – they’re all here. This is a magnificent motor that stays true to its marque while putting the sport back into sports utility vehicle. Visit [AstonMartin.com](https://www.astonmartin.com/en-gb/models/dbx707) ## Best Electric SUV ### Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica 280 Veloce No compact electric car promises as much fun as this souped-up Alfa while looking so good. Alloys, tinted windows and lowered suspension are all incorporated with Italian levels of class. The extra performance comes at the price of range – the Veloce needs charging more regularly than many rivals – but the lovely driving experience is generous compensation. And nothing says you are a design-first person of discernment like an Alfa V-shield on the driveway. Visit [AlfaRomeo.co.uk](https://www.alfaromeo.co.uk/models/junior-elettrica) [ ![Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica 280 Veloce](https://media.slman.com/SkAGgy-GJ_7LTjTFSCaHQacpU_A=/1920x0/smart/filters:no_upscale()/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fsl-man-best-suvs-alfa-romeo-junior.jpg) ](https://www.alfaromeo.co.uk/models/junior-elettrica) Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica 280 Veloce ## Best Hybrid SUV ### Hyundai Santa Fe We’re excited to see more manufacturers moving beyond the jelly-mould designs that have defined and homogenised new cars for too long. Hyundai’s Santa Fe is named for the city in New Mexico and the American influence on its design is clear to see – until Rivians land on these shores, this should be your blocky, roomy SUV of choice. Only available in Europe as a hybrid, it’s competitively priced versus its seven-seat rivals and cool enough to make the kids proud of you. Visit [Hyundai.com](https://www.hyundai.com/uk/en/models/all-new-santa-fe-plug-in-hybrid.html) ## Best For Style ### Land Rover Defender The original Land Rover has always been distinctively itself, staying true to its first purpose as a genuine off-roader. Having ploughed its own furrow, it’s now reaping the rewards. Sales are skyrocketing for the current models, which meld new levels of comfort with design cues that throw back to those earlier editions that outdoorsy and military types still love to throw around the countryside. There are currently four Defenders in the range – on looks alone, we’d start with the three-door 90 and work upwards. Visit [LandRover.co.uk](https://www.landrover.co.uk/defender/index.html) [ ![Hyundai Santa Fe](https://media.slman.com/cbace-k15iS-hAUxtaOB4vwCEms=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fsl-man-best-suvs-hyundai-sante-fe.jpg) ](https://www.hyundai.com/uk/en/models/all-new-santa-fe-plug-in-hybrid.html) Hyundai Santa Fe [ ![Land Rover Defender](https://media.slman.com/7hUYwwEtO_fg6Leo2WOfPaSjgqw=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F03%2Fsl-man-best-suvs-defender-credit-ashtongohil_0.jpg) ](https://www.landrover.co.uk/defender/index.html) Land Rover Defender @ashton_gohil DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at .