The Peugeot 3008 is striking on the outside and just as eye-catching on the inside, where it’s also very practical. However, it makes it onto this list of the best petrol SUVs thanks to its 1.2-litre PureTech engine.

With 130PS, it makes the Peugeot feel nippy and the thrummy noise it emits under acceleration gives it bags of character, although it’s actually very quiet at a cruise. Its small size also means it's very economical and you can expect it to return up to 50mpg at a steady pace.

Large infotainment screens – complete with slick animations – dominate the Peugeot’s interior and the dashboard has a pretty sculpted design. Its striking appearance doesn't come at the expense of practicality, though, and the Peugeot has room inside for four adults along with a large boot. 

The Skoda Kodiaq is one of the best petrol SUVs you can buy thanks to its high-tech 1.5-litre engine. It’s also very nicely built inside, comes with excellent infotainment and is spacious and comfortable, too.

The Kodiaq’s 1.5-litre petrol engine is very clever, it can turn off half its cylinders when they’re not needed to save fuel, before sparking them back into life – when you need the extra power – almost imperceptibly. 

A large and practical interior makes the Kodiaq a great family car – it has space for up to seven people, there are loads of useful storage areas hidden about the cabin and the boot is larger and easy to load. 

The Kodiaq was replaced with a new model in 2024, and although the Mk2 is great, it's not a massive step on from the Mk1, so buying a used Mk1 instead could be a very shrewd purchase that saves you a great deal of money.

The SEAT Arona is a great little SUV, which is why it makes it onto this list of the best petrol SUVs. It’s smart-looking on the outside as well as being spacious and well-built on the inside.

It comes with an excellent range of engines including a 115PS 1.0-litre petrol that is capable of nearly 50mpg. It produces a characterful thrum under acceleration but is quiet when you're cruising and, because it’s turbocharged, it’s even pretty quick.

Inside, the Arona has a fuss-free layout thanks to a central infotainment screen that is easy to navigate and helps cut down on buttons. The Arona’s not a big SUV, so it’s a testament to its packaging that it has room for four adults and quite a lot of luggage. 

The Audi Q5 is one of the most comfortable SUVs you can buy: its optional air suspension takes the edge off bumps beautifully and you can specify it with acoustic glass that keeps wind noise at bay. 

You can have it with a 45TFSI engine, which is Audi-speak for a 2.0-litre petrol with 265PS. It gets the car from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds and hits 151mph flat out, so it is pretty brisk, as well as more hushed and smoother than a diesel model. It should return more than 30mpg, which isn’t too bad in a car like this.

Audis are famed for their cabin quality and the Q5’s doesn’t disappoint. Its dashboard feels so solid it could have been cut from stone, and the high-definition infotainment screens are eye-catching. To cap it off, the Q5’s back seats are very spacious and the boot is large and very well designed.

If you’re going to treat yourself to the best petrol SUV then you can’t go wrong with a Range Rover, assuming you have the deep pockets needed to fuel it.

There are a coupe of six-cylinder choices in the shape of the P360 and P400, but with a Range Rover, you might as well 'go big or go home', with one of the BMW-sourced V8 petrol engines. The numbers in their names roughly equate to the amount of metric horsepower they have , and when those names are P530 and P615, you know there's no shortage of power on tap.

While these versions on the Range Rover have sports-car-like performance in a straight line, the car is much more of a comfortable cruiser than a corner stormer, just like you'd expect. The suspension glides over bumps and cracks in the road like they’re not there.

The Range Rover’s interior is very posh inside – with wood and leather everywhere you look – and its low glass line makes it feel very airy. Thanks to its boxy body, the Range Rover has space for four adults and its boot is very practical.

While the old Suzuki Vitara (called the Grand Vitara) was a burly off-roader SUV, this one feels light on its feet and impressively agile. It’s interior is well-equipped and spacious, and you can have the Suzuki Vitara fitted with a sprightly petrol engine.

Called the BoosterJet, this 1.4-litre is turbocharged to give the Suzuki a useful turn of speed when you need it, but doesn’t cost a fortune to run thanks to mild-hybrid technology. The Vitara handles more like a hatchback than a clumsy traditional SUV, so you can have fun on country roads, but it’s easy to drive in town.

Inside, you get sporty touches like circular air vents, a three-spoke steering wheel and you can finish the interior with colourful highlights. There’s room inside for four adults and the boot will happily swallow the monthly shop. 

The Ford Puma is one of those rare cars that manages to satisfy both the head and the heart. The rational side of your personality will enjoy the plentiful cabin space with solid build quality and a pleasant finish, plus the spacious boot with its ingenious 'Megabox' feature. This is a large plastic-lined compartment under the boot floor with a drain plug at the bottom: perfect for storing muddy boots, or you can even fill it with ice to keep drinks cold on a day out.

The more frivolous side of you will love the fact that it's a sensational car to drive, with the kind of deftly polished ride-and-handling balance that can only be match by the now-defunct Ford Fiesta (with thich the Puma happens to share its mechanicals). It's so good that it shames most cars, regardless of their price.

The Puma is available exclusively with petrol power, with 1.0-litre mild hybrid engines giving 125PS or 155PS, while if you go for the sporty ST version, you can have a 1.0-litre with 170PS or a 1.5 with 200PS. There's isn't a bad option among them.

Ferrari might have said it will never build an SUV, but you can have the next best thing in the form of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, which has an engine developed by Ferrari. It’s very sporty for an SUV but it’s also practical enough for family duties.

The Quadrifoglio’s 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine produces 510PS (uprated to 520PS in 2024), which is enough to get it from 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 175mph. Body control in corners is excellent and the Alfa’s quick steering makes it feel very responsive.

Inside, the heavily cowled dials and circular air vents are satisfyingly sporty cues, and you can pay extra for beautiful carbon-backed sports seats that are very supportive. Adults in the back will feel like they have plenty of space and the Quadrifoglio’s boot is also large and practical. 

The Citroen C3 Aircross is one of the best petrol SUVs thanks to its fuel-sipping PureTech engines. There’s a lot more to like besides that, though: it has highly customisable looks, so you can choose a model that suits your style, and its spacious interior is equally striking.

You can choose from two 1.2-litre PureTech engines, but the 130PS model is our pick because it's quite nippy but also very easy on your wallet. The PureTech engines’ three-cylinder design means they have a characterful thrum under acceleration, but cruise quietly on the motorway.

Considering its relatively small size, the C3 Aircross has plenty of space inside with room for four adults and a boot that a labrador will be happy to get settled in. Its cabin is bright and colourful compared to the more sombre interior in other small SUVs. 

Don’t be fooled by the Suzuki Jimny’s small size: this is a proper little 4x4 SUV with off-roading ability to match its chunky looks. It only comes with a petrol engine, which is why it wins a place on this list of the best petrol SUVs. 

There’s a utilitarian charm to its interior that’s hard not to like, helping you forgive the fact that it doesn’t look or feel particularly expensive. The Jimny will carry four adults at a push, although you might be better off folding away the back seats for more boot space.

The Jimny’s 1.5-litre petrol engine has enough poke to allow you to keep up with traffic, but the Jimny feels most at home off-road where its four-wheel drive and low-range gearbox gives you plenty of traction on slippery terrain. Just because it's small, though, don't go thinking it's all that cheap. It's been discontinued as a new car (although you can still buy a commercial vehicle version), and strong demand on the used market has pushed prices up by quite a lot.