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2025 Car Mileage with the Best Gas MileageOur Favorite Used SUVs under $30,000
We've found the top 5 used SUVs under $30,000 that you can get today. Don't get caught paying full price for a new SUV when these are a better value.Get More Value from a Gently Used SUV
$30,000, that fine line when used cars stop being bare-basic transportation and start teetering on the ragged edge of luxury. You can save big money buying pre-owned over brand new, but you have to be a little smarter with your money when the wheels already have some miles.
We can’t do all the leg work for you, but we can at least give you a nice head start. These are a handful of the best SUVs you can buy pre-owned that you and your family won’t find to be a rip-off.
2020-2023 Kia Telluride
Nowadays, the first-generation Telluride mid-size crossover gives all the comforts of established brands, plus some very impressive practicality, tech and features, plus acceptable fuel economy for a non-hybrid drivetrain.
You can take one home used for a figure in the neighborhood of $25,000 to $30,000. Will it beat Toyota or Honda in terms of reliability? That’s a tougher question. But at least until recall data tells us otherwise, it should be a gamble worth taking.
2019-2022 Volkswagen Atlas
Ditto everything we said about the Telluride and give it a particularly German flavor for the VW Atlas. On the used market, the sweet spot for a used example puts you in and around the Atlas’ 2021 refresh with a restyled front end and a re-vamped interior to go along with a grunty 3.6-liter V6 or a fuel-sipping two-liter four-pot.
The cheapest two-row Atlas Cross Sport we could find hovered at $21,999 before taxes and fees. A normal three-row Atlas? That’ll set you back at least $26,590 from what we’ve found, a good parallel for the Telluride to compare and contrast. Ultimately, it’s down to personal preference between the two.
2021-2023 Mazda CX-9
We tend to take jabs at American manufacturers for selling the same model generation for what feels like a decade or more. But the Mazda CX-9 is starting to get up there in years. Dropped from production in the US in 2023 and soon to follow everywhere else, this downside on the new market is your benefit pre-owned.
A serviceable 2.5-liter turbo four-cylinder platform with highway fuel economy in the lower 30s and city performance not too far behind can be had for in the neighborhood of $26,000 to $30,000, depending on variables like trim packages and whether it is a 2WD or AWD example. With a little digging, you can find one that’s just right for your family.
2022-2023 Nissan Pathfinder
First things first, this does NOT apply to the now-defunct fourth-generation Pathfinder. With its horrendous Jatco CVT that’s liable to break before you’re done paying the vehicle off, we could never recommend one in good faith. Its newer gen-V counterpart, with its proper nine-speed ZF automatic transmission and 3.5-liter V6 engine is a much more tempting offer.
With a little digging, you can find a 2021 or newer Pathfinder for sale used in the high $29,000 area or not much more, depending on the trim and the mileage. Suspect Nissan reliability is a demon that’s not yet been proven to be totally exercised, so you better keep up on oil changes just to be safe.
2014-2019 Toyota 4Runner
Remember everything we said about the CX-9 and being long in the tooth? Well, the fifth-generation Toyota 4Runner is an even worse offender. But any 4×4 in production for that long in a market this competitive has some serious chops.
You get a tried and true muscly four-liter V6 under the hood, acceptable features, especially in the last few model years, and a guarantee of reliability that should offset the god-awful fuel economy. You’ll have to buy a slightly older model with around 100,000 miles on the clock if you want to stick close to an under $30k budget. Still, there’s not that much difference between old and new to cause buyer’s remorse.
2020-2023 Ford Explorer
You’d be surprised how quickly Ford’s gotten their act together in regard to their bread and butter Explorer. A comprehensive generational refresh back in 2020 did wonders, making the Explorer look, feel, and drive better than any before it. Reliability-wise, the 300-horsepower, 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo four-cylinder under the hoods of all non-police Explorers sans-ST has proven surprisingly reliable thus far.
Fuel economy is improved, too. Though, not by much, given the high-strung small engine in a large SUV situation. We’re talking 18 cities and 24 highways at the best of times. So keep up on oil changes like it’s a religion and your investment. You can even get a high-roller Platinum trim for under $30,000 if you play your cards right.
2021-2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
There’s a reason this was the pound-for-pound best-selling plug-in electric hybrid SUV for years on end. Acceptable driving characteristics, space for up to seven people, albeit very small ones in the rear, and fuel economy of 25 city, 27 highway, make for tempting prospects in today’s economy.
Most Outlander PHEVs at this price point will consist of older third-generation examples. But Mitsubishi dealers are starting to offload a first round of pre-owned gen-IVs at the very knife’s edge of $30,000. Not a bad deal at all, considering what you get for the money.
2023 Toyota bZ4X/Subaru Solterra
Perhaps the most underperforming electric SUV to hit the market in quite some time, the twin Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra are bare-basic suburban transportation with a middle-of-the-road range between 222 and 252 miles. But truth be told, that’s all most people need an electric SUV to be. As a petroleum-free runabout at an entry-level price point, this electric wedge has some real legitimate virtue.
Subaru and Toyota are practically begging people to buy these EVs, which, truthfully, Toyota at least probably never wanted to build in the first place. The bulk of their R&D is in hybrids and hydrogen technology. But what this means is you can buy a fairly nice, up-trimmed trade-in bZ4X or Solterra with practically no miles on the clock for well south of $30,000. Can you say the same about a Model Y or Model X? That’s a difficult question to ponder.
2020-2024 Subaru Outback
Yes, the Subaru Outback is an SUV nowadays, and the recently reported upcoming seventh generation likely won’t be much different. Now that we’re over the shock, the current sixth generation has some real high points with the choice of a fuel-sipping 2.5-liter boxer engine or a sportier 2.4-liter turbo engine, plus rear legroom and trunk space for days.
Want a sub-$30,000 SUV? How about one you can score used for under $20,000 if they play their cards right. If you do want to spend more, you can take home an up-trimmed gen-VI Outback that’s far more luxurious than the Subaru badge would lead on.
2022-2023 Kia Niro EV
Yes, it’s technically a crossover, not a large hatchback. Yes, we chose the electric one. Why? Because while the ICE-powered Niro is a great little daily driver, its electric counterpart showcases the essence of why Kia established itself as a force in the the last decade or so.
A Niro EV as young as the 2023 model year can be found for a hair under $29,000. With a range of 253 miles, it might not perform better than a Solterra or a Bz4X, but it’s certainly a more interesting car than either of those. Toyota and Subaru might be more desperate to offload their own EVs, but it’s a safe bet that the Niro is worth saving up for over their competition. It’s a fun, peppy, entry-level access point to the world of EVs, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all.
