Which Compact SUV Has the Most Cargo Room?

One of the reasons compact SUVs are so popular is because of their utility, which is thanks in part to their sometimes capacious open cargo areas behind the rear seats. So when we gathered seven popular models to find the best compact SUV for 2025, we made sure to measure their cargo areas to see which one had the most space.

It can be difficult to compare cargo areas from automakers’ specs alone since they don’t all measure cargo space the same way. That’s why Cars.com measures the space behind the backseat — as well as any underfloor storage space — so our cargo numbers are directly comparable to each other regardless of brand.

2025 Compact SUV Challenge
Results | Winner | Real-World MPG | Cargo Space

After crunching the numbers, here’s what we found:

Compact SUVs With the Most Cargo Space

1. 2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid: 21.8 cubic feet
2. 2025 Honda CR-V hybrid: 20.2
3. 2024 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid: 18.6
4. 2025 Nissan Rogue: 18.5
5. 2025 Mazda CX-5: 17.6
6. 2025 Chevrolet Equinox: 16.7
7. 2025 Subaru Forester: 16.5

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With 21.8 cubic feet of cargo space, the Tucson Hybrid had the largest cargo area overall. To put that into perspective, that’s about as much as a smaller three-row SUV like the Jeep Grand Cherokee L or redesigned Hyundai Santa Fe. In this comparison test, the difference between the compact SUV with the most cargo room behind the backseat and the one with the least was a little more than 5 cubic feet, but some of the other SUVs also performed well in certain areas that may be important to you.

Widest Cargo Area

• Subaru Forester (43 inches)

The Forester’s 16.5-cubic-foot cargo area was the smallest of the ones in our test, but the width of its cargo area — 43 inches — was the widest we measured and was 2 inches wider than the next-widest cargo area. The extra inches could mean the difference between your cargo laying flat on the cargo floor or being perched at an angle between the rear wheel housings.

Tallest Cargo Area

• Nissan Rogue (24 inches)

When determining how much cargo space an SUV has, we measure to the top of the rear seatbacks rather than the roof of the vehicle because unrestrained cargo can become dangerous projectiles in an accident. With its Divide-N-Hide cargo floor removed, the Nissan Rogue’s 24-inch-tall cargo space led all other SUVs, with the next-closest Tucson Hybrid having a 23-inch-tall cargo area.

Most Underfloor Storage

• Chevrolet Equinox (1.9 cubic feet)

The Equinox was the clear leader when it came to underfloor storage space, with its 1.9 cubic feet of space roughly 1.5 cubic feet greater than the next-closest Forester’s underfloor storage. Underfloor storage is great for storing smaller items that don’t have to take up space in the main cargo area. And of the SUVs in our test, four of them (the CR-V hybrid, CX-5, RAV4 Hybrid and Rogue) didn’t have any underfloor storage at all.

If you’re looking for more compact SUV cargo measurements or measurements for larger SUVs, cars and minivans, check out our full list of vehicles we’ve measured, where you can see by vehicle class which models have the most cargo space.

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