Best SUV of 2026
2026 Honda Passport: Finalist
- Starting price: $46,245
- Cars.com-measured cargo room behind second row: N/A
- Maximum towing capacity: 5,000 pounds
Boxy, old-school good looks and genuine off-road capability are hallmarks of … wait … Honda? Meet the 2026 Honda Passport, a rugged and roomy mid-size SUV that’s eschewed its lifted minivan looks and wowed us with its comfort, capability and versatility.
The interior is well built and smartly designed, with a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Google Built-In and ample storage space for small and large items. There isn’t a bad seat in the house in the Passport, with oodles of space for passengers and still a ton of useful cargo space — plus fun accessories like a cargo cover that can do double duty as a picnic table.
But while passenger seating is great, we prefer to be in the Passport’s driver’s seat. It’s not especially quick, but the SUV’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine delivers power smoothly and doesn’t sound strained or unrefined like some higher-output, higher-strung four-cylinder powerplants. The Passport is also tons of fun to drive off-road, with genuine capability that rivals some body-on-frame SUVs. But the Passport’s unibody architecture also delivers comfort and stability on pavement, allowing the SUV to be both a weekend toy and a daily driver.
Overall, the 2026 Honda Passport is an SUV that can get you comfortably to and from the trail and take on the trail itself, all without breaking the bank. That’s why it’s one of our finalists for Best SUV of 2026.
2026 Honda Passport Specs and Reviews | Find a 2026 Honda Passport Near You
2026 Toyota RAV4: Finalist
- Starting price: $33,350
- Cars.com-measured cargo room behind second row: 19.4 cubic feet
- Maximum towing capacity: 3,500 pounds
Updating a bestselling vehicle can be fraught, particularly when the model being replaced feels stale, but Toyota knocked it out of the park with the redesigned 2026 RAV4. It’s a great thing for Toyota, too, because it swung big: For 2026, every new RAV4 is either a conventional gas-electric hybrid or a plug-in hybrid.
For those interested in the new RAV4 — and considering that the prior version was the bestselling vehicle in the U.S. that wasn’t a pickup truck, that’s probably a lot of you — that means significantly greater fuel efficiency is now standard across the lineup. The least efficient 2026 RAV4 is now manufacturer-rated at 39 mpg combined.
Also standard is some seriously upgraded technology. A 12.3-inch digital instrument panel adorns the entire lineup and gives even the base trim level some upscale flair. Standard touchscreen real estate grows, as well, with a 10.5-inch display the new minimum and a 12.9-inch screen on higher trims. The new infotainment system works brilliantly and is currently the best of any Toyota currently on sale, with excellent responsiveness, crisp graphics and an intuitive interface.
Given how good the new Toyota RAV4 is, it’s perhaps not surprising that it’s among our finalists for Best SUV of 2026. We wouldn’t be surprised to see its sales dominance continue, either.
2026 Toyota RAV4 Specs and Reviews | Find a 2026 Toyota RAV4 Near You