Volkswagen Taos

The six SUVs that were part of our recent Affordable SUV Challenge were smaller, subcompact models, and there were some significant differences in the amount of cargo space they offered.

The 2023 Volkswagen Taos is more likable than its second-to-last-place finish in Cars.com’s 2023 Affordable SUV Challenge suggests thanks to a plucky, efficient powertrain and ample room for people and stuff.

New SUVs are expensive, so we tested six affordable SUVs priced around $30,000 to find which one is best.

IQ.Drive incorporates safety tech such as adaptive cruise control and lane departure steering assist with active lane-centering steering, giving the driver a second set of eyes (or sensors) on the road at all times.

See how the Latch system and each car seat scored in our Car Seat Check of the 2023 Volkswagen Taos.

Our analysis of the best value new cars for 2023 shows that budget-conscious shoppers don’t have to limit themselves to just one vehicle type.

Now standard across the 2023 Taos lineup are forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian monitoring, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

According to IIHS, the 2022 Taos fell short in the passenger-side small overlap and head restraint tests.

The overall pace of these reveals is on par with 2021 introductions, though 2022 also features an acceleration of new electrified SUVs.

Amid car inventory shortages, these 18 models have high sales, better-than-average availability and current listings at least as numerous as November’s estimated sales on Cars.com’s platform.