There are 231 SUV variants on sale new in Australia with a list price under $50,000. That is a lot of tabs to keep open, so we did the filtering. Every figure below is read off the model's own entry grade rather than the range topper, because the entry grade is what the "from" price actually buys you.
This isn't a sponsored list, and nobody can pay for a spot on it. The rankings come from our database of more than 8,500 Australian model variants, ANCAP's published ratings, and manufacturer fuel and capacity figures.
How We Ranked Them
Each SUV was scored across five equally-weighted categories:
- Safety (20%). ANCAP stars and test year, plus active safety kit on the entry grade (AEB, blind spot monitoring, lane keep, rear cross traffic alert)
- Fuel Economy (20%). Combined L/100km on the ADR 81/02 cycle, as published by the manufacturer
- Practicality (20%). Boot space, seating capacity, braked towing capacity, ground clearance
- Value (20%). Price against the standard equipment on the entry grade, plus warranty length
- Technology (20%). Screen size, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, reversing camera, driver assists
One thing we deliberately leave out: resale value. We don't hold recorded used sale prices for these cars, so putting a five-year resale percentage in a ranking would mean making one up. Where resale matters to you, treat it as your own judgement call rather than something this page has measured.
Prices at a Glance
Entry-grade prices, grouped by powertrain. These are manufacturer list prices and exclude on-road costs, except the Skoda Karoq: Skoda Australia publishes a recommended drive-away price and no list price at all, so its figure already includes registration, CTP, stamp duty and dealer delivery. That makes it look dearer here than it is against the rest of this table.
Petrol
| Model | Entry grade | From | L/100km |
|---|---|---|---|
| MG ZS | Vibe | $22,990 | 6.7 |
| Nissan X-Trail | ST 2WD 5-seat | $38,140 | 7.4 |
| Kia Sportage | S FWD Petrol | $38,490 | 8.1 |
| Hyundai Tucson | Active Petrol | $39,100 | 8.1 |
| Mazda CX-5 | G25 Pure AWD | $39,990 | 7.4 |
| Skoda Karoq | Select 110TSI | $40,990 drive-away | 6.6 |
| Honda CR-V | VTi X+ | $41,800 | 7.1 |
| Subaru Forester | AWD | $45,990 | 7.9 |
Hybrid
| Model | Entry grade | From | L/100km |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Yaris Cross | GX Hybrid 2WD | $31,790 | 3.8 |
| Toyota RAV4 | GX Hybrid 2WD | $45,990 | 4.5 |
Top 10 SUVs Under $50,000
1. Hyundai Tucson, From $39,100
The Tucson leads on the combination of safety, screen and warranty. Five-star ANCAP from the 2021 test, AEB, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise and lane keep all standard on the Active, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen on the cheapest grade in the range. The 2.0L petrol is rated at 8.1L/100km and the boot holds 539L with the seats up. Warranty is five years, unlimited kilometres.
Why it wins: nothing else here puts a 12.3-inch screen and that much active safety on its entry grade at this price. Worth knowing: rear cross traffic alert is not fitted to the Active, and the only other Tucson on sale is the Elite Hybrid at $48,100, which adds all-wheel drive, 172kW and a 12.3-inch driver display, and drops fuel use to 5.3L/100km.
→ Compare all Tucson variants on CarSorted
2. Mazda CX-5, From $39,990
The CX-5 is new for 2026 and it has the freshest safety credential on this list: five stars from ANCAP's 2025 testing, where most of its rivals here were rated back in 2021 or 2022. ANCAP requirements are revised over time, so a recent test year is worth paying attention to. The 2.5L petrol returns 7.4L/100km, the boot is 466L, and braked towing is 1,800kg.
Why it's here: all-wheel drive is standard on every CX-5 grade sold here, not an option you climb the range for, and the entry Pure gets a 12.9-inch touchscreen and a 10.3-inch driver display.
→ Compare all CX-5 variants on CarSorted
3. Kia Sportage, From $38,490
Kia's seven-year unlimited-kilometre warranty is among the longest in Australia, and the Sportage pairs it with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, five-star ANCAP from 2022, and 543L of boot space. The 2.0L petrol S is rated at 8.1L/100km.
Worth knowing: the hybrid is the efficiency pick at 4.9L/100km with a bigger 586L boot and 1,900kg of braked towing, but the S HEV starts at $44,450, so it eats most of the gap to the top of this list. The base S pairs its 12.3-inch touchscreen with a conventional 4-inch driver display, not the twin-screen setup you see in the brochure photography.
→ Compare all Sportage variants on CarSorted
4. Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, From $45,990
The RAV4 is the efficiency and packaging pick among the mid-size SUVs here: 4.5L/100km combined, 143kW, and a 705L boot that is the largest on this list by a clear margin. The GX gets a 10.5-inch touchscreen, a 12.3-inch driver display, AEB, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise, lane keep and rear cross traffic alert.
Worth knowing: the Australian RAV4 range is now hybrid and plug-in hybrid only, so there is no petrol version to compare against or to save money on. All-wheel drive costs $3,350 over the front-driver and lifts braked towing from 800kg to 1,500kg. We don't hold an ANCAP rating for the current RAV4 generation.
→ Compare all RAV4 variants on CarSorted
5. Subaru Forester, From $45,990
Every Forester comes with symmetrical all-wheel drive. No front-drive base model, no options list to climb. At 220mm it has the most ground clearance of any SUV on this list, and it is five-star ANCAP against the 2024 protocols with EyeSight driver assist standard. The 2.5L petrol is rated at 7.9L/100km, the boot is 496L and it tows 1,800kg braked.
Worth knowing: rear cross traffic alert is not fitted to the base AWD grade. The hybrid sits just above it at $46,490 and returns 6.2L/100km, though towing drops to 1,200kg.
→ Compare all Forester variants on CarSorted
6. MG ZS, From $22,990
The cheapest SUV on this list by more than $8,000, and it is not stripped out to get there. The Vibe has a 10.3-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, a reversing camera, AEB, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise, lane keep and rear cross traffic alert, and the current ZS carries a five-star ANCAP rating from 2025. The boot is 443L, which is only 23L off the Mazda CX-5 for $17,000 less.
The real headline: ten years or 250,000km of warranty, double what most of this list offers. The trade-offs are size and capability rather than equipment: 81kW, 6.7L/100km, and 500kg of braked towing, which is second-lowest here ahead of only the Yaris Cross.
→ Compare all MG ZS variants on CarSorted
7. Nissan X-Trail, From $38,140
The X-Trail is the towing pick at the cheap end: 2,000kg braked on every petrol grade, 585L of boot, 205mm of clearance and five-star ANCAP from 2021. The 2.5L petrol returns 7.4L/100km.
Worth knowing: the seven-seat layout is a separate variant rather than an option box, and it is four-wheel drive only, so it starts at $41,140 and the third row cuts the boot to 465L. The e-POWER hybrid drivetrain, where the petrol engine charges a battery that drives the wheels electrically, is rated at 6.1L/100km and starts at $48,915, which puts it right on the ceiling of this list.
→ Compare all X-Trail variants on CarSorted
8. Skoda Karoq, From $40,990 Drive-Away
Read that price differently to the rest of this list. Skoda Australia publishes a recommended drive-away price and no list price at all, so the $40,990 on the Karoq Select already covers registration, CTP, stamp duty and dealer delivery, where every other number here is a list price you still have to add those to. On a like-for-like basis the Karoq is a few thousand cheaper than its position in the table suggests. It is also the efficiency pick among the petrol SUVs here at 6.6L/100km, which is 1.5L/100km better than the Sportage and Tucson on the same fuel. It sits on the VW Group MQB platform it shares with the Tiguan, and it has the "Simply Clever" details Skoda is known for, including an umbrella in the door and an ice scraper in the fuel flap. The boot is 521L, mid-pack on this list rather than class-leading, and it tows 1,500kg braked.
Worth knowing: we don't hold an ANCAP rating for the Karoq, so if a published safety rating is a hard requirement, check it with Skoda before you commit. The 8-inch touchscreen is the smallest on this list alongside the X-Trail's, though it is paired with a 10.3-inch digital driver display.
→ Compare all Karoq variants on CarSorted
9. Honda CR-V, From $41,800
The CR-V is the practicality pick among the petrol SUVs here. The VTi X+ holds 589L with a flat load floor, second only to the RAV4 on this list, with 140kW, 7.1L/100km, and Honda Sensing active safety standard across the range.
Worth knowing: the CR-V is rated four stars by ANCAP against the 2024 protocols, the only pick on this list scored below five, so weigh that if safety is your first filter. The seven-seat VTi L7 is $42,750 but leaves only 150L behind the third row, and the e:HEV hybrid is $51,400, which puts it outside this list entirely.
→ Compare all CR-V variants on CarSorted
10. Toyota Yaris Cross, From $31,790
If you want an SUV for city driving and tight parking, the Yaris Cross is the frugal end of the segment: 3.8L/100km, the lowest figure on this list, and five-star ANCAP from 2021. The boot is 390L, which is remarkable for the footprint.
Worth knowing: the whole Australian Yaris Cross range is hybrid now, so there is no cheaper petrol version underneath it. All-wheel drive is available from $34,790 and costs you 76L of boot space and 0.2L/100km. Braked towing is 400kg, so it is not a trailer car.
→ Compare all Yaris Cross variants on CarSorted
The Full Comparison
Want to see how these SUVs compare on specific specs? Use our comparison tool to filter every SUV under $50k and compare them side-by-side across hundreds of data points including towing, fuel figures, safety features, and more.
What About Chinese SUVs?
Brands like Chery, GWM Haval and MG are now serious contenders on equipment and price. The GWM Haval Jolion starts at $27,990 and the Chery Tiggo 7 at $27,500, both with five-star ANCAP ratings and seven-year unlimited-kilometre warranties. For context, that is roughly $10,000 under the cheapest Japanese or Korean mid-size SUV on this list.
The honest caveat is time. These nameplates have not been on sale here long enough to have a settled used market, so nobody can tell you what one will be worth in five years, ourselves included. Our Chinese SUV comparison breaks down where they excel and where they fall short.
How Speed Affects Your Range
If you're considering a hybrid SUV for long road trips, speed has a bigger effect on fuel use than most people expect, because aerodynamic drag climbs with the square of speed. The published combined figure blends urban and highway driving, so sustained 110km/h cruising will use more than the number on the window sticker. Use our Speed vs Range calculator on any comparison page to model it for the specific cars you're weighing up.
Our Methodology
Every number in this article comes from manufacturer specifications in our database and ANCAP's published safety ratings. Fuel figures are the manufacturer's combined ADR 81/02 claims, which is a laboratory cycle rather than a promise about your commute. Prices are entry-grade list prices and exclude on-road costs. We don't accept payments from manufacturers or dealers. Read our full methodology.