Your membership has expired

The payment for your account couldn't be processed or you've canceled your account with us.

Re-activate

Best Compact SUVs for Maximum Cargo Space

Consumer Reports’ experts identify the top-rated small SUVs with the most functional room for luggage, groceries, and gear

cargo space of 2023 Subaru Forester showing cooler, blanket, hiking pack, and lantern
Rear seats that fold down flat allow compact SUVs to carry bulky items.
Photo: Subaru

Cargo space is a key factor when choosing a compact SUV, but automakers’ measurements don’t always reflect what you can actually fit inside. While they tout the maximum volume, the actual space may not be practical for carrying luggage or bulky items.

You might think that stepping up to a midsized SUV is the better choice. But many compact SUVs offer comparable cargo room while delivering better fuel economy.

To assess real-world usability, Consumer Reports measures the largest “box” that can fit into the cargo area with the rear hatch closed. Our testing reflects only the space you can use, giving a clearer picture of the SUV’s true cargo capacity.

In this article Arrow link
More on SUVs

Below, we feature the mainstream and luxury compact SUVs with the most usable cargo space based on our testing. They’re ranked by size in cubic feet, with the top performer first. Every model is recommended, meaning it has average or better predicted reliability based on our Annual Auto Surveys, which this year analyzed real-world repair data for approximately 380,000 vehicles.

Each model comes standard with automatic emergency braking (AEB), AEB that works at highway speeds, blind spot warning (BSW), and rear cross traffic warning (RCTW) unless noted otherwise.

As a CR member, this article and list are available to you, and you have access to all our exclusive ratings and reviews for each vehicle we buy and test, as well as full access to exclusive ratings and reviews for every product we buy and test, including grills, mobile phones, appliances, and flat-screen TVs. Used-car shoppers can click through to the model pages for information on these vehicles from older model years.

Sign up for CR’s Cars email newsletter to be notified when we post our latest road tests.


Become a member to read the full article and get access to digital ratings.

We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.