These are the most reliable used SUVs to buy in 2026

From a 2020 Nissan Armada with a near-perfect reliability score and 8,500-pound tow rating to a 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid with the lowest cost to own

The used SUV market solves a problem the new-car market has made increasingly acute: the price of a new vehicle. Average transaction prices for new SUVs have risen well above what most household budgets accommodate without significant financial strain, and the used market gives buyers access to vehicles whose mechanical reliability is now measurable and documented, not speculative. A used SUV with a J.D. Power reliability score in the 88-91 range is not a gamble. It is a vehicle whose ownership history across a large population of buyers has produced a quantifiable answer to the question of how often it will need unscheduled repairs.

The scoring system that produced this list uses J.D. Power reliability scores as the primary ranking criterion, with a score of 91-100 rated Best, 81-90 rated Great, and 70-80 rated Average. Five-year average ownership costs, which account for maintenance, repairs, insurance, and fuel, serve as the tiebreaker. The combination gives a complete picture of what the vehicle will cost to keep on the road beyond the purchase price, which is the calculation that matters most for the buyer whose goal is dependable transportation at a reasonable total cost.

The 10 SUVs below appear in U.S. News and World Report, ranked by J.D. Power reliability score with ownership cost as the tiebreaker. The list spans full-size and subcompact SUVs, luxury and mainstream segments, and model years from 2018 through 2023. J.D. Power reliability scores are based on survey responses from owners in their first few years of ownership, which means the scores reflect actual experience across a large sample, not engineering predictions, and a high score indicates that a meaningful number of real owners have confirmed the vehicle’s dependability through the accumulated record of their own experience.

1. 2020 Nissan Armada scores 91 and tows up to 8,500 pounds

The 2020 Nissan Armada has a J.D. Power reliability score of 91 out of 100, tying it with the 2018 Lexus GX at the top of this list. The Armada wins the tiebreaker on ownership costs, with a five-year cost score of 7.5 out of 10 compared to the Lexus’s 6.9. The 91 score is worth contextualizing: the J.D. Power scale ranges from 0 to 100, but scores above 92 are exceptionally rare in practice, which puts the Armada at the functional ceiling of what the scale produces in the real-world vehicle population.

The V8 engine gives the Armada more horsepower than most full-size SUV rivals, and the powertrain delivers confident performance in both city and highway driving. The towing capacity of 8,500 pounds gives it a practical utility that the crossover-based full-size alternatives do not match: a trailer, a boat, or a camper within that weight range is within the Armada’s capability without supplemental equipment. The tradeoff is fuel economy, which trails the class average by a meaningful margin and will affect the five-year ownership cost calculation for buyers who put significant annual mileage on their vehicles.

The cabin seats up to eight people across three rows, with adult-friendly room in all three rows, which gives the Armada a passenger capacity that three-row crossovers in the same price range deliver with less interior space per occupant. The cargo room behind the third row is the Armada’s main interior compromise, running smaller than some competing full-size SUVs. The buyer who prioritizes reliability and towing at the lowest available ownership cost among full-size used SUVs will find the 2020 Armada the most complete option currently on the used market. The Armada’s truck-based body-on-frame construction gives it a durability advantage in high-load situations over the unibody crossovers that dominate the full-size segment, and the full-time four-wheel drive available on upper trims gives the towing capacity and off-pavement capability additional operational depth in adverse conditions.

2. 2018 Buick Envision earns a 90 score with luxury for less

The 2018 Buick Envision has a J.D. Power reliability score of 90 and a five-year ownership cost score of 8.3 out of 10, making it the highest-rated vehicle on this list. The Envision’s case rests on qualities the luxury compact SUV segment does not consistently deliver at this price point: genuine reliability, a serene cabin with minimal road noise, rear seats that slide and recline for added passenger comfort, and a fuel efficiency rating that leads its segment class.

The interior does not match the lavishness of the top luxury compact SUVs, but it provides the quiet, well-insulated driving environment that Buick has built its brand identity around, and the rear seat adjustability gives it a practicality advantage over competitors whose rear bench is fixed. The base engine is notably underpowered and worth avoiding. Finding a used Envision with the optional turbocharged engine upgrade is the specific search parameter that makes the difference between a satisfying purchase and a frustrating one. The turbo variant gives the Envision enough power to manage highway merging and passing without the hesitation that the base engine produces under load.

The Envision’s fuel efficiency gives it a running cost advantage over the segment average that compounds over the ownership period: a luxury compact SUV that consistently delivers better-than-average fuel economy reduces the ownership cost gap between the luxury and mainstream segments. For the buyer who wants a luxury cabin experience at a mainstream price with documented reliability,........

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