Jeep Cherokee vs. Hyundai Tucson vs. Toyota RAV4: Which Small Hybrid SUV Is Best?

• What's new: The redesigned Cherokee is now offered exclusively with a hybrid powertrain.
• Why it matters: That improves fuel economy, and the Cherokee also has a larger interior now — two areas where the previous version fell short.
• Edmunds says: Though it's certainly better, the Cherokee still needs some improvements to compete with the Toyota RAV4 and the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid.

3rd place: Jeep Cherokee

• Edmunds Rating: 6.3/10
• The good: Larger interior adds backseat room; more efficient than before
• The bad: Doesn't offer good value; driving experience is unrefined

Let's get one thing out of the way immediately: This new Cherokee is a big improvement over the old one. Fuel economy and passenger room are two things compact SUVs need to be competitive in today's landscape, and Jeep has addressed those shortcomings directly with the Cherokee's updates, stretching it out and transitioning it to hybrid power. And it's great for car seats, with its extra-wide door openings and easily accessible lower LATCH anchors.

However, in such a hotly contested vehicle category, better is unfortunately not good enough for the Jeep to rise to the top. It simply feels a step behind the other SUVs in this test on driving refinement and interior design/materials quality. But its biggest issue is value. The Cherokee we tested wasn't even a top trim level (we had a Limited model), and its price tag ($44,585 as tested) was over a thousand dollars more than the fully loaded Hyundai.

A Trailhawk version of the Cherokee seems to be imminent, with the same hybrid powertrain, and offering extra off-road capability would give it some added appeal that its competitors can't match, but on the road, the Jeep still has some catching up to do.

2nd place: Toyota RAV4

• Edmunds Rating: 8.1/10
• The good: Efficiency advantage; ample small-item storage; standard dash cam
• The bad: Cabin materials need improvement; smaller back seat

The best-selling vehicle in America, the RAV4, got its own redesign for 2026. And like the Jeep, it has also moved to hybrid (or plug-in hybrid) power only and received a much-needed technology update, including larger screens for both the infotainment and the instrument cluster. It also added the ability to mirror directions from Apple CarPlay/Android Auto in the cluster and a standard dash cam, and it's the only compact SUV that can say that. It also has more storage cubbies and shelves than you will have things to put in them, including pockets tucked in behind the door handles.

The hybrid system was also updated, offering gains in both efficiency and performance. Fuel economy was bumped up to 44 mpg combined with FWD and 42 mpg combined with AWD, easily the best figures in this comparison. And at our test track, the RAV4 Limited completed the sprint from 0 to 60 mph mph in 7.5 seconds — that's over a second quicker than the Cherokee's 8.7-second time.

Where the RAV4 falls short is its interior, both in terms of size and refinement. The top-trim Limited model we tested doesn't offer enough luxury for its $46,883 price tag, and it offers less backseat room than the Jeep or the Hyundai. It's big enough to fit adults up to 6 feet tall, but installing car seats will be tougher with its smaller door openings and tighter confines. 

1st place: Hyundai Tucson Hybrid

• Edmunds Rating: 8.8/10
• The good: Great cabin regardless of price; flexible cargo area; great value
• The bad: Not as efficient; exterior styling isn't for everyone

The Tucson Hybrid ran away with this contest, and if we look beyond the overall score to our seven different category rankings, the Hyundai won three of them outright (driving, comfort and value) and tied for first in two others (technology and X factor) with the RAV4. And the 2026 Tucson Hybrid is also one of our highly recommended SUVs in our most recent set of yearly Edmunds Top Rated awards.

Its value proposition is hard to ignore, with its excellent warranty coverage and long list of standard and optional features. The fully loaded Limited trim in this test was the cheapest vehicle of the three, and it had the most appealing cabin, in terms of design, materials and overall usability. Even though it's 5 inches shorter than the Cherokee, it has more rear legroom and more comfortable seats (front and rear) than the Jeep or the Toyota. And we also liked its flexible cargo area, with a two-tier floor and handy pulls in the rear to lower the back seat without having to walk around.

It isn't as efficient as the RAV4, with only 36 mpg combined (AWD comes standard). And the Tucson Hybrid's exterior styling is quite busy, especially up front, which won't be to everyone's taste. But, if we're being frank, it's hard to find faults with the Hyundai given how well rounded it is, and that's a big part of the reason it was the clear winner of this contest.