First introduced in 1999, the X5 is now in its fourth generation, and the current iteration is the best midsize luxury SUV you can buy in 2020. Its powertrain options are refined, its transmission. The 2020 Audi Q5 is our highest-rated small luxury SUV, is a Best Buy award winner, and gets a plug-in hybrid option.

SUVs aren’t typically the vehicle of choice for seniors. But that is starting to change.

As SUVs become smaller, more fuel-efficient, and are easier to get into and out of, they offer a number of benefits for more seasoned drivers.

This includes more room utility, a higher ride height with better visibility, more cargo-carrying capacity, superior all-weather driving capability, and more room for family, groceries, and grandkids.

Best Luxury Subcompact Suv 2020 Reviews

And seniors who opt for a crossover model don’t have to compromise on safety. All of the models listed below are 2020 Top Safety Pick models from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Below are our picks for the best 2020 SUVs for seniors.

Hyundai Kona

The Kona is a subcompact crossover with a starting price of about $22,000. The model has a relatively upscale interior with simple, user-friendly controls.

The Kona comes with a host of standard features that are perfect for older drivers including forward collision warning, driver attention monitor, lane keep assist, and a rear-view camera.

The model has an easy to get into ground clearance of 6.7 inches.

Hyundai Santa Fe

The Santa Fe is a good value in the midsize SUV class. It’s also a good option for older drivers. It comes with a host of useful safety features including Safe Exit Assist, which prevents passengers from exiting the vehicle when cars or bicycles are approaching from behind.

The Santa Fe is easy to get into for its size with large door openings and 7.4 inches of ground clearance. Being in the midsize class, it seats five and has a good amount of cargo space with a high cabin to stretch out.

Mazda CX-5

The CX-5 is one of the best compact SUVs for seniors. It has a modest 7.5 inches of ground clearance and blends agile handling and fuel-efficiency with a sharp interior.

For 2020, the CX-5 has newly added standard drive assistance and maintains its user-friendly tech features.

Honda CR-V

The CR-V is a great compact SUV for senior drivers. It combines excellent fuel economy, good power, a spacious interior, comfortable seats with a large cargo area for its class.

The CR-V is a fantastic choice for seniors needing to load a walker or scooter. It has a hands-free lift-gate available, along with a power lift-gate and a low lift-over height.

The model’s safety features include road departure mitigation, lane keep assist, and adaptive cruise control. The CR-V combines quality, value, and utility making it a great choice for senior drivers, despite its 8.2 inches of ground clearance with all-wheel drive.

KIA Telluride

The Telluride is an all-new model for 2020. With ample size and comfortable seating for up to eight, the Telluride is a top SUV choice for seniors in the three-row crossover class.

The Telluride has a powerful V6 engine and smooth, composed ride for family trips while still getting 26-mpg highway. Despite being a larger vehicle, the Telluride has a manageable eight inches of ground clearance.

Best Small Luxury Hybrid Suv 2020

The Telluride also has the Safe Exit Assist feature, as seen in the Santa Fe, which prevents children from opening the rear doors when danger looms. It also has driver attention monitor and pedestrian detection, and a lot of safety tech, to allow seniors to feel confident and safe driving it. The model is also a great vehicle if you’re an overweight driver.

For senior drivers looking for a three-row SUV with lower ground clearance, consider the Honda Pilot, which is in the latter stages of its current generation but has aged well, at 7.3 inches and the Chevrolet Traverse at 7.5 inches. The Traverse also has one of the largest, most spacious interiors in the class.

Mercedes-Benz GLE

The GLE is a compact luxury crossover from the German automaker. In base form, the model tows a robust 7,700 pounds with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine.

Equipped with the latest safety features, the GLE has a ground clearance of 7.1 inches. The 2020 GLE has a starting price of $56,000 and is a good choice for older drivers who want to arrive in comfort, safety, and style.

Tesla Model Y

If you’re a senior in driving an electric SUV, the Model Y is a great choice. The Model Y has a powerful motor and can gain over 280 miles of range on a full charge.

The Model Y has a low center of gravity with a ground clearance of only 6.6 inches. This affords excellent handling, a spirited driving experience, and easy ingress and egress.

More Fuel-Efficient SUV Models for Seniors

Older drivers looking to save at the pump may also want to consider the RAV4 Hybrid. This compact crossover delivers an excellent EPA-estimated 41-mpg city and 38-mpg highway.

The RAV4 Hybrid has reasonably quick acceleration and standard all-wheel drive. One drawback for the RAV4 may be its 8.4 inches of ground clearance, which could be a bit of a hurdle for older drivers.

Best Luxury SUVs For Seniors

Some of the top picks for luxury SUVs for seniors include the Acura RDX, Lexus NX, and Cadillac XT6. You can learn more about those models and their safety features here.

In addition to the above, other valuable features to consider for seniors when choosing an SUV would include power-adjustable seats, key-less entry ignition, climate control zones, and larger controls.

And if you’re a dog owner, take a look at these 2020 dog-friendly SUVs.

Ground Clearance Can Vary Significantly

In reviewing our 2015 article on best SUVs for seniors, you’ll notice several models no longer make the list. Vehicles models can change quite a bit year to year.

In the case of the Toyota RAV4, the 2020 model has a ground clearance of 8.4 inches. In 2015, it was 6.3 inches to get into. This more than two inches difference can happen when a model is redesigned.

And among vehicle classes, the Model Y’s ground clear inches is more than two inches less than a Subaru Forester.

Consumer Reports (CR) has published its annual vehicle reliability survey. The survey ranked cars, trucks, and SUV models on 17 potential trouble spots including engine, power equipment, body, and electronics. The cumulative score of a company’s models determines the brand’s overall reliability ranking for 2021 models.

The CR survey, which includes over 300,000 vehicles, determines predicted reliability for new vehicles on a 0-100 scale, with the average vehicle being between 41 and 60 points. The fewer the problems, the higher the score. Due to insufficient data, or brands not having enough vehicles, some brands and models were not included in these ratings.

The Most Reliable 2021 SUV

In the survey findings, the Lexus NX. The NX is the company’s entry-level compact crossover with a starting price under $40,000.

The NX blends interior comforts, with lots of standard safety features, and great reliability. It was just one model that helped push Lexus to 3rd overall in brand reliability ratings.

Overall, the top 5 most reliable SUVs in the reliability survey were the NX, Buick Encore, Lexus GX, Honda HR-V, and Hyundai Kona. These models cover the subcompact, compact, luxury, and full-size SUV categories.

The Least Reliable 2021 SUV

The CR survey found that the Ford Explorer was the least reliable SUV. The Explorer was plagued with problems in its engines, electronics, power equipment, body, and transmission. It scored a paltry 1 out of 100 in the reliability survey.

The Explorer, which was redesigned for 2020, was plagued by a rushed production. More specifically, this caused problems with faulty seats, digital displays with buggy software, and loose wiring harnesses.

“The Ford Explorer, redesigned for 2020, is one of the lowest scoring models from any manufacturer — domestic or foreign — this year” – Consumer Reports

The redesigned Ford Escape compact crossover didn’t perform much better. And the subcompact Ecosport crossover was another downer. Overall as a company, Ford did poorly finishing in the bottom 5.

The other lease reliable SUVs based on the survey were the Subaru Ascent, Volkswagen Atlas, Jeep Compass, and Volvo XC90.

The Least Reliable Car Brand

Ford’s luxury brand, Lincoln, finished as the lowest-rated brand for reliability overall. However, there were other manufacturers they didn’t have enough data to rank including Fiat, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Mitsubishi, and Land Rover.

Lincolns were plagued with similar problems as described with the Explorer with the Aviator and Corsair having poor reliability.

Mazda Has the Most Reliable Cars

Overall, for the first time ever, Mazda ranked first as the brand with the most reliable vehicles. This is a big win for the Japanese automaker to dethrone Toyota and Lexus at the top spot of the annual vehicle reliability survey.

Mazda’s small CX-3, still subcompact CX-30, and compact CX-5 also performed well in reliability ratings, all scoring 85 or better.

These types of consistent results helped push Mazda into the most reliable car brand spot. We recently ranked the CX-30 on our best SUV list.

The Top 5 Most Reliable Car Brands

In 2020, Lexus took the top spot in the survey. The LS model didn’t fare as well this year and that contributed to dropping the luxury automaker to the third spot. Lexus’ parent company Toyota finished second in the reliability survey for 2021 models.

Buick and Honda rounded out the top five most reliable car brands. Honda’s midsize crossover, the Passport, had reported reliability problems.

What Helped Mazda Have the Most Reliable Vehicles?

Based on the survey Mazda’s success with reliable vehicles is due in part to their use of more durable, six-speed automatic transmissions in lieu of continuously variable transmissions (CVTs).

CVT use is growing in popularity among automakers but they tend to be more fragile and less reliable. That means more repairs, more expense, and a lower reliability score.

Mazda has accomplished while still maintaining above-average fuel economy in their vehicles. And with their crisp handling and quality fit and finish, their vehicles are known to be fun to drive.

CR also noted that Mazda takes an iterative approach to vehicle design. Instead of making wholesale changes on models, they take a more gradual approach to change. This has lead to less flaws with defects and other unexpected flaws due to new technology.

Despite having less emphasis on cabin tech, Mazda still garners excellent safety ratings. It’s subcompact CX-3 model earned an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick+ award for its crash test ratings.

However, if you like touch screens, large infotainment systems, or other advanced tech, Mazda may not be the brand for you.

The Most Improved 2021 SUV

Buick was the most improved brand for reliability, jumping up 14 spots to the 4th spot overall among carmakers. Its subcompact crossover, the Encore, showed significant improvements in reliability and came in as the second most reliable crossover model.

Other brands that showed improvement in reliability included BMW, with its midsize X5 model making gains, Volvo, with its XC40 performing well, and Jeep with the Wrangler doing better.

German SUV Reliability

Porsche was the highest-ranked European automaker finishing 9th overall among automotive brands in the reliability survey.

Audi was in the middle of the pack. The A5 and A4 models both rated above average. However, its reliability rating was hurt by the subcompact Q3 crossover, the new tech-heavy midsize coupe crossover Q8, and its e-tron electric SUV. These models were found to have below or well below average reliability in the study.

Mercedes may do well on the innovation, comfort, and technology side but they didn’t fare well in reliability. Mercedes finished last among German automakers in the 20th spot.

Tesla Reliability

Tesla’s new Model Y crossover, unfortunately, didn’t fare so well in the CR reliability survey. Reported issues with fit and finish including misaligned body panels and mismatched paint tanked its rating.

The Model Y’s rating was much worse than average. It dragged the electric automaker down to the penultimate spot in the reliability rankings, ahead of only Lincoln.

Keep Reliability in Mind When Buying an SUV

Vehicle reliability is important as not only is it a major headache when your SUV is in the shop, it can be downright costly. Not only can it increase your maintenance and repair costs, but it also can decrease the resale value of your vehicle.

You can learn more about the CR reliability survey and get the overall brand ratings list here. To view how rating have changed over the past year, check out our most and least reliable 2020 SUVs article.

Had a good or bad experience with a 2021 SUV model? We want to hear from you. Please share your experience in the comments below.