- The seven most affordable SUVs with three-row seating
- Volkswagen Tiguan
- Mitsubishi Outlander
- Hyundai Santa Fe
- Kia Sorento
- Subaru Ascent
- Chevrolet Traverse
- Hyundai Palisade
Three-row SUVs are great for families with small children. Adults find comfortable seating up front, the middle row is accessible for child safety seats or bigger kids, and the back row is perfect for smaller kids who love climbing into their own space. However, expensive third-row SUVs often exceed family budgets, so what are seven affordable options?
2022 Volkswagen Tiguan | VW Media
The seven most affordable SUVs with three-row seating
A vehicle’s purchase price isn’t the only consideration when calculating overall cost-of-ownership, says iSeeCars, but it’s an excellent place to start. Based on the starting MSRP of 27 base trim three-row SUVs, the average price is $43,404, and there are 17 less-expensive examples on the iSeeCars list.
So, let’s dig deeper into the top seven most affordable models.
Volkswagen Tiguan
The Volkswagen Tiguan starts at $26,950 for new base models and tops out at $38,000, with used prices starting at around $19,000. The Tiguan provides above-average reliability, excellent resale value, and a high safety rating, earning an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for 2022.
The Tiguan’s drivetrain features a 184-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter I4 with front-wheel drive (FWD) that returns an EPA-estimated 24 mpg city and 27 mpg highway fuel economy rating.
Mitsubishi Outlander
Starting MSRP for the base-trim Mitsubishi Outlander is $27,595, and used model prices fall to $16,995. With superior reliability and safety scores, the Outlander received a higher overall iSeeCars score than the Volkswagen Tiguan, but its higher new price hurt its affordability rank.
The Outlander gets an EPA-estimated 26 mpg in town and 27 mpg on the highway, thanks to its 181-hp 2.5-liter I4, continuously variable transmission (CVT), and FWD.
Hyundai Santa Fe
With even higher iSeeCars scores for reliability, safety, and overall, the Hyundai Santa Fe is hard to ignore, although its MSRP breaks the $28,000 mark, and used prices start at close to $20K. The Santa Fe also gets good fuel economy, but the EPA-estimated 24 mpg city and 26 mpg highway figures are lower than the previously mentioned SUVs.
However, it’s also more powerful, with 191 horsepower provided by the standard 2.5-liter I4, and it comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission instead of a CVT.
Kia Sorento
The Kia Sorento starts at $29,990 new and used prices dip under $18K. In addition, the Sorento provides above-average reliability and safety, earning an IIHS Top Safety Pick for 2022.
Like the Santa Fe above, the Sorento features a 191-hp 2.5-liter I4, eight-speed automatic transmission, and FWD to get an EPA-estimated 24 mpg city and 26 mpg highway rating.
Subaru Ascent
The $33,895 Subaru Ascent earned iSeeCar’s top score for safety but used prices still start over $28K making it less budget-friendly than some other three-row SUVs. It also suffers from lower EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings at 21 mpg city and 22 mpg highway.
However, the Ascent provides features not found on other base-model SUVs, like a 260-hp 2.4-liter turbocharged horizontally opposed four-cylinder (H4) engine and standard all-wheel drive (AWD).
Chevrolet Traverse
The Chevrolet Traverse also offers above-average reliability and safety, with new prices starting at $34,520 and used model pricing falling to around $20K. However, fuel economy drops to an estimated 20 mpg city and 21 mpg highway thanks to the 310-hp 3.6-liter V6, nine-speed automatic transmission, and FWD drivetrain.
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Hyundai Palisade
The Hyundai Palisade starts at $34,950, and used prices aren’t much lower since it’s a relatively new offering introduced for the 2020 model year. Its long-term reliability is unrated, but it gets iSeeCars’ top safety score and a 2021 Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS.
With its 291-hp 3.8-liter V6 and eight-speed automatic transmission, the FWD Palisade gets an EPA-estimated 21 mpg on city streets and 22 mpg on the highway.
Keyword: 7 Most Affordable Third-Row SUVs