First, we must agree on the acronym: SUV in French means Sport Utility Vehicle and it is often used rightly or wrongly by Francophones who talk about SUV for Sport Utility Vehicle. That being said, some dealerships will talk to you about used SUVs or used SUVs, but know that it's the same thing.

At AutoStudio 72 in Mirabel near Saint-Jérôme, Saint-Eustache, Laval and just a few minutes from Montreal, we love used SUVs and this article aims to help you make a better choice. But first, you need to know which SUV category interests you.

What are the SUV Categories?

The SUV market is getting bigger and more complex. There are sub-compact SUVs such as the Hyundai Kona, Subaru Crosstrek or Nissan Qashqai for example, but we could just as easily talk about the Toyota C-HR, Honda HR-V, the famous Kia Soul or the Mitsubishi RVR. Then there are luxury sub-compact SUVs, such as the Audi Q3, Volvo XC40, BMW X1/X2, Lexus UX or Cadillac XT4, etc.

Next are the compact SUVs, such as the popular Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, Mazda CX-5, but also the Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Nexo, Nissan Snape, etc. More luxurious models include the Audi Q5, Acura RDX, Porsche Macan, BMW X4, Mercedes-Benz EQC and GLC, Volvo XC60, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque and Velar, etc.

If you think we’ve named them all, think again, because we can't ignore mid-size SUVs like the Ford Explorer, Honda Passport and Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride, Kia Sorento, the renowned Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Murano, Toyota 4Runner, etc. Luxury vehicles in this class include the Audi Q7 and Q8 models, the BMW X5 and X6, the Porsche Cayenne, the Lexus GX, the Tesla Model X, the Infiniti QX60, the Volvo XC90 and the Mercedes-Benz GLE, etc.

Finally, large SUVs include the Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Toyota Sequoia and Nissan Armada. At the top end of the market, consider the BMW X7, Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-Benz GLS, Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LX, Infiniti QX80 and Land Rover Range Rover.

Based on this exhaustive list, it's fair to say that the SUV market is expanding and it can be difficult to make an educated choice. AutoStudio 72 in Mirabel, a pre-owned vehicle dealership on the North Shore of Montreal, has been there for you for decades. Relying on used vehicle analysts and extensive experience in the industry, they rank their results by category before naming their top 5 picks.

The Front-Runners

In the sub-compact SUV category, the Hyundai Kona, Subaru Crosstrek and Nissan Qashqai are excellent SUVs with good resale value; depending on the model, the 2015 to 2019 model years are a good choice. In the high-end segment, the Volvo XC40, Audi Q3 and BMW X1 and X2 also offer impressive features and a very attractive resale value.

In the used compact SUV category, the popular Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-5 are featured, but it is probably Audi's Q5, Acura's RDX and BMW’s X3 that form the core the used luxury compact SUV category.

For mid-size SUVs, the used Ford Explorer, Honda Passport, and also the Honda Pilot are popular models. In terms of mid-size luxury pre-owned SUVs, the Audi Q7 and Q8 as well as the BMW X5 and X6 are the most popular.

Finally, when it comes to large SUVs, the used Ford Explorer wins the prize in addition to the Chevrolet Suburban, while the Lincoln Navigator and the used Cadillac Escalade are the top luxury picks.

The Top 5 Pre-Owned SUVs

After putting them all in category, it’s hard to choose just five, but when we take a closer look, the stand-out used SUVs are (in no particular order) the Toyota RAV4, Honda Pilot, Mitsubishi RVR, Hyundai Tucson and Subaru Crosstrek, thanks to their reliability and high performance. They are all very good SUVs – reliable, robust and efficient. Although this ranking is based mostly on our experience in the SUV industry, be aware that the SUVs mentioned in this article generally rank easily in the top of their category. However, it will become increasingly difficult to establish a purely technical ranking because at some point, more subjective factors come into play when choosing a used SUV.

At AutoStudio 72 in Mirabel, we have the full range of used 2015 to 2019 SUVs that come inspected, low mileage and excellent resale value. Come and meet us in Mirabel, near Saint-Jérôme, Saint-Eustache and Laval to discover our vast inventory of used SUVs. We are waiting for you.