7 Of The Best Toyota SUVs, According To JD Power

Toyota is one of the world's top-selling automakers and SUVs are one of the most popular vehicle segments, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that Toyota's lineup is filled with a broad array of SUV models. Many of those models overlap to some degree — Toyota has multiple affordably priced SUVs, multiple three-row family haulers, and multiple off-road capable models. Not to mention, its multi-billion dollar commitment to bring more hybrid vehicles to the U.S. market, which includes SUVs. If you're not already very familiar with the brand's model range, filtering down your best options can get confusing.

To work out where to start, it's worth turning to owner surveys, such as those conducted by JD Power, to get an idea of the models that are consistently rated the highest. These seven models all feature as the survey respondents' top picks for 2025. SlashGear's review team has also put most of these models to the test, analyzing their performance and features compared to their rivals, as well as seeing if Toyota's claimed efficiency figures hold up in the real world.

For the 2025 model year, the Toyota Sequoia is available in a variety of trims, some of which that emphasize its off-road capabilities while others turn it into a luxurious family hauler. We weren't convinced that the 1794 Edition was the pick of the bunch, but still thought the Sequoia overall had plenty of appeal. Owners in JD Power's survey found plenty to like too, resulting in the car being given a score of 79/100 overall.

The Sequoia is more all-terrain capable than other full-size SUVs in its class, but it's no old-school trail crawler. Under the hood of every 2025 Sequoia sits a hybrid 3.5-liter V6 engine churning out 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque. We thought the added electrification made the Sequoia more responsive at low speeds than its rivals, and it helps nudge the car's mpg figures up too.

Pricing for the 2025 Sequoia starts at $64,475 (including a $2,050 destination fee), but quickly increases once you head further up the trim ladder. The off-road oriented TRD Pro trim costs at least $82,345, while the range-topping Capstone trim starts from $85,965.

Buyers won't win any points for originality by opting for a Toyota RAV4, but there's a reason why the model is the top-selling SUV in the country. It's practical, well-equipped, and sensibly priced, although drivers looking for an involved driving experience will want to look elsewhere. We spent a week with the 2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and didn't find any major surprises — Toyota has been understandably keen not to mess with its winning formula for the entirety of this generation of the car.

Under the hood of both the gas-powered RAV4 and the RAV4 Hybrid sits a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, although in the latter, it's complimented by an electric motor. A plug-in hybrid variant of the car is also available for buyers willing to regularly plug their car in, but unwilling to commit to Toyota's all-electric SUV, the bZ.

As well as a range of powertrains, the 2025 RAV4 also has a wide range of trims on offer too. The cheapest is the base-spec LE, which starts from $31,250 (including a $1,450 destination fee), while the priciest Hybrid Limited trim costs at least $42,605. The RAV4's 79/100 score from JD Power is slightly short of the very highest rated Toyota SUVs, but is still a competitive figure for its segment.

Slotting in Toyota's lineup below the RAV4, the Toyota Corolla Cross is another of the manufacturer's affordably priced SUVs. It starts from $25,585 (including a $1,450 destination fee), with the top-spec Hybrid XSE trim available from $33,130. It's available both with and without a hybrid powertrain, with the electrified car promising better fuel economy for a modest additional upfront cost.

After taking the hybrid variant of the current generation car through a mixed driving route in 2024, one of our main concerns was that reaching Toyota's billed fuel efficiency figures would require a very light foot in the real world. We hit an average of 36 mpg, while Toyota claims drivers can expect a combined 42 mpg. Our efficiency figure put the Corolla Cross Hybrid at a notable efficiency disadvantage compared to the similarly affordable Prius.

We also felt the Prius was the pick of the pair in terms of its general design and in-car tech, and survey respondents for JD Power weren't universally impressed either. They gave the Corolla Cross an "Average" rating for its driving experience, but high resale and reliability scores pushed its overall score to a very respectable 80/100.

It isn't quite as large as the Sequoia, but the 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander is still one of the roomiest vehicles in the brand's current lineup. There are three generously sized rows, enough room to carry a grocery shop with all the seats up, and a 5,000 pound towing capacity to haul around trailers or campers. For 2025, JD Power gave the Grand Highlander an 82/100 overall score, with its forecasted resale value standing out as a particular strength.

Despite the Grand Highlander's hybrid powertrain, we weren't particularly impressed by its efficiency when we put it through its paces earlier in 2025. Our recorded 23 mpg during mixed driving fell several mpg short of Toyota's own claimed efficiency figures of 26 mpg in the city. Our Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX Platinum tester didn't come cheap either, with the trim starting from $60,270 (including a $1,495 destination fee) for 2025. The base-spec Grand Highlander is significantly cheaper, starting from $42,355, but it misses out on much of the additional tech and interior niceties that made our test car appealing.

In terms of its family-hauling capacity, the Toyota Highlander has been usurped by the Grand Highlander, but it's still an appealing pick for buyers who don't need the extra space. The 2025 model received an overall score of 82/100 from JD Power. In its cheapest form, the 2025 Highlander starts from $41,815, only a few hundred dollars less than a base-spec Grand Highlander. Toyota offers a choice of pure-combustion and electrified powertrains, with the priciest trim being the Hybrid Platinum, which costs at least $55,970.

We tested the current generation back in 2023, and found it to be a competitive — albeit not especially memorable — entry into the three-row SUV segment. The hybrid powertrain was both more efficient and less sluggish than the non-hybrid, but it still wasn't especially efficient compared to its rivals. The car's interior was also suitably roomy, although given the minimal price difference, drivers concerned about hauling large families and their luggage would do well to consider the Grand Highlander instead.

Only one of JD Power's top-rated Toyota SUVs is no longer available to purchase new from the brand's dealerships. The Venza was killed off after the 2024 model year, being replaced by the Crown Signia. It isn't the first time that the Venza nameplate has been axed, either — a previous incarnation of the SUV was phased out in the mid-2010s thanks to low sales. It reappeared in its latest form in 2020, but only stuck around for a few years before being once again consigned to the archives.

The latest Venza never hit the sales highs of Toyota's most popular SUV models, with CarFigures reporting that the brand only managed to sell 32,086 examples of the car in 2024. A few hundred examples that were leftover from the final model year have been sold in 2025. That's despite the Venza being one of the most fuel-efficient SUVs of 2024 — at least on paper — and getting positive feedback from owners. According to JD Power's SUV rankings list, the Venza received a rating of 82/100.

The 2025 Toyota 4Runner is the launch year for an all-new generation that makes some significant changes compared to the outgoing SUV, but doesn't compromise on the key elements that have kept buyers coming back to it over the years. It's still just as off-road capable as ever, particularly in its Trailhunter and TRD Pro trims, and it's practical and durable to boot. It's also now less inefficient than before, thanks to a new hybrid four-cylinder powertrain. With a 23 combined mpg, it's still far from frugal, though, so buyers who aren't going to use the 4Runner's full all-terrain capabilities will be better served by one of Toyota's more road-focused SUVs. 

Launching a new generation of any long-running model comes with the potential for quality control hiccups and backlash from nameplate loyalists, but according to JD Power's rankings list, buyers seem happy with the 2025 4Runner so far. The model is listed with an average score of 83/100, making it Toyota's top-rated SUV. Prices for the 2025 model start from $42,765 (including a $1,495 destination fee) but rise sharply to $68,895 for top-spec trims.