5 4x4 Off-Road SUVs With Better Ratings Than The Jeep Wrangler

The Jeep Wrangler is one of nameplate's greatest hits, and it traces its inspiration back to the iconic WWII Willys Jeep. This has made the Wrangler an off-road-ready SUV from the moment of its inception. Yet over time, the Wrangler has evolved into an all-purpose SUV that can handle rock crawling as well as grocery runs. However, when you weigh the biggest benefits and downsides of owning a Jeep Wrangler, it becomes clear that in many areas, it is not necessarily the best there is.

Regardless, you can get one of many Jeeps these days with different powertrains to suit different kinds of drivers. The entry point is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that makes 270 horsepower, while the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 fills out the middle of the range. At the very top, the Moab 392 packs a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 rated at 470 horsepower, which turns the Wrangler into something closer to a muscle car with a lift kit.

Even with that much variety and a fan base few SUVs can match, the Wrangler is far from the only way to get a proper 4x4. Plenty of rivals post stronger scores for crash protection, reliability, and everyday comfort, and many of them still bring low-range gearing and real ground clearance to the trail. If you want an off-roader that rates higher without giving up the capability, these five 4x4 SUVs are worth a serious look.

The Ford Bronco vs Jeep Wrangler comparison is on top of many buyers' minds who want to buy an American SUV that's a true off-roader, and there are a few rankings out there that can help you out with choosing. Edmunds' testers scored the 2026 Bronco 5.7 out of 10 and the 2026 Wrangler 5.2, a narrow gap. CarGurus' expert ratings spread them similarly, at 6.7 for the Bronco and 6.3 for the Wrangler.

Crash testing splits more evenly. In the IIHS small overlap test, the 2026 Bronco earned Good, while the 2026 Wrangler earned Acceptable. The Jeep wins the moderate overlap test with a Good against the Bronco's Marginal. Both score Good in the side test, and in pedestrian crash prevention the Bronco gets Marginal to the Wrangler's Poor.

The Wrangler does lead on J.D. Power's 2025 Initial Quality Study, finishing second in its class, a spot the Bronco didn't reach. Car and Driver also compared these two directly, and in this instance, the 2027 Bronco was awarded a 9.5 out of 10 with an "Editors' Choice" award, while the 2027 Wrangler got a 7.5 out of 10.

A 2022 Edmunds direct comparison follows the same idea, although the scores were, in its words, "very close in almost every category." Either way, Travis Langness, who wrote the comparison, noted that "when you add it all up, the Ford Bronco comes out on top." Overall, on the expert scores and the IIHS small overlap and pedestrian results, the Bronco does pull out ahead.

Avid off-roaders in the market for a cheaper body-on-frame SUV alternative to the Jeep Wrangler often consider the Toyota 4Runner. As it turns out, quite a few rating systems back up that instinct. Edmunds' testers scored the 2026 4Runner 6.2 out of 10 and the 2026 Wrangler 5.2, a full point apart. The Toyota's biggest category edge is in-cabin tech, where Edmunds gave it 9.1 and the Jeep 6.4. Edmunds' owners lean the same way, giving the Toyota 3.9 stars from 35 reviews and the Jeep 3.4 from 28.

iSeeCars widens the case with overall scores of 8.7 for the 4Runner and 8.4 for the Wrangler, reliability scores of 8.3 and 8.2, and retained value scores of 9.0 and 8.6. Crash testing is a bit more mixed. In IIHS front crash prevention, the 2026 4Runner earned Good for both vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian detection, while the 2026 Wrangler was rated Poor for pedestrians. 

The Jeep wins the updated moderate overlap test with a Good against the Toyota's Marginal, and both score Good in the side test. Dependability favors Toyota on J.D. Power's 2026 Vehicle Dependability Study, where the 4Runner tied for first in its segment and the Wrangler missed the top three. The same comparison lists a four-star NHTSA overall rating for the Toyota. 

Overall, the 4Runner leads on the Edmunds scores, iSeeCars, IIHS pedestrian prevention, and long-term dependability. To top it all off, Car and Driver's comparison between the two favors the 4Runner by quite a bit. In other words, the Toyota got an 8.5 out of 10 while the Wrangler got a 7.5 out of 10.

The Toyota Land Cruiser is an iconic off-roader, and if you are interested in one, there are a few things you should know before buying one of these midsize SUVs. With the overview done, you can make your decision easier by looking at how the Land Cruiser pairs against the Wrangler. Edmunds' testers gave the 2026 Land Cruiser 6.4 out of 10 and the 2026 Wrangler 5.2. The Toyota's widest category edges are in-cabin tech, at 8.4 to 6.4, and fuel economy, at 5 to 3. 

Its driving experience and comfort scores run ahead too, at 6.4 to 5.1 and 5.8 to 4.8. Edmunds' owners agree, giving the Land Cruiser 4.5 stars from 42 reviews and the Wrangler 3.4 from 28. The IIHS results are more mixed. The 2026 Land Cruiser earned Good in the small overlap test and in both types of front crash prevention, while the 2026 Wrangler got Acceptable in small overlap and Poor for pedestrians. 

The Toyota also gets a Good for seat belt reminders to the Jeep's Marginal. The Wrangler takes the updated moderate overlap test with a Good against the Land Cruiser's Marginal, and both score Good in the side test. J.D. Power is where the Jeep pulls ahead. On J.D. Power's best 4x4 SUVs ranking, the 2026 Wrangler scores 78 out of 100 to the 2026 Land Cruiser's 75. 

Be that as it may, on Car and Driver's ratings, the Land Cruiser got a 9.5 out of 10 and is ranked third in the best mid-size SUV category while the Wrangler got 7.5 and is ranked 12th on the same list. Overall, the Land Cruiser leads on the Edmunds scores, owner reviews, Car and Driver's rating, and the IIHS small overlap, pedestrian and seat belt results, while the Wrangler wins on J.D. Power's score and moderate overlap protection.

No car is perfect, and the Subaru Forester has its own drawbacks, including worse fuel economy from the all-terrain tires on its upper trims. Moreover, many people also believe the Forester isn't really a Wrangler competitor, and that it has no sense being in this company. Still, the Forester seems to edge out the Wrangler in most of the rankings checked here. According to Edmunds' testers, the 2026 Forester got 5.8 out of 10 and the 2026 Wrangler got 5.2. The Subaru's widest category edge is storage and cargo, at 6.7 to 4.3, though the Jeep leads in X factor (10 to 3), value (6.4 to 5), and driving experience (5.1 to 4.5).

Edmunds' owners side with Subaru too, giving the Forester 4.3 stars from 101 reviews and the Wrangler 3.4 from 28. The crash-test results also lean further toward Subaru. The 2026 Forester earned Good in the IIHS small overlap, moderate overlap, side, headlight, vehicle-to-vehicle and pedestrian tests, and Subaru says the Forester lineup, Wilderness included, won a 2026 Top Safety Pick+. The 2026 Wrangler matches it with a Good in the moderate overlap and side tests, but got Acceptable in small overlap and Poor for pedestrian crash prevention.

J.D. Power gives the 2026 Forester 84 out of 100 and the 2026 Wrangler 78, with Quality & Reliability scores of 84 and 81. Interestingly, Car and Driver is undecided on these two since both got a 7.5 out of 10, with the Wrangler hitting 12th place in the best mid-size SUV segment by one while the Forester took 13th for best compact SUVs. Overall, the Forester leads on the Edmunds scores, owner reviews, IIHS results and J.D. Power, while the Wrangler wins on three Edmunds category scores.

Beyond the things you should know before buying a Lexus GX, there are the ratings, and Edmunds scores the GX well above the Wrangler. Specifically, the testers from Edmunds gave the 2026 GX 7.3 out of 10 and the 2026 Wrangler a mere 5.2, a gap of more than two points. The Lexus's widest category edge is storage and cargo, at 7.5 to 4.3, and it leads in every other category except fuel economy, a tie at 3, and X factor, which the Jeep wins 10 to 9. 

Edmunds' owners agree, giving the GX 4.2 stars from 26 reviews and the Wrangler 3.4 from 28. Kelley Blue Book points the same way on expert opinion, with a 4.7 out of 5 for the 2026 GX against a 4.2 for the 2026 Wrangler 4 Door. Its owners lean toward the Jeep, rating it 4.3 to the Lexus's 4.0, though that comparison pits 113 Wrangler reviews against just four for the GX. 

Overall, the GX leads on Edmunds' scores and owner reviews and on Kelley Blue Book's expert rating, while the Wrangler wins on Edmunds' X factor and Kelley Blue Book's owner rating. Driving puts the GX's ratings at 3.25 out of 5, while the Wrangler is rated 3.13 out of 5. Finally, we can also mention the Car and Driver 2026 Best 4x4 SUVs list where the Lexus GX enjoys sixth place thanks to a 9 out of 10 rating while the Wrangler has a 7.5 out of 10 and is ranked 15th.

To build this list, we compared each of these SUVs with the Wrangler using published ratings reputable online automotive outlets. These include Edmunds, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, iSeeCars, CarGurus, and Car and Driver. We looked at expert scores, reviews, crash testing, and dependability, so no single measure decides a spot on the list. 

Every pick is sold with four-wheel or all-wheel drive and is known for off-road capability, and each one outscored the Wrangler in most of the sources we checked. Because rating scales differ from site to site, we only set a score against the Wrangler's score from the same source, using 2026 models wherever the source offered them.

When a figure comes from another model year, the entry says so. We also point out where the Wrangler came out ahead, so you can see both sides of each matchup. All figures reflect the ratings published at the time of writing, and the sites update their scores from time to time. We also relied on the work of our writers across many of the pieces covering each SUV listed to make the list more credible and broader in scope.