$32K is an arbitrary number, but it keeps things under $35K with taxes and fees, and that’s where we want to be. I previously looked at all cars under $32K. Now, we will look at “entry-level” hybrid SUVs.
The base price of the Honda CRV Hybrid is $34,650, and the Hyundai TUCSON Hybrid is $33,365. Therefore, they are not on this list.
The 2025 Ford Escape has a hybrid at the ST-Line Select that starts at $32,230, but I could not find any close to that price, so it is also excluded.
The Toyota RAV4 has SEVEN trim levels ranging from $31,725 to $40,040. We will only consider the base Hybrid LE.
With a little extra cushion after $32K, we are left with four vehicles. Two Kias and two Toyotas.
Prices
| Make/Model | Trim | MSRP | TrueCar |
| Kia Niro | EX Touring | $32,090 | $31,165 |
| Kia Sportage | Hybrid EX | $32,390 | $33,765 |
| Toyota Corolla X | Hybrid XSE | $31,405 | $32,919 |
| Toyota RAV4 | Hybrid LE | $31,725 | $33,120 |
This speaks to the popularity of these cars. Hybrid SUVs are in high demand, and even at MSRP, they may be challenging to obtain.
Reviews
| Make | Model | C/D | Edmunds | KBB | MT | USNews | AVG |
| Kia | Niro | 8.5 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 8.3 | 8.9 | 8.5 |
| Kia | Sportage | 8.5 | 8.4 | 9.2 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| Toyota | Corolla X | 7.5 | 7.6 | 9.0 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 8.2 |
| Toyota | RAV4 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 8.4 |
These are all solid reviews, with the Kia Sportage barely edging out the competitors.
Engine MPG & Power
| Car | HWY | CITY | Combined | Fuel | Range | HP |
| Kia Niro | 45 | 53 | 49 | 11.1 gal | 544 mi | 139 |
| Kia Sportage | 38 | 38 | 38 | 13.7 gal | 521 mi | 227 |
| Toyota Corolla X | 38 | 45 | 42 | 10.6 gal | 445 mi | 196 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 38 | 41 | 39 | 14.5 gal | 566 mi | 219 |
I expected the Niro and Corolla Cross to suffer from horsepower issues, but the Cross has an impressive motor. However, the Niro’s MPG is unrivaled.
Features
The RAV4 has six more expensive trims, the Niro has two, the Sportage has one, and the Corolla Cross has the highest trim level.
Safety
The RAV4 gives you Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, while the Corolla Cross has 3.0. The Cross also has blind-spot monitoring, front and rear park assist, and an anti-theft system.
The Niro EX Touring offers highway driving assist, while the Sportage EX does not. You also get more advanced forward collision avoidance and intelligent cruise control.
The Corolla Cross is the easy winner here.
Interior
Premium sound is only an option for the Corolla Cross. Toyotas have wireless Android Auto and Carplay, while the KIAs only support wired. The RAV4 is the only one without wireless charging.
The Corolla Cross has 10-way power and high-quality heated front seats, while the RAV4 has manually adjusted cloth non-heated seats. The KIA models both offer heated and powered front seats. Unfortunately, only their highest trims offer ventilated front seats, driver’s memory, and a heated steering wheel.
The Kia Niro has a 10″ screen, the Sportage has a 12.3″ screen, and the Toyotas have an 8″ screen.
Exterior
All the SUVs come with roof rails. A power liftgate and moonroof are options on the Corolla Cross and Sportage. The Niro has a Sunroof standard, and the RAV4 has a moonroof.
The Niro, Sportage Hybrid, and Corolla Cross have standard 18-inch alloy wheels, while the RAV4 has 17-inch tires.
The Sportage only comes in four colors (black, white, gray, and blue). The RAV4 only comes in five colors (white, silver, gray, black, and red). The Niro comes with seven (white, silver, gray, black, red, green, and blue). The Corolla Cross gives you six colors (red, blue, white, grey, silver, and black) and four two-tone options for another $500 (blue/black, red/black, silver/black, and yellow/black).
Dimensions/Storage
| Car | Cargo | Head | Leg | Hip | Towing |
| Kia Niro | 22.8 cu. ft. | 40.5″/39.6″ | 41.5″/39.8″ | 53.3″/53.0″ | N/A |
| Kia Sportage | 39.5 cu. ft. | 39.6″/39.1″ | 41.4″/41.3″ | 54.8″/53.4″ | 1653 lbs |
| Toyota Corolla X | 21.5 cu. ft. | 39.5″/39.1″ | 42.9″/32.0″ | 52.6″/43.8″ | 1500 lbs |
| Toyota RAV4 | 37.6 cu. ft. | 37.7″/39.5″ | 41.0″/37.8″ | 54.3″/47.7″ | 1750 lbs |
If you need to tow, exclude the Niro.
The cargo space does not include folding down the rear seats, which all these cars allow. Besides the bigger cars having more cargo space, the only exciting outlier is the Corolla Cross’ rear seating area size. It has almost an entire foot less of leg room and 9 inches of hip room.
Final Thoughts
The RAV4 at this trim is easily removed; it has worse safety features than the Corolla Cross and is missing some nice-to-haves I would want.
KIA has an odd pricing structure. The Kia Niro SX is $32,990 and worth the extra $900 over the EX Touring. However, the Kia Niro SX Touring is $35,390 and only offers 18-inch wheels, LED projector lights, and sports pedals. Why do I need sports pedals in a 139 HP vehicle? If you spend $35K, you might as well spend $37K and get the Kia Sportage SX Prestige.
The Kia Niro EX, at $29,790, is a solid choice. The Niro Touring models do not offer much for their price increase. However, they look to have raised their MSRP to $31,340 once you look at their limited inventory. At this price, you can get a Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid SE, which, as long as you don’t have more than one adult passenger, is the clear winner.
