Best used medium SUVs to buy in 2024

Sales figures show us each month what the most popular used cars are for Australian buyers, but popular doesn't also mean best.

When it comes to the hugely popular medium SUV, you should make sure the three models below are high on your list of cars to consider.

JUMP AHEAD

• Near new: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
• Mid range: Mazda CX-5
• Budget: Ford Escape

Near new: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid

The Goldilocks of medium SUVs

The massive wait times for new Toyota RAV4 Hybrids are finally coming down from highs of two or more years to about 12 months. But that’s still a helluva long time to wait, which makes a near-new RAV Hybrid seem an excellent alternative.

Those snaking backorder queues, and the inflated asking prices for used examples, point to the same thing: the RAV4 Hybrid is in hot demand, for good reason.

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Take the 2.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid powertrain, which significantly cuts energy consumption compared with a conventional engine, without the cost or range anxiety of an EV.

And the RAV4’s TNGA platform, which adeptly delivers that holy trinity of ride, refinement and driver appeal.

You’d own a RAV4 just because it’s a Toyota and won’t fail you, even if it wasn’t much chop to drive. Dud dynamics certainly didn’t hurt the sales of the last two RAV4 generations.

While it may pain you to pay near new-car money for a used car, the payoff is that the RAV4 Hybrid’s appeal – and residual value – will hold up for many years to come.

Mid range: Mazda CX-5

Entertaining and classy where it counts

The Mazda CX-5’s uncanny ability to answer almost any automotive question you could ask makes it a go-to mid-range medium SUV.

Want a car that strikes a nice balance between snobby and bargain-basement? That’s a CX-5, ideally in Touring spec with ‘Grand Luxe’ synthetic suede trim and plenty of fruit, wearing a cool shade such as Deep Crystal Blue, Machine Grey or Soul Red.

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Want an enjoyable powertrain that delivers decent economy without any turbo or hybrid tech to give trouble? That’s a CX-5 2.5-litre petrol, with a useful 140kW and 252Nm, and 7.5L/100km official combined consumption.

In this age (2017-ish) and price bracket, the 2.5 will come paired with a six-speed auto and AWD, which is a better bet than the 2.0-litre FWD (underpowered) or 2.2-litre turbo-diesel (anecdotally a bit iffy for durability).

Did we mention the CX-5 is fun to steer for an SUV, rides well, has reasonable refinement, is utterly dependable and has excellent resale? Phew! Yep, a used CX-5 sure does a lot of box-ticking.

Budget: Ford Escape

So much better than its image might suggest

There aren’t many bargains in the post-pandemic used market, in which asking prices reflect the craziness of 2021 (while buyer sentiment is in the dumps).

But a five- or six-year-old Ford Escape is one, as well as an SUV Wheels has rated for some time, chiefly because it’s a crisp steer and a tidy handler in a segment where such qualities are rare.

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Escape’s strong-value status stems from the fact that, Ranger/Everest aside, Blue Oval products are a bit overlooked on the Aussie market these days, which is great for the few who know how much the mid-size Ford wagon has going for it.

Translation: While $15K doesn’t get you very far in the market for a Volkswagen Tiguan, it buys a decent Escape Trend or Ambiente with a strong, economical 1.5-litre turbo four.

Similarly, circa-$20K will be scraping the barrel on the CX-5 market but shopped wisely gets you into a nice Escape ST-Line or Titanium with 2.0-litre turbo urge.