Consumer Reports recommends quite a few subcompact SUVs in 2020. Others, not so much. If you are shopping for the best subcompact SUVs of the year, you might want to avoid this list of options. Here are the smallest SUVs with the lowest predicted reliability, according to Consumer Reports.
2020 Chevrolet Trax
Thanks to loads of style, safety systems galore, an excellent warranty and a variety of features to match your budget, the 2020 Hyundai Kona remains at the top of the subcompact-SUV pack. A home run in nearly every way, the American-built Kia Telluride is a stylishly designed and expertly packaged near-luxury SUV at a value-rich price—and the 2020 MotorTrend SUV of the Year.
Not many critics are huge fans of the Chevy Trax, and experts at CR aren’t very impressed by this model at all. The 2020 Trax has a few appealing qualities, one of them being that it’s easy to park. This crossover also looks pretty handsome from the outside, and its rear seat is surprisingly spacious. Despite these aspects, the cons for the Trax definitely outweigh its pros.
The Trax features a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 138-horsepower. As CR notes, the Trax’s engine feels vastly underpowered, and its fuel economy isn’t that impressive either. CR also doesn’t like the Trax’s shortlist of standard features, and found its infotainment display screen to be “infuriating.”
CR’s low-reliability ratings for the Trax has to do with its past safety recalls. Previous trouble spots on the Trax include its suspension and engine major. Because of its lackluster qualities, the Trax isn’t the best choice to buy new or used.
2020 Jeep Renegade
The Jeep Renegade consistently ranks among CR’s least reliable subcompact SUVs. However, the 2020 Renegade ranks slightly higher than in previous years. Instead of getting CR’s worst possible score, it gets the second-to-worst rating.
The most common problem areas for the Renegade include its brakes, climate system, and body integrity. At the time of this writing, the Renegade has two NHTSA safety recall actions. One relates to its brakes and the other for its backup camera.
Even though the Renegade isn’t the most reliable crossover out there, it’s still pretty popular. If you want a well-rounded crossover, you should look past the Renegade. But if off-roading capabilities are your top priority, then the Renegade is a great choice.
RELATED: Best Alternatives to the Jeep Renegade If You Don’t Care About Off-Roading
2020 Fiat 500X
The Fiat 500X is one of the most charming crossovers to hit the streets. It has a ritzy cabin, and CR went as far as to describe the 600X as a “real-life Luigi from the movie Cars.” Other than its trendy style inside and out, the 500X doesn’t have much else going for it. The 500X shares many elements with its corporate cousin, the Jeep Renegade, so it’s no wonder CR isn’t a fan of this model. CR finds the 500X annoying, even when it sits idle.
The reviewers also describe the 500X as a “dreadful ride that beats you up with stiff shots to your kidneys.” And if that doesn’t sound like a terrible enough experience, the 500X noisy car cabin will attack your ears; its seats are cramped too. Based on its extensive testing, CR gave the 2020 500X a low road test and reliability score. But if you’re set on getting the 500X, CR suggests going with the Trekking trim.
Auto123 presents three rankings of the Top SUVs in Canada in 2020-2021, according to their sales performances in 2019. Today, our Top 10 Subcompact SUVs in Canada in 2020-2021.
See also: Top 10 Compact SUVs in Canada in 2020-2021
See also: Top 10 Midsize SUVs in Canada in 2020-2021
Ranking the full roster of available sub-compact SUVs has become a fairly complicated exercise, because in 2020 – and even more so in 2021 - small SUVs have become separated into two groups: sub-compact models and very small ones – you know them, those that are barely more practical than the sub-compact cars they’re based on.
And since – hats off to automakers here - there are almost no more bad choices, we decided to go with last year's sales figures, not least because those statistics were not influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic.
See also: Top 10 Subcompact SUVs in Canada in 2019-2020
1) Hyundai Kona
Are we surprised to see the Hyundai crossover at the top of this list? Not at all. Since its arrival in 2018, the fun-to-drive crossover has been a hit (or almost) everywhere it goes. Its trendy silhouette is a definite factor, but so is the variety of available variants (two combustion-engine Konas and an all-electric one), which helpfully draws in a wider range of potential buyers.
On top of it all, an even more dynamic Kona is in the works, courtesy Hyundai’s performance-focused N Division.
25,817 units sold in Canada in 2019, while 73,326 Konas found suitors south of the border; those numbers say as much about Americans' love of larger vehicles as they do about our open-armed embrace of the cute-as-a-Koala Kona.
Most Reliable Subcompact Suv 2020
(Generally the rule of thumb when comparing sales in Canada and the U.S. is to use the same factor-of-ten estimate that applies to the respective populations of the two countries. By that measure, the Kona would, to be considered as popular in the U.S. as here, have had to sell in the neighborhood of 258,000 units there.)
See also: Comparison: 2020 Hyundai Kona vs 2021 Kia Seltos
2020 Subcompact Suv Comparison