When you’re a buyer on a budget, there are a seemingly endless number of things that you have to consider when looking for a new car. Small crossovers, however, seem to tick a lot of boxes, delivering practicality, comfort, and affordable running costs, all at a price that is bearable.
Small crossovers are some of the most popular vehicles on the road, and for good reason. For those that simply want more interior space and ground clearance than a sedan, they easily get the job done. There are also a lot of options out there that keep the savings rolling by being super affordable to keep running.
We’ve found ten small crossovers that deliver on their practicality promises with spacious interiors for both passengers and cargo. These ten crossovers also feature running costs that are well below average for their segments. We outline how much you can expect to pay in maintenance as well as how much interior room you and your passengers will have.
In compiling this article, we have cross-referenced information for vehicle reliability, maintenance, and pricing from sources like TopSpeed, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, RepairPal, CarEdge, and Consumer Reports to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible. Please note that we have ranked the following models in descending order, with the most affordable model holding the number one spot.
102025 MINI Countryman
Maintenance Costs Over Ten Years: $7,630
While MINI is traditionally known for making, well, mini cars, the Countrymanextends the brand’s lineupinto the compact crossover segment. This small luxury SUV comes packed with technology and plenty of comfort features, with some very distinct elements that remind you what brand of car you’re driving.
Ownership Costs
Despite existing within the luxury segment, the Mini Countryman isn’t a particularly expensive car to keep in good condition. Along with offering complimentary maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles, maintenance costs are generally low for its segment.
92025 Mazda CX-30
Maintenance Costs Over Ten Years: $7,600
Mazda has put significant effort into upscaling their brand, aiming to be somewhat of an entry-level luxury option. The CX-30 demonstrates how successful they’ve been with this approach. With premium styling inside and out and plenty of features for the money you pay, it really does offer tons of value.
Mazda may be moving up in the world, but the cost of owning one of their vehicles has stayed pretty stagnant, which is fantastic. The CX-30, in particular, costs much less than the average SUV to maintain. The only downside is that Mazda doesn’t offer any complimentary maintenance as it stands.
82025 Nissan Kicks
Maintenance Costs Over Ten Years: $7,569
Nissan has completely revitalized the Kicks for the 2025 model year, with it entering a brand-new generation. Despite all the changes, it hasn’t abandoned its fun personality, which made it such an attractive option in the past. It has matured, though, becoming more refined and more comfortable.
Reliability
Nissan may not necessarily always be associated with low running costs, but the Kicks proves that the brand still has some offerings for those on a budget. Part of its ideology is that it keeps things affordable, which is why maintenance costs are so low. Nissan also offers complimentary maintenance for the first two years or 24,000 miles.
72025 Mitsubishi Outlander
Maintenance Costs Over Ten Years: $7,519
Mitsubishi’s presence in North America is not what it once was, but the Outlander easily keeps the brand alive on its own. It has beenrefreshed for 2025, with updated styling and a plethora of new features. It is also the only 2025 compact crossover to come standard with three rows of seats.
While the Mitsubishi name doesn’t carry a ton of clout on its own, the Outlander stands out as an affordable option that doesn’t cost a lot to keep running. Along with a two-year, 24,000-mile complimentary maintenance plan, the Japanese brand also offers the longest powertrain warranty in North America at 10 years or 100,000 miles.
62025 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
Maintenance Costs Over Ten Years: $7,404
It seems strange to us that Mitsubishi would decide to market this crossover as the Outlander Sport when it has very little in common with the Outlander, especially considering it is called the ASX almost everywhere else. This subcompact SUV follows the same ideology as the Mitsubishi Mirage, to keep things as cheap as humanly possible.
Keeping ownership costs low isn’t a supremely difficult task when you use cheap materials throughout, including powering the crossover with an under-powered engine. The Outlander Sport features the same maintenance plan and long warranties as the regular Outlander.
52025 Honda CR-V
Maintenance Costs Over Ten Years: $7,367
If value for money is what you’re after, then the CR-V is one of the best options in the compact segment. Honda has really hit it out of the park with this generation of the crossover, offering tons of practicality and space as well as an excellent list of standard features whether you opt for the gas or hybrid model.
Honda is pretty well known for building cars that are both reliable and cheap to maintain. The CR-V is no exception, sitting well below average when we look at predicted maintenance costs. Honda also offers a year of complimentary maintenance, or 12,000 miles.
42025 Honda HR-V
Maintenance Costs Over Ten Years: $7,226
If the CR-V is a proposition that excites you, but you don’t want to spend that much on a new car, then you’re able to instead opt for the slightly smaller HR-V. We say slightly smaller as space for passengers doesn’t differas drastically as you’d expect, with the HR-V delivering a fantastic cabin.
The HR-V is smaller and simpler than the CR-V, which is why it makes sense that the subcompact crossover would be slightly more affordable to maintain. Honda offers the same maintenance and warranty package on the HR-V as it does on its bigger compact SUV.
32025 Kia Soul
Maintenance Costs Over Ten Years: $7,182
The Soul is one of the quirkiest cars that you can buy, and it has been ever since its original debut. While many people like to dunk on it, its fun-loving attitude has certainly grown on us. This is helped plenty by the fact that its boxy exterior design helps it feel incredibly spacious on the inside.
The Kia Soul is essentially the modern version of a hatchback, cramming tons of practicality into a seemingly small design. One of the benefits of this is that it is engineered pretty simply. Kia doesn’t offer any complimentary maintenance to keep running costs low, but its 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty will certainly give you some peace of mind.
22025 Tesla Model Y
Maintenance Costs Over Ten Years: $6,965
The Tesla Model Y is based on the ever-popular Model 3, and it has proven that the American-based company has what it takes to dominate the market. In multiple countries around the world, it sits among some of thebest-selling vehicles. If only they could fix the build quality issues.
Electric vehicles are estimated to be cheaper to run than most gas-powered vehicles and more reliable. However, there aren’t many EVs that have been around long enough and in large enough numbers to provide tons of reliable data. The Model Y, however, has been around for some time and shows that this sentiment could definitely be true.
12025 Toyota RAV4
Maintenance Costs Over Ten Years: $5,820
The RAV4 was crowned the best-selling SUV in the United States last year for the eighth year in a row, and it is easy to see why. The RAV4 basically invented the compact crossover segment as it exists today by offering utility and practicality above all else, forgoing any kind of gimmicks.
Toyota is legendary for being able to keep maintenance costs way lower than any of its competitors. This is obvious with the RAV4 which is much cheaper to maintain than the other gas-powered cars on this list. Toyota also offers a two-year, 25,000-mile complimentary maintenance plan.
