Most people assume buying an SUV means accepting higher ownership costs than a sedan. It seems like common sense: SUVs are larger, often heavier, and typically cost more. Meanwhile, the Toyota Camry has built a decades-long reputation as one of the smartest financial choices on the road. A loaded Camry XLE, with its comfortable interior, generous features, and strong reliability record, appears to be the obvious pick for shoppers who want to keep long-term costs under control. But when you look beyond MSRP and dig into five-year ownership costs, the story becomes much more interesting.
That’s because several compact and subcompact SUVs quietly undercut a well-equipped Camry XLE on total cost to own. Factors such as slower depreciation, competitive insurance rates, strong fuel economy, and surprisingly low maintenance expenses have helped reshape the value equation. For buyers who want extra cargo room, a higher seating position, or available all-wheel drive, this creates an unexpected opportunity. Instead of paying a premium for SUV practicality, you may actually spend less over five years than you would driving one of America’s most popular midsize sedans.
A fully loaded 2025 Toyota Camry XLE with a Total Cost to Own (TCO) of $54,313 is used as the benchmark for this list, which is sorted from highest TCO to lowest, using 2025 model-year versions of each SUV. TCO is calculated by considering depreciation, loan interest, taxes and fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance, and repairs. These costs can fluctuate regionally.
Kia Seltos EX
Total Cost To Own: $53,823
The Kia Seltos is still a bit of a newcomer to the market, offering easy driving manners, a surprisingly roomy cabin, and the benefits of the impressive Kia warranty. The Seltos is handsome, efficient, affordable, and smooth on the road, making it a solid choice when searching for a subcompact SUV.
The More Conventional Kia SUV
The EX trim puts the Seltos in the middle of the pack, ensuring you have comparable equipment to the fully-loaded Camry. This Seltos trim has a hands-free liftgate for AWD models, synthetic leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, a wireless phone charger, and rear parking sensors. If you add the EX Sunroof package, you’ll get a sunroof to add an open-air feel.
Kia Soul S
Total Cost to Own: $52,388
The Kia Soul never seems to grow up, and that’s what makes it a special SUV. Sometimes it’s considered a hatchback, but since that class is all but gone, it’s been shoved into the subcompact SUV class. The Soul is boxy, which gives it a large cabin and extra cargo space compared to smaller models. This quirky, funky little SUV is easy to own and has a small footprint, making it a cinch to park almost anywhere.
Boxy SUV With Ample Interior Space
Although the S trim is only one step up from the base LX model, it offers important upgrades that make the Kia Soul a well-equipped choice. The S trim comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, a 10.25-inch touchscreen, two center-console USB ports, a smart key system, and push-button start.
Toyota Corolla Cross XLE
Total Cost to Own: $51,422
The Toyota Corolla Cross XLE is the closest apples-to-apples comparison to the Camry on this list, and it still undercuts the Camry by a few thousand dollars in TCO. The Corolla Cross offers impressive cargo room, a long list of standard safety features, and is one of the most reliable SUVs in its class. Toyota’s reputation for low depreciation and high resale value helps keep the TCO low in this SUV.
Extremely Close Brand Comparison
The XLE trim is the top model for the Toyota Corolla Cross, and it adds a ton of features, making it a fully loaded SUV. This SUV has 18-inch alloy wheels, ambient interior lighting, a seven-inch digital instrument display, dual-zone automatic climate controls, synthetic leather upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, parking sensors, and rear automatic braking. It can be optioned with a sunroof, an upgraded sound system, a power liftgate, and auto-leveling adaptive headlights.
Hyundai Kona SEL
Total Cost to Own: $50,381
If you’re looking for a stylish SUV that doesn’t go overboard, the Hyundai Kona could be the subcompact crossover that you love to drive. It ideally blends practicality and comfort in a small package that’s easy to park, efficient, and has a lot of features for the money. The Kona had some trim-level shuffling, bringing new names to the mix.
Style And SUV Utility Undercutting The Camry
The SEL trim gives you a generous step up from the base Kona SE trim, adding 18-inch wheels, roof rails, dual-zone automatic climate controls, a power driver’s seat, and rear seat climate vents to the mix. The SEL Convenience adds a few extra items for only a little more money, including heated front seats, wireless charging, a digital key, and adaptive cruise control.
Buick Envista Preferred
Total Cost to Own: $49,800
The Buick Envista brings a premium brand name and upscale looks to the conversation. For the low price and affordable TCO, you’ll have a Buick SUV with a composed ride and handling, sporty styling, and value packaging. The Envista feels like it should cost a lot more than it does, making it an easy choice for urban drivers.
Premium SUV Qualities At Mainstream Costs
The Preferred trim is the base model of the Buick Envista, but that doesn’t mean it’s missing anything compared to the Toyota Camry XLE. This Buick comes with 17-inch wheels, LED headlights, automatic climate controls, a digital gauge cluster, an 11-inch touchscreen, wireless connectivity, and a full suite of safety and driver-assistance features.
Nissan Kicks SV
Total Cost to Own: $49,597
The smallest SUV in the Nissan lineup has a lower TCO than one of the most popular midsize sedans on the market. The Nissan Kicks is a sharply styled vehicle, taking that style from the exterior to the interior. You’ll have tons of features for the price and competitive fuel mileage figures compared to other compact SUVs. Nissan added AWD as an option for the Kicks, making it even more enticing.
An Affordable And Efficient Compact SUV
The SV trim is a step up from the base S model, adding more to the Nissan Kicks and enhancing your driving pleasure. It builds on the base model with 17-inch wheels, upgraded cloth upholstery, a 12.3-inch touchscreen display, wireless connectivity, wireless charging, and keyless entry. The SV Premium package takes things even further by adding remote engine starting, heated side mirrors, heated front seats, and a panoramic sunroof.
Subaru Crosstrek Premium
Total Cost to Own: $48,963
Very few SUVs on this list come with AWD standard, and many don’t even have it as an option. That’s not the case with the Subaru Crosstrek, which comes standard with Symmetrical AWD, making it an off-road subcompact SUV that’s ready for adventure. The Crosstrek is ready to earn its name as a road-trip-friendly SUV that can head into the wilderness.
Standard AWD And Strong Resale
The Subaru Crosstrek has earned a reputation as a reliable SUV with strong resale value, helping reduce depreciation. The Premium trim is a step up from the base model, adding 17-inch machined-finish alloy wheels, LED foglights, raised roof rails, hands-free keyless entry, push-button starting, an 11.6-inch touchscreen, wireless connectivity, a six-speaker sound system, and additional USB ports, giving you a lot more for less than it costs to own a Toyota Camry XLE.
Honda HR-V Sport
Total Cost to Own: $48,912
Honda’s reputation for reliability and worry-free driving is evident in the affordable TCO of the Honda HR-V. In the subcompact SUV class, the HR-V offers a roomy, practical cabin, a comfortable ride, and impressively responsive handling. It’s a satisfying SUV to drive, as long as you don’t mind its relatively slow acceleration.
Reliability And Low Drama
The Sport trim sits in the middle of the Honda HR-V’s trim range, giving you some important upgrades that allow it to be packaged similarly to the Camry XLE. The Sport trim adds 18-inch gloss-black wheels, remote engine starting, a distinctive grille, heated side mirrors, keyless entry, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, a six-speaker audio system, blind-spot warning, and rear cross-traffic warning.
Chevrolet Trax LT
Total Cost to Own: $48,346
The latest version of the Chevrolet Trax has a more conservative style than older models, making it more popular than ever. The Trax has tons of great features for the money: a spacious rear seat, ample cargo room, and enjoyable driving manners. The Trax is easilyone of the best values on the market and has a much lowerTCO than the Toyota Camry XLE.
A Large Cabin In The Subcompact SUV Class
The LT trim is the sweet spot for the Chevrolet Trax, offering two steps up from the base version. The LT trim adds 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic climate controls, an 11-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a digital instrument cluster, a six-speaker audio system, push-button starting, and roof rails. Lower trims package the safety features and most basic niceties, which means they are already baked in.
Hyundai Venue SEL
Total Cost to Own: $45,480
The Hyundai Venue has a TCO that is thousands of dollars lower than the Camry’s, making it one of the most value-oriented models available. It’s packed with tons of great features, a signature quality of Hyundai vehicles. The Venue is roomy for the class and makes it easy to enjoy the drive, especially when you see how little you’ll spend on gas.
Tiny Footprint And Thousands Lower Than The Camry
The SEL trim is the middle version of the Hyundai Venue, adding 17-inch alloy wheels, rear disc brakes, a sunroof, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, automatic climate controls, hands-free keyless entry, push-button starting, two USB ports in the second row, blind-spot warning, and rear cross-traffic warnings—making the Venue SEL the sweet spot for affordability and packaging.
Sources: OEMs, Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book