Cupra Formentor review – our favourite hot SUV
Top 10 best sports and performance SUVs 2025
Performance SUVs offer speed without sacrificing space – these are the 10 best you can buy today
It wasn’t so long ago that the idea of a high performance SUV would’ve seemed ridiculous – after all, SUVs were originally designed for rugged terrain, not racetracks. But fast forward to 2025 and there are plenty to choose from, and better still, many are fantastic to drive.
A performance SUV is exactly what it sounds like – a large, often luxurious family car with the heart of a sports car. Under the chunky bodywork, you’ll find powerful engines or electric motors, finely tuned suspension setups, and advanced all-wheel drive systems designed to handle both tight corners and straight-line sprints.
The genre took off in the early 2000s thanks to German trailblazers like the Mercedes ML55 AMG and Porsche Cayenne Turbo, proving that you could have space for the family without sacrificing driving excitement. Today, manufacturers from across the globe offer sports SUVs of varying sizes and performance levels.
Of course, all that performance typically comes at a price. Many of these SUVs are big, brash, and expensive, with price tags that sometimes stray into six-figure territory. However, we love value-for-money here at Carbuyer, so we’ve included a few more affordable options that still deliver thrills without completely emptying your wallet.
In recent years, electric performance SUVs have entered the mainstream, and they’re often quicker off the line than their petrol-powered rivals. Thanks to the instant torque of electric motors and sophisticated battery tech, models like the Tesla Model Y Performance and Lotus Eletre have given their petrol-powered counterparts something to think about.
So, whether you’re after the silent acceleration of an electric SUV or the roar of a V8-powered 4x4, there’s a performance SUV for you on this list – read on to find out more.
- Priced from around £34,000
We think the Cupra Formentor is the best overall sports SUV you can buy today. It’s not the quickest or the most luxurious, but it offers a fantastic blend of speed, practicality, value-for-money and fun. Like plenty of other fast VW Group cars, such as the Volkswagen Golf R or Audi S3, the Formentor can be ordered with a fiery 2.0-litre petrol engine. In its most powerful form, this engine produces 328bhp, which is enough for a sub-five-second 0-62mph time.
If that’s too powerful or too expensive, then there’s always the entry-level 148bhp model. Of course, it’s hardly a straight-line rocket, but it’s more fun than most SUVs through the corners. There’s a pair of plug-in hybrids, too that offer decent performance while also enabling nearly 80 miles of electric driving. These will appeal to company car drivers or those who spend a lot of time driving around town, but they’re not the sportiest pick – the weight of the heavy battery removes a lot of the fun.
To top it off, the Cupra Formentor looks great both inside and out, especially following its mid-life refresh in 2024. Sure, a Porsche Macan might have it pipped for outright cornering ability, but the Formentor still outshines many of its pricier rivals, earning it top spot on this list.
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- Priced from around £75,000
At the other end of the sports SUV spectrum sits the Range Rover Sport. It offers almost as much luxury and refinement as the full-fat Range Rover, but the ‘Sport’ part brings a new level of performance. Even the entry-level diesel model is expensive, but it handles surprisingly well thanks to a new stiffer and lighter chassis, allowing you to enjoy a windy B-road.
Stepping up to the P460e plug-in hybrid engine brings more performance and drops the 0-62mph time to just over five seconds – enough to out-sprint most hot hatchbacks while returning impressive fuel economy. But things take a far more serious turn at the top of the range.
The Range Rover Sport SV costs nearly £100,000 more than the entry-level car, but brings a 626bhp V8 engine and supercar-rivalling speed. It’ll hit 62mph in as little as 3.6 seconds, while its clever hydraulic suspension keeps all 2,600kg in check through the twisties. It’s still a big, tall brute, but the Range Rover Sport SV is one of the best performance SUVs on sale today. As it should be for £172,000.
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- Priced from around £69,000
After the home run that was the Taycan, we had no doubt that Porsche’s second electric car would be a smash hit, too. The Porsche Macan Electric has certainly lived up to expectations, delivering the sporty driving experience that made the petrol Macan so popular, along with the smoothness and refinement of an EV. Like every Porsche, built quality is top-notch and the interior is beautifully designed – it feels special in a way that not many other SUVs do. Big ticks for range and charging speeds mean it's a very usable EV, too.
But we’re here to talk about performance, and the Macan Electric has bucket loads. Even the entry-level model will out-accelerate a Golf GTI, while the range-topping Turbo model is quicker than a 911 GT3. A Porsche needs to put a smile on your face through the corners, as well, and the Macan Electric certainly does. The heavy battery pack is mounted low in the floor, helping to keep the centre of mass close to the ground, so it hardly rolls as you change direction. The suspension is on the stiff side which could put off some buyers, but that’s the trade off for its impressive dynamic abilities.
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- Priced from around £47,000
If we asked you to guess what the fastest-accelerating car in the world was, you’d be forgiven for guessing some kind of McLaren or even Bugatti. However, that crown now belongs to Tesla and its Model S Plaid. The Model Y SUV isn’t quite as quick, but the lessons learned from the Plaid have trickled down to make it one of the best sports SUVs you can buy today – especially in Performance guise.
In fact, the Tesla Model Y Performance will get from 0-60mph in just 3.5 seconds – faster than some supercars. Other than blistering acceleration, the Model Y has plenty more to offer in the form of cutting-edge tech. The giant central screen is just as responsive as your smartphone and is packed full of cool and exciting features. Particular highlights include a built-in video game console and a ‘Careoke’ mode with which you can sing along to your favourite tunes. Oh, and it’s just been given a brand new exterior look inspired by the internet-breaking Cybertruck.
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- Priced from around £72,000
The BMW X5 was one of the first premium SUVs to hit the market way back in 1999. It was also one of the first to get the performance treatment a couple of years later, receiving a hearty V8 engine, bigger brakes and a sporty bodykit. Today, BMW still offers a performance version of the X5, but the latest model is on another planet in terms of speed. The X5 M has a 617bhp V8, giving it enough grunt to hit 62mph in 3.8 seconds and continue all the way to 180mph.
Not so long ago, those would’ve been numbers exclusive to a Ferrari brochure, but the X5 M offers all of that performance in a big, comfy and luxurious SUV package. It has all the tech you’d expect of a modern BMW, from the sharp iDrive displays to xDrive four-wheel drive. Not everyone needs all the performance of the flagship X5 M, so we’re pleased to report that the less powerful models are just as good to drive. Even the plug-in hybrid xDrive50e has over 480bhp – enough to launch it to 62mph in under five seconds.
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- Priced from around £90,000
It may have proved controversial among Lotus enthusiasts when it was released, but we think the brand’s first electric SUV proves itself as a very compelling package. The Lotus Eletre is quite simply sensational to drive, and that’s a testament to a company moving away from its ethos of simplicity and lightness in sports cars, towards the heavy weight and complex technology of EV batteries and powertrains, let alone adding a practical SUV bodystyle on top.
The Lotus Eletre comes with a twin-motor all-wheel drive setup with a total output of 595bhp in standard and S guise, propelling it from 0-62mph in just 4.5 seconds. If that’s not enough, there’s an even mind-bogglingly quicker version called the Eletre R with a whopping 893bhp that does the same sprint in just 2.9 seconds. For most people, though, the two lesser models will provide more than enough oomph.
At just under £90,000, the Eletre isn’t particularly cheap, of course, but aside from its performance, its interior trim and finish does a good job of living up to that high price tag – there’s extensive use of high-quality leather-look and Alcantara upholstery and fit and finish is impressive. If the Eletre is anything to go by, Lotus has a bright future ahead of it into the electric car age.
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- Priced from around £43,000
When Ford announced that it would be using the sacred ‘Mustang’ nameplate for an electric SUV, cries of heresy were heard echoing across the automotive community. Yet despite its chunky bodystyle and lack of a growling V8 engine, the Mustang Mach-E offers almost as much driving excitement as its muscle car sibling.
Despite weighing over two tonnes, all versions of the Mach-E handle incredibly well thanks to a low centre of gravity and a finely-tuned chassis. Top-of-the-range GT models are even more impressive, however; a dual-electric motor setup produces a monstrous 480bhp and gets the SUV from 0-62mph in just 3.7 seconds – even quicker than the V8 Mustang Coupe! There’s even a rally-inspired model with chunky tyres, a large spoiler, exclusive decals and different wheels, giving it both on-road and off-road performance credentials.
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- Priced from around £56,000
One of the original and best performance SUVs, the petrol-powered Porsche Macan seemed to be just what buyers were looking for: it’s Porsche’s best-selling car. It sits alongside the all-new electric model above, giving buyers an old-school performance SUV alternative that’s just as fun to drive.
The quite un-Porsche-like diesel engine was dropped in 2018, so now the Macan is petrol-only (aside from the separate Macan Electric). While the range starts off with the same 261bhp 2.0-litre engine you get in a Golf GTI, fast SUV fans will be more excited by the 434bhp GTS that gets from 0-62mph only a few tenths behind than a Porsche 911.
Perhaps what’s more impressive is how the Macan drives. Having been on sale since 2014, it’s still a class leader for driving experience – yet it also rides beautifully and can even venture off road. The V6 GTS sounds better than nearly all the Macan’s rivals, too.
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- Priced from around £89,000
Combining beautiful bodywork with a Ferrari-derived V6 engine, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio is essentially a jacked-up sports car with five seats and a big boot. It remains something of a niche proposition, so you’ll be joining quite an exclusive club by choosing the Alfa Romeo over one of its Porsche Macan, BMW X3 M and Jaguar F-Pace SVR rivals.
Updates in 2024 focused on improving the interior, because that was the area in which the Stelvio lost out to its many competitors. Material quality and the infotainment system both got a boost, as did the V6 engine – power now stands at 513bhp. It sounds phenomenal and gets Alfa’s SUV from 0-62mph in just 3.8 seconds and onto a top speed of 177mph.
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- Priced from around £80,000
The Porsche Cayenne was one of the first cars to kick off the hot SUV craze, and it actually kept Porsche afloat during a tricky period for the company. Nowadays, there’s a second version available to capitalise on the emerging popularity of coupe SUVs. The Cayenne Coupe is almost identical to the standard car mechanically but comes with a lower roofline, which actually suits the enormous power options.
It’s a little bit less practical than the SUV, as you’d expect, but there’s still plenty of space. The Coupe in Turbo form is fractionally quicker to 62mph than the Cayenne SUV, dropping under the four second mark, and Coupe buyers can also choose a range-topping Turbo E-Hybird with a monstrous 729bhp (capable of 0-62mph in just 3.6 seconds). Just beware that the fastest Cayenne Coupe models can get quite pricey – the Turbo E-Hybrid model is over double the cost of the entry-level car.
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Best sports and performance SUVs: price and score list
We’ve listed the starting price and Carbuyer score for each of the performance SUVs above.
| Best performance SUV ranking | Make and model | Priced from | Carbuyer rating (out of 5) |
| 1 | Cupra Formentor | £34,000 | 4.2 |
| 2 | Range Rover Sport | £75,000 | 4.4 |
| 3 | Porsche Macan Electric | £69,000 | 4.3 |
| 4 | Tesla Model Y | £47,000 | 4.3 |
| 5 | BMW X5 | £72,000 | 4.3 |
| 6 | Lotus Eletre | £90,000 | 4.2 |
| 7 | Ford Mustang Mach-E | £43,000 | 4.1 |
| 8 | Porsche Macan | £56,000 | 4 |
| 9 | Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio | £89,000 | 4 |
| 10 | Porsche Cayenne Coupe | £80,000 |
3.8
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