As the golden years approach, many seniors find themselves seeking a vehicle that offers the right balance of comfort, accessibility, and practicality. Smaller SUVs have increasingly become a popular choice among seniors for their ease of entry and exit, maneuverability, increased visibility, and a host of features that cater to the needs of older drivers.
Affordable Small SUVs for Seniors
Seniors will find themselves faced with a ton of SUVs on the market, and honestly, it can be overwhelming for anyone. As a senior, you want an affordable vehicle that also caters to your driving needs. To help break things down for you, we’ve created this guide to help you find the very best small SUVs for seniors.
Here are some factors you should consider when shopping for a small SUV:
- Ease of Entry: Seniors should prioritize vehicles that offer easy entry and exit. Look for models with wide door openings, comfortable seat heights, and grab handles for added support. Also, consider the SUV’s ground clearance. While too much ground clearance may hinder accessibility, a moderate level can provide versatility for various road conditions without making it challenging to get in and out of the vehicle.
- Visibility: Good visibility is essential for safe driving. Opt for vehicles with large windows, minimal blind spots, and good rearview mirrors. Advanced safety features like blind-spot monitoring and rearview cameras are also beneficial.
- Fuel Efficiency: Look for compact SUVs that offer good fuel efficiency to minimize fuel costs. Fuel-efficient engines and hybrid options can be beneficial.
- Budget: When you have a limited income, you want to make sure your vehicle purchase isn’t going to drain your retirement account. Determine your budget, including upfront costs, ongoing expenses (fuel, insurance, maintenance, etc.), and any potential modifications needed for mobility aids.
- Infotainment System: An infotainment system is essential a display that performs various functions. It can give you convenient access to navigation, integrate with your phone so that you can answer calls while driving and pull up a map from anywhere in the country. If you like listening to music, you can conveniently sort through songs and albums without having to take your eyes off the road. While the idea of having a display in your vehicle might seem unnecessary, a user-friendly infotainment system can be your best friend on the road.
- Safety Features: Consider vehicles equipped with advanced safety technologies, such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and forward collision warning. These features can enhance safety for older drivers.
The Best Small SUVs for Seniors
The following vehicles were chosen for their affordability (under $25K) and overall senior-friendly design:
Mazda CX-30
The Mazda CX-30 offers maneuverability and a peppy engine that makes driving a breeze. As a subcompact crossover SUV, the CX-30 is built on a car platform, which means it’s about as high off the ground as a regular sedan. The base engine delivers an impressive 191 horsepower while giving you a great fuel economy of 26 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway – meaning you won’t have to drain your wallet at the gas pump.
(Image via Mazda)
The CX-30 features an easy-to-read 7-inch digital instrument cluster display and a user-friendly 8.8-inch infotainment display that you’ll get a hang of in no time. Safety features are plentiful as well, all working to help you stay even more alert out on the road. The base model starts at just $22,950.
Hyundai Kona
Like the CX-30, the Hyundai Kona offers a ride that is comfortable and poised in most driving situations. While its horsepower is on the lower side at 147 horsepower, the trade-off is that it offers a superior fuel economy, getting 30 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.
(Image via Hyundai)
Also like the CX-30, the vehicle’s infotainment system is incredibly user-friendly and can connect to your phone wirelessly. Safety features like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, and driver-attention monitoring all come standard, working to enhance your driving experience without being overwhelming. The Kona also has the advantage of being slightly cheaper than the CX-30, starting at just $22,140.
Volkswagen Taos
The Volkswagen Talos offers an even more comfortable ride and robust acceleration thanks to a 158-horsepower engine. It gets around 28 mpg in the city and 36 mph on the highway, nearly besting the previous small SUVs mentioned above.
(Image via Volkswagen)
On the downside, the driver assistance features are on the lower side, giving you just blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and forward automatic emergency braking. The infotainment display measures slightly smaller at 6.5 inches. The price comes in at $24,155, making it a slightly larger investment. However, depending on how much highway driving you do, it may be worth shelling out the extra two grand.
Kia Seltos
The Kia Seltos features a terrific 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone integration, plus it comes with a driver information display that measures 4.2 inches. Driver assistance features include forward collision warning, forward automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and pedestrian and cyclist detection, but you won’t get blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert with the base LX model starting at $24,390.
(Image via Kia)
Fortunately, upgrading to the S trim, starting at $24,990, will give you those features and more. The S trim boasts a 10.25-inch touch screen and a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster that are exceptionally senior-friendly. Performance is the same in both models. Both the LX and S trims feature a 146 horsepower engine that gets 28 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.
Honda HR-V
The HR-V’s greatest strength lies in its luxurious cabin, so you know it’s built to last. It features a 7-inch digital instrument cluster display and an intuitive 7-inch touch screen, along with numerous safety features, but again, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are absent from the base model.
(Image via Kia)
Under the hood, there’s a 158-horsepower engine that gets an estimated 26 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. Handling is comfortable, and even around corners, there is little body lean. The Honda HR-V starts at $24,100.
Of course, these are just some of the options seniors have to choose from. But now that you are a little more familiar with what’s out there, you can have a pretty good idea as to what you are looking for – and in the price range that suits your budget. Good luck and happy driving!
