Cheapest 3-Row SUVs for 2025 | Most Affordable 7-Seater SUVs | CarBuzz

Most people who want a large SUV need the space for a couple of kids and the stuff that comes along with them, and they may not be in a position to pay a small fortune for a new car. The cheapest SUV with a 3rd row should be an investment to see your family through from their formative years to college, so you need to know which are worth your money. This is a list of the cheapest 3-row SUVs available in the USA for the 2025 model year, including models from Jeep, Kia, Hyundai, and Subaru.

This article ranks the 10 cheapest three-row SUVs in America, based on their starting prices. Models with optional or standard third-row seats have been considered, and the maximum cargo space indicated refers to the total space behind the front row when the back two rows are folded.

Pricing for the 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander had not been released at the time of writing. It is likely to qualify for a spot on this list when its pricing is released.

10 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

Starting Price: $39,035

For just barely over $39k, Jeep offers a third row in the Grand Cherokee. The Grand Cherokee L has room for the whole family while being a few inches longer than the two-row model. Not only does the three-row version have some extra space for people, the cargo capacity is enlarged (84.6 cubes behind the first row, up from 70.8 in the two-row Grand Cherokee) and Jeep offers an optional power-folding bench in the back. You'll have no problem with power, either, since Jeep gave this cheap 3rd row SUV a 3.6-liter V6 making 293 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque.

9 Subaru Ascent

Starting Price: $38,910

Subaru makes the list with the 2025 Ascent. It might not be the cheapest option here, but for $38,910 you still get a lot of car. To start, it's bigger than it looks; in fact, it's the largest SUV Subaru has ever made. Under the hood is a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making a surprising amount of power at 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. If you need to squeeze in a large group, the Ascent has room for up to eight people and with the back two rows folded down, it opens up to 75.6 cubic feet.

If your kids are a bit older or if you frequently have adults along for the ride, the captain’s chairs really are the way to go. This also provides a nice pass through to the third row, so kids can walk back there instead of catapulting themselves over the seats. Our test car featured the captain’s chairs, and we loved how they moved forward for third-row access.

- Nicole Wakelin, CarBuzz Editor-at-Large

8 Kia Sorento Hybrid

Starting Price: $38,690

The Kia Sorento Hybrid is a more powerful and more efficient version of the cheapest three-row SUV in 2025. Priced at $38,690, the Sorento Hybrid has a 1.6-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain with 227 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque—plenty to get the kids to and from school or the groceries home. It only has six seats where most SUVs on this list have seven or eight, but it still opens up to 75.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the second and third rows folded flat.

7 Volkswagen Atlas

Starting Price: $38,200

Volkswagen's own SUVs still get a hint of the treatment they give to Audi, as seen in their somewhat upscale interiors and modern exterior styling. However, the 2025 Atlas is a cheap 7-seater SUV. Its seats give the impression of luxury with large diamond stitching and comfortable materials. Under the hood is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 269 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, which is slightly less than the average on this list. However, the Atlas is still impressive with 96.6 cubic feet of storage space behind the front seats—the largest of any SUV on this list.

6 Mazda CX-90

Starting Price: $37,845

Keeping up with the rest of the brands here is Mazda with the 2025 CX-90. Its 3.3-liter inline-six-cylinder hybrid powertrain makes 280 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque in standard form (upper trims produce 340 hp/369 lb-ft) and the three rows let you fit up to eight people inside. While the front end has a typical Mazda grille, the rest of the exterior is a little uninspiring. The interior picks up the pace with a more luxurious and modern feel. Comparable to the rest of the SUVs on the list, the maximum cargo capacity for the 2025 Mazda CX-90 is 75.2 cubic feet.

5 Hyundai Palisade

Starting Price: $37,100

Another cheap 3rd row SUV with reasonable power comes from Hyundai. The 2025 Palisade is equipped with a formidable 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine that makes 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Hyundai continues to prove that it's also capable of producing upscale vehicles and demonstrates this with handsome styling inside and out. The Palisade can fit up to eight people, and has 86.4 cubic feet of cargo space when the back two rows of seats are folded down.

An all-new Palisade is expected to arrive for the 2026 model year.

4 Nissan Pathfinder

Starting Price: $37,070

Nissan took a different route than most affordable three-row SUVs since they market the 2025 Pathfinder as a more rugged and adventure-ready option. Its 3.5-liter six-cylinder makes decent power at 284 horsepower and 259 lb-ft of torque (295 hp/270 lb-ft for Rock Creek variants) put to the ground with optional 4WD and a towing capacity of up to 6,000 pounds. The interior is expansive, too, with 80.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the front seats. Given its off-road appeal, Nissan gave the Pathfinder a "Rock Creek" trim level, pictured above.

3 Kia Telluride

Starting Price: $36,390

Like its Palisade twin, Kia brings a nearly identical car to the table with the 2025 Telluride. It's powered by the same 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine, so that means it gets the same 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. Inside the SUV you'll also find eight seats and a barely larger cargo capacity at 87 cubic feet. The choice between the Kia Telluride and the Hyundai Palisade really just comes down to style and brand preferences.

2 Hyundai Santa Fe

Starting Price: $34,200

As far as cheap 7-seater SUVs go, the Hyundai Santa Fe might be the best value for your money. It's not the cheapest—a Kia has reserved that seat—but for a couple thousand dollars more, Hyundai gives a lot more car. You still get three rows and seven seats, plus a bigger cargo capacity and turbocharged engine with more power than the Kia Sorento. If you can stretch your budget just a little bit more to this Hyundai, you'll get 79.6 cubic feet of storage capacity and an engine with 277 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque.

1 Kia Sorento

Starting Price: $31,990

The cheapest SUV with a third row you can buy in 2025 is the base model Kia Sorento. For just $31,990, you get the cheapest 7-seater SUV to take the whole family for an outing. On the off-chance you need to move a lot of stuff or large items and don't want to tow a trailer, the Sorento's second and third rows fold down to reveal 75.5 cubic feet of cargo space. The only downside to being the most affordable 3-row SUV is the limited amount of power you get from its 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Without a standard turbo, it's much less potent than the Santa Fe, but it still has the honor of being the cheapest 3rd-row SUV on sale - at least, until pricing for the latest Mitsubishi Outlander is revealed.

What To Consider When Buying The Cheapest 3-row SUV

These are some of the pros and cons of vehicles in this category.

Pros

• Loads of interior space
• Decently powerful engine options
• Safe and comfortable driving experience
• Lower price than high-end 3-rows

Cons

• Cost more than your average sedan or wagon
• Third-row seats are often cramped
• Lackluster performance on certain models

What is the most affordable 3-row SUV?

While most 3-row SUV models cost $40k upwards, the cheapest 3-row SUV sells for just $31,990. This is the Kia Sorento. This is around as much as the Hyundai Palisade or Kia Telluride cost.

Which cheap 3-row SUV is the most spacious?

Even the best three-row SUVs often suffer from cramped rear seats, but both the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade can comfortably fit adults in the back. The fact that these are some of the most affordable 3-row SUVs is a big bonus.

Do affordable SUVs with 3 rows get good mileage?

For the most part, the answer is no. However, the best affordable 3-row SUV for fuel economy is the Kia Sorento Hybrid, which achieves 35/33 mpg city/highway. Non-hybrids don’t easily break the 30-mpg mark.

How reliable are the cheapest SUVs with a 3rd row?

Quite a few SUVs in the US earn top marks for reliability, even in the cheap SUVs with a 3rd row segment. Automakers like Kia and Hyundai both have solid reputations in this regard.

Sources: Jeep, Subaru, Kia, Volkswagen, Mazda, Nissan, Hyundai