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    Best Midsized SUVs Under $35,000 With Standard Safety Systems

    These models have forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and blind spot warning

    2022 Toyota Venza
    Toyota Venza
    Photo: Toyota

    The good news for consumers is that in 2022, more SUVs come with key active safety systems. But it can be challenging to decipher the marketing and sales materials of every automaker to figure out what the system names mean and which ones are standard equipment.

    Consumer Reports is here to help you by cutting through all the jargon to present the best SUVs that come with forward collision warning (FCW), automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, and blind spot warning (BSW) as standard equipment on every trim level.

    Sometimes automakers don’t include the safety technology as standard equipment on the base trim. That’s why there aren’t any models from Subaru on this list and just one from Toyota. But there are several options for savvy shoppers who want affordable SUVs with key safety equipment.

    More on SUVs

    Below is our list of CR-recommended midsized two- and three-row SUVs with starting prices that are less than $35,000. That means they scored well in our road tests, which include more than 50 objective and subjective evaluations. On top of that, they have good reliability and come standard with FCW, AEB with pedestrian detection, and BSW. They also performed well in government and insurance industry crash tests, if they were tested. We’ve listed them in order of their Overall Score, which is a combination of all these factors. That base-price cutoff eliminated the recommended Ford Edge and the Honda Passport and Pilot.

    If you’re a CR member, this article and the list below are already available to you. But if you haven’t signed up, click below and become a member to access the list and all our exclusive ratings and reviews for each vehicle we buy and test. Joining also gives you full access to exclusive ratings for the other products our experts evaluate in several categories, including electronics and appliances.

    If you’re a used-car shopper, you can click through to the model pages for information on these vehicles from older model years. Consumer Reports members can also search our Used Car Marketplace for vehicles for sale in their area, sorting by the factors that matter most. The listings include CR reliability and owner satisfaction ratings, and most vehicles include a free Carfax report.

    Sign up for CR’s Cars email newsletter to be notified when we post our latest road tests.

    Become a member to read the full article and get access to digital ratings.

    We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.


    Jon Linkov

    Jon Linkov is the deputy auto editor at Consumer Reports. He has been with CR since 2002, covering varied automotive topics including buying and leasing, maintenance and repair, ownership, reliability, used cars, and electric vehicles. He manages CR’s lineup of special interest publications, hosts CR’s “Talking Cars” podcast, and writes and edits content for CR’s online and print products. An avid cyclist, Jon also enjoys driving his ’80s-era sports car and instructing at track days.