Which Used Vehicle is the Best Option for You: A Sedan or SUV?
A sedan versus a sport utility vehicle; many drivers find themselves considering both vehicles when searching for their next car. There’s a good reason this debate is becoming more common. If you’re looking for used cars for sale near Burlington, you’ve probably been wondering the same thing. What will make a better vehicle for your driving lifestyle? There are a lot of benefits to both SUVs and sedans. Likewise, they both have their drawbacks. In the end, there’s no right or wrong, it is just a matter of a better fit for your individual needs.
Let’s do a comparison to help shed a little light on the subject. When it comes to the things that drivers are most looking for in a car, what would make a better vehicle for your needs: a used SUV or a sedan? Let’s take a closer look at both, and if you need some guidance, we invite you to speak with our dedicated team at CBS Quality Cars and check out our wide range of pre-owned vehicles.
How Much Do You Want to Pay at the Pump?
We’ve all felt the pain at the pump, especially in recent years. In addition, as we become more active in the fight against climate change, we’re rethinking our relationship with fossil fuels. Many car companies are now offering EVs, which are available in both sedan and SUV models.
Compact sedans get some of the best fuel economy. The sedan with the highest fuel economy in 2024 was the Toyota Prius, with an EPA-estimated 57 MPG combined. The average fuel economy for sedans is 30 MPG. The size differences in sedans can have a significant effect on the fuel economy; compact sedans have a median fuel economy of 32 MPG, while a large sedan’s average combined fuel economy is 23 MPG.
The numbers can vary widely due to the size differences in classes of SUVs. A midsized SUV, for instance, gets a median fuel economy of 22 MPG, while the large SUVs get 20 MPG on average. The Nissan Rouge saw one of the best fuel economies for an SUV in 2024 with a combined EPA-estimated 33 MPG combined.
Which Vehicle is Safer for You and Your Family?
We all want a safe vehicle. It’s our daily companion, the way we get to work and school, get groceries, see the doctor, and enjoy places of recreation like the Paramount Theatre. You trust your vehicle with not only your safety, but the safety of your family, friends, pets, and anyone else who rides with you.
Unfortunately, the issue of safety is a harder one to judge due to the size differences in SUVs and sedans. Most crash tests rely on measuring kinetic energy, and that’s going to vary even between a large SUV and a subcompact model. The best method we have, then, is to turn to the mortality statistics to see which is safer. The study quoted here was published in May 2020 by the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) and used the formula of deaths per billion miles.
In the sedan category, the largest sedans had 36 deaths per billion, while the four-door subcompact’s numbers nearly doubled to 78. The numbers show a similar trend for SUVs. The subcompact segment had 40 fatalities per billion miles, while the large SUV had a sharp decrease to 19 fatalities per billion. In general, the evidence suggests that the larger models in a segment are safer, whether they’re sedans or SUVs.
Which Vehicle Will Cost More for Maintenance?
One cost of having a car we tend to forget is maintenance. Yet, it’s regular scheduled maintenance that gives our vehicles the care they need to keep going the distance. Without it, you can be looking at larger, costlier problems down the road.
Heavier cars like SUVs generally require more maintenance to tires and shocks, which take the most wear and tear from the extra weight. If you’re towing with your SUV, that could also put additional strain on many systems that might require repair later. You’ll likely need higher quantities of things like oil and fluids as well.
In general, though, the routine maintenance is very similar between sedans and SUVs. Things like tire rotations, battery checks, wheel alignments, oil changes, and coolant flushes are necessary across all types of vehicles. AAA lists the average cost of annual maintenance on a sedan to be $792 a year and SUVs at $800 annually.
Will There Be Enough Room for Everyone?
When you have a family, are a carpooler, or always seem to be driving you and your friends to every event, the number of seats in your vehicle is an important thing. It’s also one of the areas where there’s overlap between sedans and SUVs. There are differences, though, and they can be enough to sway the decision in one way or another, depending on your needs.
Sedans are, by nature, four-door, five-seat cars. To add more than five seats would require major aftermarket renovations. Subcompact and compact SUVs are primarily five-seaters, though some models have six seats. When you move up into the midsize range, you’ll get five to seven seats. The large SUVs have the most seating capacity, generally seven to eight, but a few XL models can push that up to nine.
What About Cargo Space?
While this category seems to be an easy win for the SUV, if your heart craves a sedan, there are a few options on the market that can provide you with some solid space. The Honda Accord is the best of these at 16.7 cu.ft. of space in the trunk. The Honda Civic Hatchback can extend that space to 24.5 cu.ft.
Conversely, not every SUV has more room than a sedan. The Hyundai Kona provides a surprisingly small 19.2 cu.ft. of storage space behind the rear row. More surprisingly, the Chevy Trailblazer has 25.3 cu.ft., the Chevy Trax 18.7 cu.ft., and the Ford Bronco Sport has 29.4 cu.ft. The Chevy Suburban comes out on top with 41.5 cu.ft. of storage behind the third row, which opens up to a massive 144.7 cu.ft. with both rows down.
What Type of Performance Are You Looking For?
There are as many ways to enjoy life in Burlington as there are people. However, it’s not as varied with vehicles. For instance, you won’t be able to tow much at all with a Honda Civic, but you can tow a lot of things with a Chevy Suburban. Another factor to consider is driveability. SUVs will offer you a higher line of sight, which some drivers prefer. They’re also better for driving on rougher terrain, especially the 4×4 models, and can be used for off-roading. On the other hand, sedans can be easier to maneuver and park due to their smaller size, and some drivers prefer the feeling of more control you can get from a compact sedan.
Which Used Vehicle Makes the Most Sense for Your Needs?
As we’ve seen, there are some areas where SUVs shine and others where sedans come out ahead. Many of these factors come down to personal preference. If you’re still on the fence about which will make a better vehicle for you, two things might help you make the decision. The first is taking time to assess what you truly want and need in a vehicle and then doing an honest assessment of where you drive, how often you drive, and how driving fits into your activities or work. The second thing is to keep gathering information until you’ve made your decision. We hope this will be a great starting point to help you organize your thoughts and decide what further information you need before proceeding. No matter what you choose, there are great used cars out there waiting to help you live your best life in Burlington.
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