10 Third-Row SUVs With The Best Gas Mileage (And 3 Of The Worst)

It was once the case that anyone looking to transport a large family had little choice but to buy a minivan, at least if they didn't want to spend a fortune at the gas pump. However, the ever increasing popularity of SUVs, combined with the slow but steady rise of electrified powertrains, means that's no longer necessarily true. Buyers can now look at any one of a wide range of three-row SUVs, safe in the knowledge that they're no longer the gas-guzzling beasts that they once were. In fact, the top performing three-row SUVs even offer similar fuel efficiency to many smaller cars.

Using a combination of KBB's new car search tool and the EPA's database of efficiency figures, we've put together a list of 10 of the most fuel efficient three-row SUVs on the market. To keep things simple, we've excluded plug-in hybrids, since their real world efficiency varies dramatically depending upon how often they're plugged in. As such, this list consists only of gas-only cars and hybrids. For comparison, we've also included a trio of the worst performers on the market below the main ranking.

Available in several different flavors for the 2025 model year, the Nissan Pathfinder achieves a combined 23 mpg in its most efficient trim. Buying either the Platinum or Rock Creek trims will reduce that figure slightly, to 22 mpg combined and 21 mpg combined respectively. Across all trims, the SUV's 3.5-liter V6 remains unaltered.

In SlashGear's review of the Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek trim from 2024, we found it to be a solid all-rounder, with more than enough all-weather capability for most people and enough refinement on the road to compete against traditional soft-roaders. The Pathfinder, particularly in its Rock Creek guise, doesn't quite fall into the soft-roader category, but then again, it's no trail beast either.

In many regards, this is a compromise between practicality, efficiency, and capability — that's not a bad thing. Most of the more efficient three-row SUVs here sacrifice all traces of all-terrain capability in the name of superior on-road performance, but the Pathfinder will still happily deal with snowy or unpaved roads. A front-wheel drive version of the Pathfinder is available, but given that adding all-wheel drive makes no difference to that combined 23 mpg efficiency figure, it's hard to see why most buyers would want to go without it.

There are downsides to buying any new car. In the case of the Cadillac XT6, one of the biggest downsides is it has among the poorest value retention on the market, and so buyers can expect to lose a lot of money when it's time to resell. That more than cancels out any financial benefit achieved by the XT6's competitive fuel economy, which tops out at a combined 23 mpg according to EPA figures. Buyers looking for the most efficient variant will have to stick with the XT6's base-spec 2.0-liter four-cylinder — stepping up to the 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine drops efficiency to a maximum combined 21 mpg.

This also one of the older three-row SUVs on the market, with the current generation of the XT6 having been on the market for more than half a decade. Back at its launch, SlashGear thought that it wasn't the most memorable SUV in its segment, even if it did — and does still — come with a healthy dose of Cadillac's usual all-American take on luxury. It's also not quite the most efficient luxury SUV in its segment, even if it's close to the top performers.

The 2025 Buick Enclave has plenty of competition, some which even comes from within GM's ranks. It shares a platform and its 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with both the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia, and all three SUVs have the same fuel economy. A combined rating of 23 mpg isn't enough to put them at the very top of their respective segments, but it's still enough to put them among the most economical three-row SUVs on the market.

The Enclave and its GM cousins only hit 23 mpg in front-wheel drive guise. All-wheel drive options are available for all three, but result in a 2 mpg hit to combined efficiency. Like many GM products, pricing and equipment for each model can overlap, and so the Enclave's selling point comes down to its styling as much as any of the aforementioned factors.

Its exterior shares cues with other models in the current Buick range, with the distinctive — and polarizing — lights and grille being a notable departure from the styling of its predecessor. Inside, the Buick strikes a middle ground, with plenty of leather and added tech available in the Avenir trim but still not quite as much as top-spec three-row SUVs from pricier sister brand Cadillac.

High performance and high efficiency are, at least where combustion engines are concerned, almost always mutually exclusive. Any family-oriented car has to find an optimal balance between the two, but the 2025 Infiniti QX60's attempts to find that balance don't quite make sense. Rather than attempt to decrease the car's hunger for fuel by incorporating electrification, Infiniti chose to swap out the car's old V6 engine with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. It sports an EPA rating of 24 mpg combined, enough to make it one of the most efficient non-hybrid cars in its class on paper.

However, that downsizing comes with some compromises. The most obvious one is that a turbo-four will always have a harder time hustling a big SUV around, and although the QX60 remains calm and refined around town, it doesn't pack the same punch as its competitors on the highway. From SlashGear's real-world testing of the Infiniti QX60, it also seems the official mpg figure is more than a little optimistic: During our week with the car, we averaged just 19 mpg. However, this list is based solely on EPA figures, and on paper at least, it remains a top efficiency performer in the luxury segment.

The Ford Explorer receives some tweaks for the 2025 model year, including a reduction of the trim range and the addition of BlueCruise hands-free driving technology. The cabin has also seen a minor spruce up, although nothing too dramatic. In contrast to its South Korean rivals in particular, the Explorer isn't evolving at the same rapid pace, but then it doesn't need to. The Explorer has been and continues to be highly successful with the buying public largely because it got the formula just right the first time around.

That includes the SUV's efficiency figures, which top out at 24 mpg combined for 2025. A notable omission from the lineup is any hybridization — Ford seemingly decided that it wasn't necessary to keep buyers pouring into showrooms. Still, the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine that sits at the heart of all lower Explorer trims remains efficient enough to keep it competitive with other non-hybrid three-row SUVs. However, similarly sized hybrid rivals from the likes of Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia offer far better EPA figures.

Not only is the Mazda CX-90 more enjoyable to drive than many of its rivals, it offers superior fuel-sipping credentials too. It's also decently spacious inside for a three-row SUV, although adults stuck in the rearmost row probably won't enjoy longer rides. Mazda offers the CX-90 in both plug-in hybrid and regular hybrid forms, and while the plug-in variant is unsurprisingly the winner when it comes to efficiency, the standard hybrid variant is still a top performer.

A combined EPA rating of 25 mpg is a way behind the top hybrid three-row SUVs on the market, but it's still better than most non-hybrid rivals. That said, SlashGear's real world testing returned higher figures than the officially quoted ones, with 27 mpg from mixed driving. The CX-90 was always unlikely to be a true fuel-sipper anyway, since it hides a 3.3-liter six-cylinder engine under the hood. That engine, combined with Mazda's chassis trickery, helps give the car a sportier feel than most other SUVs of its size, even if its handling can't match Mazda's smaller models.

The Mercedes-Benz GLB is unusual in that it doesn't really look like it should be a three-row SUV at all. It's smaller than most of the other entries on this list, and classes as a subcompact, yet still offers an optional third row. That's not necessarily a bad thing — in fact, buyers who want to transport seven people and aren't fussed about cargo room might appreciate its relative lack of heft.

In its most efficient form, the GLB should manage a combined 28 mpg according to the EPA. Its 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine is complemented by a mild hybrid system, a relatively new addition to the model that helps it achieve such competitive efficiency figures. Even the top-spec GLB35 AMG with its added power bump still fares well, with a combined 23 mpg. In its lower trims, the GLB comes with front-wheel drive, but when all-wheel drive is added, efficiency drops slightly to 27 mpg.

Past the Mercedes-Benz GLB, there's a notable leap in efficiency to the very top performers on the market. One of those leading three-row models is the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid, which achieves a combined 36 mpg from its electrically-assisted 2.5-liter four-cylinder powertrain. The Grand Highlander launched for the 2024 model year, offering buyers a middle ground between the brand's most popular midsize SUVs and the pricey Sequoia.

It offers huge amounts of interior space, but none of the all-terrain chops of the Sequoia. For drivers that never need to venture far off the asphalt, that off-road capability is wasted anyway, as is the latter's hybrid V6. The Grand Highlander's hybrid four-cylinder should do just fine, although we found the more potent Grand Highlander Hybrid Max to be a tempting proposition given the extra grunt on offer. Buyers looking for maximum efficiency will have to do without the Hybrid Max, which drops efficiency to a combined 27 mpg, and stick with the base-spec hybrid powertrain. If they do that, they'll be rewarded with one of the most fuel-sipping people movers on the market.

Sharing top honors with the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid is the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, which also offers a combined EPA rating of 36 mpg for 2025. However, the Hyundai achieves that rating with a much smaller displacement four-cylinder engine — 1.6-liter compared to the Toyota's 2.5-liter unit. Adding all-wheel drive to either the Toyota or the Hyundai drops their respective combined ratings to 34 mpg. The Santa Fe received a chunky, off-road inspired makeover for the 2024 model year, but make no mistake, it's still not an actual off-roader.

Its all-terrain abilities remain unchanged from previous models, but the upside of that is that its efficiency is also still as impressive as before. Knobbly tires, raised suspension, and virtually anything else that might give it better capability off the asphalt would inevitably affect its gas consumption, and so Hyundai chose to do without any of that, giving buyers the looks of an off-roader with the fuel consumption of the average hybrid minivan.

Anyone not sold on the fake off-road looks of the Hyundai Santa Fe could instead opt for its mechanically related sibling, the Kia Sorento Hybrid. It shares its 1.6-liter four-cylinder powertrain with the Hyundai and its combined EPA rating is identical, at 36 mpg. Kia unveiled an updated version of the Sorento in 2024, and there are no major changes heading into the 2025 model year. It takes a less polarizing approach to its exterior styling than the Hyundai, although it still borrows a few of the same traditional SUV styling cues more commonly seen on trail-ready SUVs.

Most trims — X-Pro aside — are designed to be kept firmly on the asphalt, but the result is fuel efficiency that simply wouldn't be possible with a traditional off-roader. Anyone looking to take that efficiency a step further could also consider the available Sorento Plug-In Hybrid, but since it requires the use of an external charger, it's excluded from consideration in this list.

As well as highlighting the most efficient three-row SUVs on the market, it's arguably just as important to spotlight the models that fall notably short of their rivals. Many three-row models hover around the 20 mpg mark, but some can't manage close to that. The Jeep Grand Wagoneer is one such example, with an official combined rating of 17 mpg according to the EPA.

SlashGear tested the current generation Grand Wagoneer at its launch and found its cabin to be befitting of its price tag, with plenty of quilted leather, a generous helping of tech, and a generally luxury-grade fit and finish on offer. However, that comes at a price, with fully loaded examples stretching well into six figure territory. At launch, the Grand Wagoneer was available with a V8 that delivered even poorer fuel economy than the current model, but even the introduction of the current standard 3.0-liter six-cylinder hasn't done much to make the SUV less gas-guzzling.

It's safe to assume that precisely zero buyers will be purchasing a Mercedes-Benz GLS63 AMG primarily for its third row. They'll be much more fussed about the giant SUV's twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine and its corresponding 603 hp output. Then there's its acceleration, with the super-SUV boasting a 0-60 mph time of just 3.6 seconds according to testing by Car and Driver. Not to mention, the car's cabin is as luxurious as buyers could expect considering its $150,000 asking price.

With all that in mind, it's little surprise that the GLS63 AMG drinks fuel like it's going out of fashion. Arguably, it is going out of fashion — electrification continues to march across virtually all areas of the automotive world, after all — but in the meantime, the fastest GLS proves that there are still plenty of buyers out there willing to pay a premium for an old-school V8 luxury brute. The fact that it has a third row of seats, and that it only achieves 15 mpg combined, are merely side notes to those kinds of buyers.

Faring even worse than the most capacitous AMG is its American counterpart, the Cadillac Escalade V. It scores just 13 mpg combined according to the EPA, a laughably low figure even by full-size SUV standards. That's down to its thundering supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine, which churns out 682 hp. Despite that immense power, it's significantly slower than the GLS63 AMG, with a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed capped at 125 mph. The AMG, in comparison, tops out at a claimed 174 mph.

In a world of super-SUVs with eye-popping power outputs, the Escalade V's horsepower and acceleration figures are far from exceptional. In fact, the Caddy will be beaten off the line by a well-specced electric Kia crossover. However, its raucous soundtrack, lavish cabin, and sheer size keeps the Escalade V in high demand with those that can afford to buy one — and then afford to keep it fuelled up.