10 SUVs With 500 Horsepower Or Greater, Ranked

SUVs are incredibly popular, with a global market size of $528 billion in 2024 and showing no signs of stopping any time soon. And while they're admittedly not everyone's cup of tea, they're are eminently practical vehicles that offer good amounts of room, seating capacity, and cargo space, all of which can come in very handy — especially if you've got a family to drive around.

Now, to be clear, SUVs aren't entirely problem-free, but on the whole, it makes a lot of sense why car buyers worldwide gravitate toward them. However, not everyone wants to sacrifice fun for practicality. Gone are the days when you had trade in your sporty, hard-accelerating two-seater in favor of a family-friendly ride. If you want a vehicle that'll thrill you every time you put your foot on the gas and still have enough room for family trips, SUVs have you covered. The pricey ones do, at least.

While you can indeed have your cake and eat it, you will have to set aside a decent chunk of change for the privilege of doing so. And thus, whether you're shopping around or just want to see how crazy modern people carriers can get, here's a list of 10 SUVs that make more than 500 hp — gas, hybrid, and all-electric.

Let's start off slow with our first 500-plus-hp SUV, the BMW X5 M60i. The more accessible of the two M versions of BMW's mid-sized SUV, the M60i swaps the standard X5's turbocharged 3.0-liter engine for a mild-hybrid 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8. This engine, known as the S68, is one of the most powerful engines BMW has ever built, thanks to its 523 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque.

BMW's M division did more than shoehorn a beefier engine into an otherwise practical SUV, though: hitting 60 mph in 3.6 seconds is pretty rapid, but the M60i also sports a selection of handling and ride upgrades in the form of an M Sport differential, M Sport brakes, an optional adaptive suspension system, and rear-wheel steering. The M60i also gets slightly revised gear ratios on the eight-speed transmission and comes with a sharp new look courtesy of some new aero and trim bits.

The total package is impressive, as our own Chris Davies found out in SlashGear's review of the 2024 BMW X5 M60i, but admittedly not without its flaws. The adaptive suspension is either too soft or too sporty, while the price isn't necessarily easy to swallow. But hey, the V8 makes good power and is, in our reviewer's words, "genuinely lovely." And that's what we're here for, isn't it?

Anything BMW does, Mercedes-Benz can also do. Case in point: the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S, an otherwise practical Mercedes-Benz SUV goosed up with that signature AMG touch, courtesy of a 4.0-liter biturbo V8 under the hood. The hand-built AMG engine shares the same basic specs as the 4.0-liter unit in vehicles like the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS 4Matic, but makes more than the standard unit's 500 hp.

The $130,000 GLE 63 S will get you a massive 610 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque, the sort of power that we'd once only have associated with high-powered performance vehicles. But then, the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S is indeed a performance vehicle in a way, with 0 to 60 mph time of 3.4 seconds and trick self-leveling AMG suspension and Active Ride Control that reduces body roll during corners. Handy in any vehicle, but doubly useful in a high-riding SUV.

As with the lesser GLE models, the GLE 63 S has a mild-hybrid electric system the company calls EQ Boost. This combination starter and alternator unit helps give the V8 a bit of a, well, boost, providing 21 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque temporarily under acceleration. The system also manages the engine's idle speeds, which Mercedes claims helps provide some fuel savings, although it likely doesn't help make up for the V8's thirsty nature — as the 16 mpg estimate indicates. Still, it's the thought that counts.

Land Rover's Range Rover SUVs are likely the definitive luxury off-roader, with the sumptuous interiors and classy styling of more recent iterations setting a benchmark for refinement that few can match. And while we don't imagine most prospective Range Rover buyers eyeing one for its outright power, the company does offer 600-plus hp models for those who want an engine to match their SUV's class-leading appeal.

The more powerful of the two, and the one we'll focus on, is the Range Rover Sport SV. This slightly more compact version of the full-fat Range Rover is the most powerful version of the current line. Its mild-hybrid, twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 produces 626 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, a hair more than the non-sport Range Rover SV, which gets 606 hp from the same engine and forced-induction setup. The Sport SV also gets a hydraulic 6D Dynamics suspension that allegedly keeps body roll to a minimum and carbon-ceramic Brembo brakes to further live up to the sportier branding.

Combined with the mild-hybrid output, which boosts torque to 590 lb-ft with Range Rover's launch mode engaged, the Sport SV has enough grunt for a 3.6-second 0-60 mph time. That's plenty fast for any vehicle, let alone a luxury cruise ship on wheels. And, crucially, it's competitive with other high-horsepower SUVs on the market — precisely what you'd want, considering that you'll have to pay over $180,000 for the luxury of having one parked in your driveway.

We've been discussing European SUVs up until now, but it shouldn't surprise you that the most ludicrously powerful gasoline SUVs are American. First of the two we have in store is the Cadillac Escalade V-Series, a hulking chunk of luxury SUV with a frankly silly supercharged 6.2-liter V8 under the hood good for 682 hp and 653 lb-ft of torque.

Does anyone need nearly 700 hp in a three-row, luxury-minded SUV? Probably not. But it definitely is impressive, managing to take the 6,000-pound Escalade V-series to 60 mph in an estimated 4.4 seconds. Sure, that's slower than all the other SUVs on this list, all of which hit that milestone in under four seconds, but none of them are quite as large and in charge as the Escalade V-Series. If that level of road presence and bling — you can spec 24-inch wheels for the big SUV — is what you want, then nothing out there compares, as far as we're concerned.

We managed to get behind the wheel of a 2024 Cadillac Escalade V-Series late last year and found it to be a truly luxurious ride that was also surprisingly good to drive. Reviewer Alex Hevesy called it "obscene," but that's arguably the entire point of the Escalade V-Series. After all, those with the funds to splash out more than $160,000 on an SUV probably aren't looking to blend in.

As great — or silly — as the Cadillac Escalade V-Series is, though, one American SUV trumps its monumental excess. Say hello to the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Hammerhead, a new special edition version of the old Durango SRT Hellcat that ranks as one of the most powerful gasoline SUVs money can buy right now.

Dodge may have made a huge song and dance about discontinuing the HEMI V8, but the fact that it brought the HEMI-powered Durango SRT Hellcat back for the 2025 model year seems to indicate that the company isn't quite ready to let go of the legendary V8. The special-edition Hammerhead trim sports a new paint job, 20-inch Satin Carbon wheels, black brakes, and some fancy interior materials.

While we can't say what the future holds for the Durango SRT Hellcat amidst Dodge's push into electrification, we can at least appreciate what it offers in the here and now. And what it offers, via the same supercharged Hellcat V8 that powered the dearly-departed Challenger SRT Hellcat models, is 710 hp and 645 lb-ft of torque. That's enough for a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds — and the pleasure of knowing you have more power on tap than all those fancy-schmancy European SUVs we discussed earlier.

We've discussed a few mild hybrid SUVs already, but we're turning to the full-on hybrids. These use electric motors to offer a significant chunk of extra power and, of course, some electric-only running for those brief errands. First up is Porsche's Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid.

This is an even more potent version of the already impressive Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid, which managed 463 hp and 479 lb-ft from its combination of a gas V6 and electric motor. The Turbo E-Hybrid makes extra power thanks to a more powerful V8 engine that cranks out 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque on its own. Combine that with the same 173 hp, 339-lb-ft electric motor present in the non-Turbo Cayenne E-Hybrid and you get the flagship SUV's 729 hp and 700 lb-ft of torque.

That makes the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid's powertrain one of the most powerful Porsche engines ever, with official 0-62 mph and quarter-mile times of 3.5 and 11.7 seconds, respectively. Porsche's estimates might even be a bit conservative: Car and Driver saw 60 mph come up in just 3.1 seconds, while the quarter-mile run took 11.3 seconds. Granted, the outlet tested with a Coupe body, but the differences should be minimal — if anything, the Coupe should be slightly slower given its marginally heavier body. But let's not split hairs: no matter the body style, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid is a very fast, very powerful SUV.

BMW's XM SUV may not be to everyone's aesthetic taste — to the point that it may belong on a list of the worst-looking BMWs ever for some — but it's impossible to deny that the M Division's SUV packs a punch. A mighty big punch, to be more specific, with 748 hp and 737 lb-ft of torque from its combined turbo V8 and single electric motor.

That's an increase of around 100 hp from the base XM, mostly thanks to the M Division squeezing more power from the petrol V8. The V8 in the standard XM — which is already a mighty enjoyable and very fast SUV, as Chris Davies found out when he tested a 2023 BMW XM — makes a more-than-decent 489 hp, but the XM Label Red's V8 gets a bunch of secret M Division sauce which bumps power up to 585 hp. Torque also climbs, of course, going from 479 lb-ft to 553.

The XM Label Red's electric motor — the same unit used in the XM — sits between the engine and the XM's eight-speed transmission and generates 197 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque. The total package allows the XM Label Red to move wickedly fast despite its 6,000-pound weight: 60 mph arrives in a claimed 3.7 seconds, and we imagine it'll pull hard all the way to its electronically-limited 155 mph top speed (or 180 mph with the optional M Driver's Package). Does any of this make up for that divisive front fascia? That's for potential owners to judge.

All-electric SUVs may now dominate the power charts, but for our money, none of them manage to achieve the same level of extravagance and sheer silliness — in a great way, mind you — of the Lamborghini Urus. Lamborghini's so-called super SUV debuted for the 2018 model year with a hopped-up version of the VW Group's twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 producing 640 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque.

That'd be good enough for most automakers, but Lamborghini has brought its power levels up in recent years, making the super SUV even more super. The 2023 Lamborghini Urus Perfomante squeezed out an extra 16 hp or so while making tweaks to the SUV's aerodynamics and suspension. However that was merely a warm-up for the electrified Urus SE.

The Urus SE takes things to a new level, marrying a detuned version of the forced-induction V8 from the old models to a new electric motor that makes 189 hp and 356 lb-ft of torque. What comes out of this pairing is 789 hp and 700 lb-ft of torque on tap — and a nearly-$300,000 hole in your bank account should you choose to buy one. But while the extra power is a hoot, adding electrics means the Urus SE has to carry quite a bit of extra weight. And as we discovered during our first drive of the 2025 Lamborghini Urus SE, not even the Urus SE's fancy airbags and active rollbars can fully make up for that.

Gas and hybrid SUVs are all well and good, but most of you likely know now that the best way to get big power in an SUV is to go with an all-electric drivetrain. And few electric SUVs go as hard, power-wise, as the Tesla Model X Plaid.

Tesla introduced the Plaid as part of a 2021 refresh of its Model X SUV, bringing with it a new tri-motor four-wheel-drive setup good for 1,020 hp. It was essentially the SUV version of the Model S Plaid, which also came out in 2021 and used the same two-rear, one-front arrangement for its electric motors — undoubtedly one of the perks of Tesla's decision to have the two models share the same platform.

While the supposed EV revolution hasn't panned out the way some expected, vehicles like the Model X Plaid really show what electric power can bring to the table, to say nothing of the environmental benefits. The Model X Plaid allegedly hits 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, leaving non-electric SUVs behind and putting it in the same league as megabucks supercars — and beating a few them, too. Acceleration isn't everything, and there are definitely reasons to stay away from the Model X, but if power is your main focus, it's up there with the best.

We end our list with the most powerful version of Rivian's R1S all-electric SUV, the R1S Quad. As the name suggests, the R1S Quad uses four motors, one for each wheel. These motors operate independently, with Rivian's software smarts controlling and adjusting the power output at each wheel to suit the conditions.

Rivian used Bosch motors for its first-generation R1S and R1T EVs, and in the R1S Quad they combined to make 835 hp and 908 lb-ft of torque. But the company has moved on from for its updated 2025 R1S and R1T, swapping in its in-house Enduro motors. These Enduro units are the same the company used in the 2024 Rivian R1T Dual-Motor, which impressed us greatly when we tested one in early 2024.

The upshot? A frankly ludicrous 1,025 hp and 1,198 lb-ft of torque from the new 2025 R1S Quad. That gives the electric people-carrier supercar-rivaling performance, with Rivian claiming a 0-60 mph time of 2.5 seconds and a quarter-mile ET of 10.5 seconds — numbers backed up by third-party testing. The former is essentially on par with Chevrolet's Corvette Z06 and uncomfortably close to the Corvette ZR1's claimed 2.3-second time. It should still smoke an R1S in the quarter-mile, but the fact that we're even having this conversation about a seven-seater SUV shows you how crazy things have gotten with electrification.