Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 05/23/2023.

The SUV segment might be the most interesting segment in all the wide car world. SUVs sure have come a long way for a segment that started as rough and crude 4x4s meant for nothing more than the most basic utility. We have properly quick SUVs like the Lamborghini Urus, but the crazy part is how many normal SUVs are now quite fast. Most SUVs with the fastest acceleration have something in common — Electric power.

What are the fastest accelerating SUVs? 

The fastest compact SUV of 2022 is the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Prime. This little wonder has taken the world by storm. Given the massive product shortage and the popularity of the new plug-in hybrid RAV4, getting your hands on one these days is quite tough. 

For those who have managed to get the RAV4 Prime (without grossly overpaying) have a great SUV on their hands. More to the point, they have the small SUV with the fastest acceleration. The Toyota RAV4 Prime can hit 60 mph in only 6.3 seconds. If that weren’t enough, it also gets 72 mpge overall. 

Next up is the fastest midsized SUV, the 2022 Chevy Blazer. While we don’t tend to hear much buzz about the Blazer, most critics enjoy the new Chevy SUV. The Blazer’s V6 manages a 0-60 mph sprint in only 6.4 seconds. What’s funny is, despite the Blazer’s bigger motor, it still isn’t quite as quick as the RAV4 Prime’s hybrid four-pot. 

The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 landed the top spot for the fastest accelerating small luxury SUVs with a 0-60 mph time of 4.7 seconds. Now, this model is working with a stacked deck, as it is the first model that is a fully electric SUV. 

Lastly, the midsized luxury SUVs’ champion is the upper-crust Jaguar I-Pace, Jag’s all-electric SUV offering. The most expensive and fastest of the group, the Jaguar I-Pace, can hit 60 mph in only 4.3 seconds. For reference, this would have been far and away the fastest car in the world not that long ago. The 1969 Ford GT40 could only manage to hit 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. 

What makes these the fastest SUVs? 

You may have noticed that except for only one of these SUVs, every one of them uses electric power to boost acceleration. While the Blazer uses a conventional, gas-powered V6, every other one of the fastest SUVs reviewed has electric power. The acceleration benefits of hybrid and all-electric powertrains are simply undeniable. 

The fact that a RAV4 is one of the fastest anything is all the proof we should need to grasp how amazing hybrid and electric vehicles are. 

The truly amazing part of this list is that these are also among the most fuel-efficient vehicles. It isn’t often that things in our world work out like this, but this moment in history has provided an overlap of efficiency and white-knuckle speed—what a beautiful thing.