Popularity

  SUVs became popular in the United States, Canada, and Australia, especially in the 1990s and early 2000s, for a variety of reasons. Buyers became drawn to their large cabins, higher ride height, and perceived safety when in the market for a new vehicle. Additionally, most full-size SUVs have far greater towing capacities than conventional cars, allowing owners to tow RVs, trailers, and boats with relative ease, adding to the utilitarian image.

A large growth in SUV popularity and sales is due to advertisement targeted towards women. Women constitute more than half of SUV drivers, and SUVs are the most popular vehicle choice of women in the United States.

The most common reason for SUV popularity cited by owners was their safety advantage in a collision with regular cars. Some of their success is also due to their image, a substantial factor for many buyers. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, vehicle manufacturers sold the image of SUVs very effectively, with per-vehicle profits substantially higher than other automobiles. Historically, their simple designs and often outdated technology (by passenger car standards) often made the vehicles cheaper to make than comparably-priced cars. Still, SUVs are more expensive than sedans of similar quality and features.

In the mid 2000s, however, their popularity has waned, due to higher gasoline prices after a period of low prices when SUVs became popular. Current model SUVs take into account that 98% of SUV owners never offroad. As such, SUVs now have lower ground clearance and suspension designed primarily for paved road usage.