Although not available in North American markets, the new Ford Puma, a crossover subcompact SUV, has been selling respectably well and has even earned itself some recognition. The magazine What Car? made the Puma their 2020 car of the year, and a 2021 trim was their SUV pick of that year as well. In 2021 the Puma was Ford’s best-selling car in the United Kingdom.

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The Puma is a hybrid that uses a 1-liter EcoBoost 3-cylinder engine, with a 1.4-liter 4-cylinder diesel option available. The Puma ST comes with a slightly higher grade engine with 1.5-liter displacement and 4-cylinders. The base Puma engine is tested at 154 horsepower, 180 lb-ft of torque, and a laundry list of safety features that includes Pre-collision assistant with pedestrian detection, electronic stability control, adaptive cruise control, and much more. Over 100,000 Pumas were sold in 2020 alone, so one has to wonder how the competition stacks up against this well-reviewed crossover.

8 Toyota Yaris Cross

Toyota Yaris Cross
via Toyota

The Ford Puma has the Yaris cross beat when it comes to horsepower, as the Yaris Cross has only a tested rate of 106 hp, although some might find such a difference negligible, although the Puma’s engine works faster it doesn’t necessarily put the Yaris Cross to shame.

yaris cross (suvdrive)
via suvdrive

The Yaris is very well-reviewed also, Car and Driver gave the 2020 model a near-perfect score (9.5 out of 10 stars!) but still falls short behind the Puma when it comes to an important factor, fuel economy. Pumas are ridiculously fuel-efficient and when pushed can get over 50 MPG, the best a Yaris can muster is 40 MPG on the highway, which is not bad, to be fair.

7 Nissan Juke

2017 Nissan Juke Rear View
Via Nissan

The car most frequently compared and contrasted to the Ford Puma is the Nissan Juke. The Juke has the Ford Puma beat when it comes to horsepower as it can achieve over 200 horsepower depending on your trim of choice (base models only have 164 hp).

Nissan Juke
Nissan

But like the Yaris Cross, the car does not meet the Puma’s amazing fuel efficiency standards. The Nissan Juke can achieve a measly 28 MPG in the city and only 32 on the highway. That said the car does deserve some credit for its transmission options, which are either a 6-speed manual or a continuous variable transmission. Despite any of its positive traits, the Juke is a very poorly reviewed car.

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6 Volkswagen T-Cross

VW Atlas Cross Sport
Via VW Media

Some have listed this car as the best compact crossover available because of its engine options and its mileage, both of which can compete with the Ford Puma. The T-Cross, Volkswagen's official entry in the crossover market, can match the Puma’s 50 MPG fuel economy easier than our previous list entries.

VW T-Cross Lowered
via: KW Blog

Also, the car has a diverse engine range, with either a 1-liter 3-cylinder or a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, both with turbo. The horsepower also closely matches the Ford Pumas, maxing out at 148 HP.

5 Renault Captur

2020 Renault Captur on white background
source: Renault Group Media

Like its relative the Nissan Juke, critics enjoy comparing and contrasting the Ford Puma against this crossover. The Renault Captur has several trims to choose from, so a direct comparison to the Puma is hard, that said the increased number of trims does give the car more variety, as the Puma only comes in 5 trims, some with diesel options, all on hybrid drivetrains.

2020 - New Renault CAPTUR E-TECH Plug-In Edition
source: Renault Group Media

While the Renault Captur is available in 7 different iterations, more if one takes into account the differences in power options like their mid-range diesel options. Top-tier trims of the Captur are available as hybrid plugins, and the mid-range trims sit on engines with 1.3-liter displacement. The base trim uses a 1.0-liter engine similar to that in the Juke, so engine specs between the two cars are pretty much the same.

4 Honda HRV

2021 Honda HRV Exterior, blue
Via Gohansel

The HRV is a reliable crossover, but not one that can compete with the Ford Puma. Although it is pulled by 141 horses under its hood, the 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine for some reason cannot match the impressive fuel efficiency of the Ford Puma.

honda hrv 2021
via hotcars

The 2022 HRV has a fuel economy that registers at 28 MPG in the city and 34 on the highway. Although available in 4 different, reasonably priced trims, it really is no match for the Puma or most of the other entries on this list.

3 Citroen C3 Aircross

White 2020 Citroen C3 Aircross on the move
Via: Stellantis

Although critics think it drives “bland” compared to the competition, the car still delivers where it is supposed to. The Aircross, like most other entries on this list, uses a turbo-charged engine with 109 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque, which is still less than the Puma but not horrible for an SUV crossover.

Citroen C3 Aircross Interior
Via Citroen

That said, this car is one of the few that can come close to matching the Puma’s impressive fuel economy, and in some cases it even surpasses it. This is the only car on this list, besides the Puma, whose fuel economy can come close to 55 MPG on a single tank of gas.

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2 Mazda MX-30

2022 Mazda MX-30 Compact Crossover SUV
Via: Mazda

The only EV to make it to this list is the Mazda MX-30, which is also Mazda’s first consumer market EV. Although it has a limited battery range of 124 miles, its interior comfort and sleek exterior make this car a worthy opponent.

Rear 3/4 view of the MX-30
Mazda

Same with its 143 horsepower and as an EV its city and highway mileage can outpace that of the gas burning engines, registering the equivalent of up to an 80 MPG fuel economy of a gas-powered car.

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1 Peugeot 2008

The front of an e-2008 on the move
Peugeot

Concluding the list is the Peugeot 2008, or the Peugeot E-2008, are the company's second-generation for their crossover and can be purchased with either a 1.2-liter gas hybrid engine, a 1.5-liter diesel engine, or an all-electric engine block.

Front 3/4 view of a white e-2008
Peugeot

Although some find its interior to be too tight, newer models have expanded room in the back seat, giving passengers a more comfortable ride than ever before. The car has the Puma beat when it comes to horsepower with 163 HP, and it has MPG that can achieve up to 60 MPG, easily beating the Puma by 10 MPG.