ATV & UTV Guides & Checklists

The machines below span 2015–2024 model years and roughly $6,500 to $30,000, which is a wide enough range that the first decision is not which model but which category. Almost every buying mistake in this market comes from picking a machine by its headline capability rather than by how you will actually use it.

The models in this set split cleanly in two. Utility quads cluster from about $6,500 to $13,000 — the Yamaha Kodiak 450, Polaris Sportsman 570 and Honda FourTrax Foreman all start near $6,500, with the Honda Rubicon, Suzuki KingQuad 750, Yamaha Grizzly 700 and Can-Am Outlander 850 stepping up through the range. Sport side-by-sides sit in an entirely different bracket: the Polaris RZR 1000 runs about $18,000–$25,000 and the Can-Am Maverick 1000 about $20,000–$30,000.

The gap is not marketing. A side-by-side carries two occupants abreast, adds a roll cage, a cargo bed and a longer-travel suspension, and is built to be driven harder. That means more material, more power and more expensive consumables — the cost difference continues long after the purchase.

• Choose a utility quad if you work alone, need to get through tight trails, or want something you can load into a pickup bed or a small trailer without extra equipment.
• Choose a side-by-side if you carry a passenger, haul material regularly, or want to cover ground faster. Budget for a trailer, a bigger storage footprint and a tow vehicle rated for both.
• Do not choose on horsepower alone. A 450-class utility quad will out-work a sport side-by-side on a fence line, and cost a third as much to buy.

ATV and UTV maintenance is measured in engine hours, not miles, which catches out buyers who think in car terms. Expect oil and filter changes on a short interval, air-filter cleaning far more often in dusty conditions, belt and clutch wear on CVT machines, CV-boot and driveshaft service, and suspension work that arrives sooner if you ride hard. Tyres are the largest single consumable on a side-by-side because there are four of them and they are not cheap. On a used machine, the deciding cost is usually not the engine but everything attached to it.

1. Ask for engine hours, not just the model year — hours drive every service interval.
2. Start it cold. A machine that needs throttle to idle from cold may need a top-end soon.
3. Check CV boots for cracks and grease loss; torn boots mean dirt inside the joint.
4. Look at the air filter housing. A dusty intake tells you how the machine was treated.
5. Inspect the frame, skid plates and A-arm mounts for impact damage or field repairs.
6. Confirm the VIN on the frame matches the paperwork, and check how your state titles or registers ATVs before you buy.

• Trailering. A side-by-side usually needs a trailer and a tow vehicle rated for the combined weight — which is a second purchase, and a separate insurance and registration conversation the trailer legal sheet covers.
• Storage. Unlike a car, a machine that sits outside degrades faster: fuel goes stale, tyres flat-spot, battery self-discharges, and UV attacks plastics and seat foam.
• Seasonal preparation. Fuel stabiliser and a battery tender over the off-season are cheap; a fouled fuel system and a dead battery each spring are not.
• Riding gear and safety equipment. Helmet, eye protection and proper footwear belong in the budget, not in the wish list.
• Trail access and registration. Many states require registration or a permit for off-road use on public land, and rules differ between state land and private parks.

The per-model cost pages on this site cover cars, trucks, vans and SUVs, because those are the machines with published model-level MSRP and EPA fuel data. ATVs and UTVs are documented here instead. The diagnostic reference in our OBD-II code library does list several of the quads above and the codes they log, so start there if you are chasing a warning light. Once you have shortlisted two or three, compare what they will cost you to keep — the total cost of ownership sheet and the calculator library work for recreational machines as well as cars.