Twenty-odd companies build side by sides for the North American market. Four of them build most of what you see on a trail.
The big four
Polaris. The largest by volume, and the reason the RZR name gets used the way people say Kleenex. Ranger for work, RZR for sport, General for both. Parts availability is the best in the industry, which matters more than any spec sheet when something breaks two hours from the truck.
Can-Am (BRP). The performance answer to Polaris. Maverick X3 for sport, Defender for work. Can-Am owners tend to be more loyal and more opinionated than any other group in this market. The X3 belt question alone generates more search traffic than most whole brands.
Yamaha. Builds fewer models and builds them carefully. The Wolverine and YXZ have a reputation for reliability that the sport crowd sometimes reads as conservative. The YXZ is still the only manual-transmission sport machine with a real following.
Honda. Pioneer and Talon. Same reputation as Yamaha, with a dual-clutch transmission instead of a belt CVT, which sidesteps the single most common UTV failure entirely.
Work and agricultural
Kubota. RTV series, diesel, hydrostatic drive, built for farms rather than trails.
John Deere. Gator, the machine most people picture when they hear “utility vehicle” without knowing the sport side exists.
Bobcat and Mahindra (Roxor) round out the work end.
Kawasaki. Mule for work, Teryx for sport. Underrated on both counts.
Arctic Cat (Textron). Wildcat and Prowler. Smaller presence than it once had.
The value brands
CFMOTO, Hisun, Massimo, American LandMaster, Kymco and Segway Powersports compete on price. The machines cost meaningfully less than the big four and the trade is dealer network and parts availability.
That trade is the whole decision. A cheaper machine is a good deal until a part takes six weeks to arrive.
Which one should you buy?
If you are new, buy whatever the nearest dealer supports. Proximity to parts and service beats every spec comparison you will read.
If you already know you want sport, the real choice is Polaris or Can-Am, and it comes down to which one your riding group runs.
Related guides
- The ultimate guide to buying a used UTV for beginners
- UTV value guide
- How many hours are a lot on a UTV
- What is the best Polaris RZR belt
