Exploring the spatio-temporal variations in cultivated land from the perspective of land-use conversion is crucial for identifying the reality of “replacing high-quality land with inferior land, ” optimizing cultivated land allocation, and enhancing the effectiveness of related protection policies. Based on land-use datasets from 2000, 2010, and 2020, this study integrates the land-use transfer matrix, cultivated land ecological niche model, and optimal-parameter geographical detector to systematically examine the spatio-temporal evolution, suitability changes, and driving mechanisms of cultivated land gain and loss at the county scale in Hunan Province. The results show that: 1) Spatio-temporal characteristics: The scale of cultivated land conversion expanded continuously with an accelerating trend, accompanied by declining spatial stability. During 2000—2010, changes were relatively moderate and spatially dispersed, whereas during 2010— 2020, cultivated land loss intensified, with conversion-out consistently exceeding conversion-in and exhibiting stronger spatial agglomeration—most prominently in western Hunan. 2) Quality effects: Cultivated land conversion was marked by a pronounced “replacing premium land with inferior land” phenomenon. Newly reclaimed cultivated land consistently had lower suitability than the land being converted out, leading to an overall declining trend in average cultivated land quality. 3) Driving mechanisms: The conversion of cultivated land was jointly driven by socio-economic, locational, and natural factors, with interaction effects between paired factors showing significantly higher explanatory power than any single factor. Among them, socio-economic factors—particularly gross agricultural output value and total agricultural machinery power—were the dominant forces shaping cultivated land conversion patterns. Over the past two decades, cultivated land in Hunan Province has faced dual pressures on both quantity and quality. Therefore, future cultivated land protection policies must shift toward a coordinated approach emphasizing “quantity-quality-ecology synergy. ” Improving agricultural profitability and advancing agricultural modernization are essential pathways to strengthening cultivated land protection, thereby providing more precise decision support for regional sustainable land use and national food security strategies.