Best Cars for Families [Winners in Each Segment]
John Goreham is a life-long car nut and recovering engineer. John’s focus areas are technology, safety, and green vehicles. In the 1990s, he was part of an academic team that built a solar-electric vehicle from scratch. His was the role of the battery thermal control designer. After earning his engineering degree, John also completed a marketing program at Northeastern University. For 20 years, he applied his engineering and sales talents in the worlds of semiconductor manufacturing, biopharmaceutical production, and automotive electronics supply chain. Always a writer, John has published numerous articles in technical journals such as Chemical Processing Magazine. In 2008 he retired from that career and dedicated himself to chasing his dream of being an auto writer. In addition to online publications such as Car Talk, John’s work has appeared in print in dozens of American newspapers, and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites.
Family vehicles take many shapes and forms, and they serve many different roles depending on the family. However, what is constant in any family vehicle pick is the ability to transport children safely, reliably, and comfortably.
Our list of the best family cars takes into account not just IIHS safety results and the number of seats. We also consider the affordability of a family vehicle within its segment.
We aren’t just vehicle testers at FindTheBestCarPrice, but also parents. Here are our picks based on our testing and experience as parents.
Table of Contents
Best Cars for Families Comparison
| Toyota Sienna | ||||
| Chrysler Pacifica | ||||
| Honda CR-V | ||||
| Mazda CX-30 | ||||
| Ford Bronco Sport | ||||
| Mazda CX-5 | ||||
| Kia Telluride | ||||
| Toyota Highlander | ||||
| Toyota Camry | ||||
| Honda Accord | 3500 |
*MPGe = Miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent (Measures fuel efficiency of hybrid and electric models)
**TSP / TSP+ = Top Safety Pick / Top Safety Pick+ (Crash test ratings from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
Best Minivans
Minivans offer space, the most seats of any vehicle type, and are surprisingly satisfying to drive. Being big and testing well on the IIHS safety test are the two best predictors of occupant protection we have. Our top two picks for the best family minivans are:
1. Toyota Sienna
Toyota offers families a hard-to-pass-up mix of fuel economy and all-weather capability in the Sienna. With all-wheel drive and the standard hybrid engine, the Sienna is the only green minivan that powers all four wheels for sale in America.
Couple this capability and frugality with the highest possible scores on the IIHS safety test, and the Sienna is hard not to call one of the best family vehicles overall. With Toyota’s two years of include maintenance, the Sienna is also a great bang for the buck.
2. Chrysler Pacifica
It’s time for America to electrify, and the Pacifica offers families on a budget a great way to move towards an electric vehicle. With an incredible 84 MPGe rating, the Pacifica offers savings on energy that only the Sienna can rival. We cannot ignore that the Pacifica is now the top-selling minivan in America.
The Pacifica can also be configured with all-wheel drive (but not with the plug-in powertrain). All-wheel drive is a must for many in the snowbelt. The fact that Chrysler offers this as an option pushes its popularity up in many regions.
See all our picks for the best minivans >>
Best SUVs for Families
Crossovers and SUVs offer families more room, more safety, similar annual energy costs, and more cargo space than sedans or coupes. Here are our top picks with a nod to the “U-as-in-utility.” Both of our top picks have spare tires and can tow.
1. Ford Bronco Sport
Ford’s Bronco Sport can’t seem to avoid our “best-of” lists! This new SUV goes over any terrain capability in a two-row package just right for families with one or two children. This all-weather and all-terrain SUV comes packed with features to take your family on any adventure imaginable.
We also like that the Ford Bronco Sport is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Unlike many compact SUVs, the Bronco Sport has a spare tire in every trim, and top trims have a full-size spare tire. That could come in handy far from home on a vacation weekend. If your family tows a pop-up camper, the Bronco Sport is just the ticket. It has a max tow rating of 2,200 pounds.
2. Mazda CX-5
Those family vehicle shoppers who don’t want to sacrifice style and driving pleasure but need more room than the CX-30 offers may wish to consider the larger CX-5 from Mazda. This premium crossover SUV is all-weather capable in its AWD trims and offers an optional turbocharged engine.
The CX-5 earns a Top Safety Pick+ rating from IIHS and has great reliability scores from Consumer Reports. It earned a 5/5 reliability rating for the past five model years.
See all our picks for the best SUVs for families >>
Best Sedans for Families
Sedans may be taking a back seat to crossovers, but it’s hard to ignore the tremendous value of midsize sedans. With GM and Ford bailing out of the car market, many of the best models are Japanese in brand but made in America. We think our top two picks won’t be a big surprise to anyone who still drives a sedan.
1. Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry was an easy pick as the best sedan in our roundup. The Camry comes in many configurations, ranging from a V6 powered engine to a hybrid engine that gets you 52 MPG. Whichever Camry trim and powertrain you select, it will pack a lot of value for the dollar.
With the industry’s best reliability record, the best possible grade on the IIHS safety exam, and two years of included maintenance, it's hard to pass on the Toyota Camry as your next family sedan.
2. Honda Accord
Read reviews or comparisons of midsize family sedans, and you will find that the reviewers can’t seem to stop choosing the Accord as number one. There is just something backed into the Accord’s DNA that makes it feel right.
Of course, the Accord also scores at the top of the charts in safety, and Honda offers a huge range of styles and powertrains from which to choose. If you are a Honda car fan, the only reason not to pick an Accord as a family sedan may be the allure of the Civic line.
See all our picks for the best sedans for families >>
Which Is the Best Car for Families?
Every vehicle on this list is a great family vehicle. What matters most is what your individual needs are for your family. However, tasked with selecting one overall Best Family Vehicle, we would choose the Toyota Highlander in an AWD Hybrid trim.
The Toyota Highlander Hybrid will return over ten thousand dollars in fuel savings when compared to nearly every other family vehicle that seats seven. Toyota’s ability to combine all-wheel drive, a green powertrain, and seven seats in an affordable package is unmatched.
The Highlander is roomy but not a ginormous leviathan that you can’t park. It can tow your boat or utility trailer. Best of all, the Highlander tops the charts concerning safety and reliability, the two categories we feel matter most to many families.
