The biggest part of choosing a family car is deciding what car type to go for. Right away, you can remove a few options from the list. As much as you love them, sports cars and convertibles don’t make good family cars. Neither do a lot of superminis or city cars – they lack the space needed for your whole family.
Ideally, you need a car that can house you and your kids, plus shopping bags or luggage in the trunk. It should be something you can take on a family road trip and still feel comfortable the whole time. Taking all of these factors into account, it’s fair to say the following car types are your best options:
Wagons
Wagons, sometimes called station wagons, are a classification of car that takes a sedan and basically elongates it. The key selling point of a wagon is its longer body frame, meaning you have way more trunk space and room in the back. It’ll still have five seats like most sedans, but you’ll feel a lot more spacious here. There are loads of great options out there, but you can’t look past the Audi A6 Allroad. It’s a luxury wagon packed full of great tech and safety features that’ll keep your family safe and comfortable on the road. The slightly larger frame than a sedan also makes wagons better in crash situations – but let’s hope you never get to find this out!
SUVs
SUVs, or sports utility vehicles, are arguably the most popular car type around. They feature big frames and are often built on truck bases. This gives the car the capability to drive off-road and handle much harsher terrains. Therefore, it’s a fantastic option if you’re going on a long road trip. SUVs are also some of the safest cars around because their frames are so big and strong. It protects your family from minor bumps and bruises and means the car is pretty hard to damage. One of the best SUVs around is the Ford Edge, particularly some of the older models in 2018, 2019, and 2020. These cars score really highly in reviews, especially from a safety perspective. It’s also really easy to find an old Ford Edge owner’s manual online, so you can save money by opting for one of the older options if you like.
Crossovers
Crossovers are the most interesting car type as they’re very similar to SUVs. The biggest difference is that they are built on car bases, rather than trucks. This tends to make them a tiny bit smaller and lighter, limiting their off-road capabilities. Still, you get a pretty big car here with ample space in the back, a very good trunk, and the perfect driving combination of an SUV’s power with a hatchback’s handling. Crossovers also tend to be more on the luxury side of things, so if you want a classy family car, this could be an option for you.
We’ve picked these three car types because they have all the features you need in a family car. They’re built to be safe, they offer loads of internal space, and they have great trunks. If you’re looking to buy a new family vehicle, think about cars in these categories.
