Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Auto
  3. News

US News unveils the 2025 best cars for families

Best Cars for Families award winners excel in seating, cargo volume, and family friendliness.

2025 Jeep Wagoneer L
Courtesy Stellantis

U.S. News & World Report has announced its 2025 Best Cars for Families awards. This annual program honors cars, SUVs, and minivans in nine automotive categories, from sedans and compact SUVS to large SUVS and SUV EVs.

The U.S. News & World Reports’ yearly automotive ratings are based on safety, reliability, space, comfort, convenience, and connectivity. This year’s winners are from seven manufacturers, ranging from standard models to premium cars, including the Kia Telluride midsize SUV, the Jeep Wagoneer large SUV, and the Kia EV9 electric SUV.

Recommended Videos

Winning features of the Best Cars for Families

2025 Kia Telluride
In addition to the primary considerations for all car categories, the cars selected for the Best Cars for Families award must be the best in their respective categories for seating, cargo volume, and family friendliness.

The evaluators look for active and passive safety features, including frames, airbags, and electronic safety attributes such as rear-seat alerts, front and rear automatic braking, and parking assistance. Rear sunshades are also a plus.

The judges also included automatic reverse emergency braking, teen drive controls, and driver assistance features such as lane-centering and lane keeping, blindspot, and rear cross-traffic alerts on their checklists.

Connectivity matters in family cars, with Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, wireless smartphone charging, and ample USB ports high on the list.

The 2025 Best Cars for Families award winners

Kia EV9
2024 EV9 front 3/4 view Kia / Kia

This year’s 2025 Best Cars for Families include six winners from last year and three newcomers.

2025 Best Cars for Families

  • Honda Accord: Best Midsize Car for Families
  • Honda Accord Hybrid: Best Hybrid Car for Families

2025 Best SUVs for Families

  • Hyundai Tucson: Best Compact SUV for Families
  • Mazda CX-70: Best 2-Row Midsize SUV for Families
  • Kia Telluride: Best 3-Row Midsize SUV for Families
  • Jeep Wagoneer L: Best Large SUV for Families
  • Toyota Highlander Hybrid: Best Hybrid SUV for Families

2025 Best Electric Vehicle for Families

  • Kia EV9: Best Electric Vehicle for Families

2025 Best Minivan for Families

  • Chrysler Pacifica: Best Minivan for Families
Bruce Brown Contributing Editor   As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce… Read Full Bio
Porsche just proved the Cayenne Electric is the most impressive performance vehicle you can drive
Car, Transportation, Vehicle

I have seen the movies. I know there is no way that a car can survive in the jet blast of a plane. I remember the scene from Casino Royale. And for me, that is science. But the engineers at Porsche and Stratolaunch aren’t so sure. They operate in the real world of science, and they came together to see if the Porsche Cayenne Electric could withstand the take-off power of one of the largest and most powerful aircraft in the world. Why? Because they can and because curiosity oftentimes leads to something awesome. Spoiler alert…the car holds up. But don’t take my word for it.

The car is its own beast. It’s got the ability to keep up and play in this space. – Orlando Bloom, Porsche ambassador

Read more
Indian commits to American artistry with Signature Series
Machine, Spoke, Helmet

There is something about sitting on the back of a motorcycle that you can’t feel anywhere else. Road trips feel different on the back of a bike versus in a car. Maybe it is the solo aspect of it. Maybe there is the feeling of the wind. Who knows? What I do know is that there is nothing like a bike ride through the countryside. The winding roads, the sunsets through the visor of the helmet, all of it is unrivaled. Indian Motorcycle understands this, and they have since they became the first American motorcycle company. Now, they have dropped a new Signature Series of four motorcycles echoing their commitment to American artistry and craftsmanship.

Since 1901, Indian Motorcycle has pursued the ultimate intersection of form and function – motorcycles that are as beautiful in design as they are sophisticated in performance – Mike Kennedy, CEO of Indian Motorcycle

Read more
Is the BMW XM a perfect blend of practicality and performance
Car, Transportation, Vehicle

The BMW XM has received a bit of a mixed response, but there’s a strong argument that it’s a logical next step on from the BMW M5. Think about it, the M5 is special because it combines practicality with exceptional performance. The BMW XM does the same thing, though you’re trading a little handling quality for far more practicality.

On a recent venture in BMW’s performance SUV, I weighed up the pros and cons of BMW’s most divisive vehicle. And it may be a better choice than BMW’s flagship.

Read more