Best 2024 Family Cars

What are the best 2024 model cars, SUVs and minivans for families? Small, medium or large? Hybrid or not? Which has the best safety rating and a comfortable ride for all passengers, front and back?

Every year, U. S. News evaluates up to 100 models to determine the best one in nine categories. These are the 2024 best cars for families:

Toyota won the most awards this year with three, followed by Hyundai with two. Honda and Chevrolet each won once.

2024 Chrysler Pacifica emerged as this year’s Best Minivan for Families, claiming its first title in over a decade. With a spacious interior, many safety features and unique attributes like Stow ‘n Go seating, it  offers comfort and convenience in the competitive minivan class.

Among Toyota’s wins, the 2024 Toyota Highlander Hybrid was awarded the Best Hybrid SUV for Families for the 11th time.

2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid won the Best Hybrid Car for Families award for the second year in a row, and

2024 Toyota Camry secured the Best Midsize Car for Families award, cementing the brand’s reputation as a reliable, feature-rich option.

2024 Hyundai Tucson won Best Compact SUV for Families for the third consecutive year.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 earned Best Electric Vehicle for Families for the first time, thanks to its stellar safety ratings and roomy cabin.

2024 Kia Telluride brought home its fifth consecutive Best 3-Row Midsize SUV for Families award,

2024 Honda Passport was awarded the Best 2-Row Midsize SUV for Families, marking the fourth time it has won this honor.

The Best Large SUV for Families award went to the 2024 Chevrolet Suburban. It’s the fourth year in a row and the sixth time overall that the Chevy SUV has won the award.

Safety Features Designed for Families

Many new safety features have been built with families in mind.

Rear-seat alert prompts the driver to look in the back seats before exiting the car, helping to make sure a sleeping baby or pet isn’t left behind. Front and rear automatic braking help when maneuvering in spaces where small kids might be tough to see. Teen driver controls help parents keep tabs on new drivers, even when they’re on the road by themselves.

Every Best Car for Families award winner has forward automatic emergency braking and lane-keep assist. Winners  have reverse automatic emergency braking, and you’ll find a rear-seat alert in all but the Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

Every winner has some form of teen driver control available, which is perfect for families who want to help new drivers develop good habits behind the wheel. These systems can help parents keep track of their teen’s driving, and in some cases, set limits on things such as speed and audio volume. The Toyota Camry Hybrid and Toyota Highlander Hybrid also earned the highest possible ease-of-use rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for their LATCH car-seat systems.

Connectivity and comfort are key factors in the family car market as well. In-car Wi-Fi, rear-seat USB ports and even heated and ventilated rear seats are now available. Most  winners have in-car Wi-Fi. All feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for enhanced smartphone connectivity.

Here’s the full winner list by category –

Find more information on each vehicle here.

Award Methodology

The 2024 Best Cars for Families award criteria looks at each vehicle’s overall rating from the U.S. News Best Car Rankings to determine quality, incorporating elements like safety data, predicted reliability ratings, passenger and cargo space and the consensus opinion of the automotive press.

The award methodology also considers the availability of tech features such as in-car wireless internet, teen driver controls, automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert and hands-free cargo doors.

The winners were selected based on the highest composite score in each of the nine vehicle categories. Read more about methodology here.

Full Disclosure

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter wrote freelance automotive articles for US News for several years.

Here is a link to my articles remaining on the US News website. 

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a former Board Member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and a current member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA) and the North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. (NASJA).

Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.

Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter