Choosing a family car is vastly different from buying a car for a single person or a couple. When you are trusting a vehicle to keep your family safe, you want to make sure that it meets certain criteria that reinforce the safety you need as well as give you space to comfortably fit every member of the family, even the four-legged members.
Choosing the right family car essentially comes down to a handful of factors that can help make car shopping much easier if you know what to look for. Let's find out more.
Seating Capacity and Configuration
The number of seats matters for family cars, but so too does how they're arranged. Families with more than one car seat need enough width in the back row to fit them side by side without wrestling with buckles every time, and sliding or split-folding middle rows make it so much easier to fit and use car seats when you need to fit multiple children into the rear of the car.
Compact MPVs and Small SUVs, like vw touran cars, are built around this kind of flexibility and have multi-row seating, making a vehicle that leans closer towards being a better fit for growing families than standard sedans.
Trunk Space for Strollers and Gear
Going anywhere with kids in tow usually means you aren't traveling that light, especially for younger children. This results in the need for a decent amount of space in the trunk to fit things like strollers, diaper bags, sports equipment, and the accumulated clutter that comes with kids. And on top of this, if you have a dog that travels in the trunk too, you'll need enough space for them to lie down comfortably.
When looking for a new car, if you have a stroller, take it with you so you can realistically check capacity so you know you have the space you need and won't be caught out. Look at the seats and if they fold flat to open up the trunk further if needed, and what the interior looks and feels like if some or all seats are folded down.
Safety Ratings and Driver-Assist Features
Independent crash test ratings from organizations like the IIHS give a better idea of real-world safety than a manufacturer's claims would. Beyond the structural rating, features like automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert catch situations that you might miss manually, especially if you have a car full of people adding further distractions. Check the features against the safety ratings to see exactly what protection you have.
Running Costs and Fuel Efficiency
Family cars tend to rack up more mileage than average simply due to the school runs, activities, and errands, so fuel efficiency has a bigger impact on the yearly budget than smaller cars might have. Larger vehicles with more seating capacity often use more fuel, so it's worth factoring in the size before making your decision, especially if you're not getting a bigger car out of necessity but as a nice-to-have if you ever need it.