Best Family Cars for 2025

The best cars for families are those that are roomy and fuel-efficient and also have large trunks. But let's face it: It can be tough to find the right family car if you take SUVs off your list. Such is the ubiquity and, yes, utility of SUVs that they're often the default choice for today's families, and it's easy to see why. They offer ample room to stretch out, their taller heights make them easy to hop in and out of, and they have plenty of cargo space. Most can tow a respectable mass of toy trailers behind them. You can also get one with three rows, which even the largest sedans and wagons can't do.

But SUVs aren't for everyone. Some drivers don't like the high seating position or the feel of piloting a barge. More enthusiastic drivers enjoy the handling performance of cars that ride closer to the ground. Still others simply prefer having a separate cabin and trunk. And generally speaking, SUVs aren't as fuel-efficient, since sedans, hatchbacks and wagons tend to get better fuel economy than taller, heavier vehicles. For these drivers with families, it can be a challenge to find something suitable.

Here we've assembled our picks of the best family cars that aren't SUVs, according to our Edmunds Ratings. The list is heavy on midsize sedans — the most widely available family shuttle — with a smattering of wagons, EVs and wild cards for good measure.

Toyota Camry

The Camry's storybook comeback is impressive, from a car that epitomized appliance motoring — affordable, reliable, forgettable — less than a decade ago to today's stylish, reasonably athletic and fully hybridized passenger sedan. The roomy and comfortable Camry starts at less than $30,000 and gets up to 51 mpg combined. The 15.1-cubic-foot trunk is slightly smaller than the trunks of its rivals but still offers plenty of space and utility, and you can also get the Camry with all-wheel drive. A 12-inch touchscreen and array of well-calibrated driver aids also give the Camry enough of an edge that it finished at the top of our midsize sedan rankings.

Edmunds Rating: 8.1 (out of 10)
Starting MSRP: $29,835

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Honda Accord

Like the Camry, the Accord is an institution among family sedans. With its nod to lively handling and performance — until recently, you could get an Accord with a manual transmission — it has rarely suffered dull spells like its rival. Today's model offers more rear seat legroom and more trunk space than the Camry, but it also costs more if you want the same kind of efficiency. The Accord trim levels with the available hybrid powertrain start several thousand dollars higher than the hybrid-only Camry lineup, and even then the Accord is not quite as efficient, at 48 mpg combined. That said, the regular Accord is thrifty with gas (32 mpg combined). Either way, the Accord remains a top family sedan pick.

Edmunds Rating: 8.0 (out of 10)
Starting MSRP: $29,390

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Kia K5 / Hyundai Sonata

These two corporate cousins round out our picks for top mainstream family sedans. Each brings a little something different to the table. The K5 features a stylish, modern design; a comfortable cabin; and a raft of standard in-car tech, like a seamless digital gauge cluster and touchscreen panel, and driver assist features including adaptive cruise control. The Sonata is more subdued and elegant — more curves than angles — and offers most of the same features as the K5. Both offer optional all-wheel drive, but only the Sonata offers a hybrid variant. The Sonata also costs slightly less than the Kia.

Edmunds Rating: 7.9 (out of 10)
Starting MSRP: $28,365 (K5); $28,095 (Sonata)

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Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Buyers on a bigger budget might consider the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. It's one of the most well-rounded luxury sedans, deftly balancing a smooth ride, elegant interior design, and innovative in-car and safety tech. It's even available as a wagon and high-performance AMG plug-in hybrid. Like its Audi and BMW peers, the cost of adding options can quickly turn a reasonable transaction into an extraordinary one — especially since the E-Class doesn't come standard with adaptive cruise control and other features that show up on cars half the price. The E-Class could also use more trunk space and rear-seat legroom, but overall it's the best of the luxury family sedan class.

Edmunds Rating: 8.2 (out of 10)
Starting MSRP: $63,600

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BMW 5 Series

If the Benz's starting price feels a little dear, the more affordable BMW 5 Series and Volvo S90 both fare nearly as well as the E-Class in our rankings (just 0.1 point shy). The BMW and Benz share similar comfort and performance traits, although the 5 Series is more athletic. If you're an enthusiast driver who needs room for the family but likes an early-morning empty road, the 5 Series meets the moment. It also offers a slightly roomier rear seat and a much larger trunk. The 5 Series also features exquisite interior materials and design.

Edmunds Rating: 8.1 (out of 10)
Starting MSRP: $59,875

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Hyundai Ioniq 6

If you're ready to dip a toe in the electric waters (poor metaphor, we know), the Ioniq 6 is one of the best family electric sedans around. Like a futuristic stretched Volkswagen Beetle, the Ioniq 6 looks like nothing else on the road but remains exceptionally functional. It offers loads of room in the back — nearly the same kind of rear legroom as the Volvo S90 — and covers up to 240 miles in entry-level form or up to 342 miles with its largest battery option. We found it does even better than its EPA-rated range in our real-world Edmunds EV Range Test. It also charges quickly, from 10% to 80% in slightly less than 20 minutes. Rear headroom is a little tight due to the sloping roof design and the front seats could be more comfortable over long stretches, but the ride quality is soft and relaxed.

Edmunds Rating: 8.1 (out of 10)
Starting MSRP: $39,045

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Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback

Do you really need a midsize sedan for a comfortable family car? Not really. Obviously, the taller your family, the more space they'll want. But if you're just starting out or still have small kids, something like the Honda Civic hatchback is an ideal option for the days in between. The Civic is about 15 inches shorter in length than the Accord, but it's got class-leading cargo space of nearly 25 cubic feet and only comes up a few inches shorter in total rear seat legroom (and still has more than the larger BMW 5 Series). The Civic is also offered as a standard sedan, but we think the hatch is the way to go for ultimate utility. We'd also go with the hybrid, which is rated at up to 48 mpg combined and offers more torque than the sporty Si trim.

Edmunds Rating: 8.2 (out of 10)
Starting MSRP: $28,545

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Subaru Outback

Is it a wagon? An SUV? The Subaru Outback straddles both worlds, long and low enough for a wagon profile but with the ground clearance and proper all-wheel-drive system of an SUV. The Outback's shape gives it SUV utility, with nearly 33 cubic feet of cargo space behind the back seats and more than double that with the seats folded. There's plenty of legroom for both front and rear passengers, and reclining rear seats come in handy for both accommodating riders and handling bulky items like car seats. The Outback's rugged frame offers Jeep-like ground clearance of almost 9 inches and can tow up to 2,700 pounds. The Subaru's only real deficiency is a pokey standard four-cylinder engine — though some trims get a turbo-four that's got more grunt. As long as you're not in a hurry, the base mill returns excellent fuel economy of up to 28 mpg combined.

Edmunds Rating: 7.9 (out of 10)
Starting MSRP: $29,010

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Audi RS 6

The RS 6 is not a budget-family car. Its six-figure price makes that abundantly clear. But consider that you get two cars for the price of one, and the outlay makes a bit more sense. Around town, the RS 6 is a comfortable, quiet, and spacious wagon with an impeccably crafted interior and cutting-edge in-car tech. There's plenty of rear legroom (37.4 inches) and decent cargo space at 30 cubic feet. But pressing the "RS" button on the steering wheel unleashes a rewarding and comically quick performance car that can get up to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds thanks to a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. And not even the wagon's big 22-inch wheels can spoil the taut but relaxed ride.

Edmunds Rating: 8.6 (out of 10)
Starting MSRP: $129,195

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Volkswagen ID. Buzz

Minivans are roomy, practical and often the dead-end suburban dream of most parents. It doesn't have to be that way. The new ID. Buzz is reshaping everything you think about the minivan. First of all, it's electric and can cover up to 234 miles on a full charge. And despite its cute and novel retro look harkening back to classic VW Buses, it's thoroughly modern. Its underfloor electric platform makes for loads of room inside, with seating for up to seven passengers, and it has plenty of tech, including a 13-inch touchscreen, multiple USB ports and a ventilated phone charger. And with 282 horsepower (upgradable to 335 hp), you won't need to worry about holding up traffic behind you like the Grateful Dead shuttles of old.

Edmunds Rating: 8.3 (out of 10)
Starting MSRP: $61,545

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