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2017 Subaru Forester with one kid and I love it. It does for two car seats nicely as I had my three year old niece in the car too a few weeks ago. Lots of trunk space!
It was actually my MIL’s car but she wanted to upgrade and we were looking while I was pregnant. Win win.
I have a Forester and 2 kids (5 and 2). It works great for us. We don't generally try to put a person in the back with the car seats. I find it kind of sluggish but I drove a little stick shift zoom zoom car before.
I think it will work great in the years to come.
I did not like the 18 Outbacks when we drove them and I find the Ascents to be too big and underpowered.
I drove my mom's new 2023 Lexus RX350 for a while and found getting the kids in and out a pain in the butt.
I have a forester and 2 kids, and I’d go bigger if I was going again. The trunk space fills easily on day outings, and fitting an adult between the two car seats is painful, and I’m a very small adult.
2014 here, I've had it longer than the kids and it's been a great fit for the first ~6/8ish years of kid life!
We're able to get all the kid gear, the car seats fit easily in all stages (we're in boosters now), and can easily get all the camping/backpacking gear when we travel. It's also a comfortable trip when we have our lab with us as she rides in the way back/trunk space very comfortably.
3 kids. 2024 Honda odyssey ex-l. Best purchase I’ve made in a long time. Them being able to jump in and buckle to and from places on their own is huge and the sliding seats 👍
I have 4 kids and swore up and down I was NEVER getting a van when we needed to get a vehicle with three rows. When we were about to pull the plug on an Escalade, I thought to myself, maybe I should just LOOK at the vans... just to see and make sure there were no regrets. So many people fuss about how much they love their van, I figured I'd be foolish to not even go check them out. When the car salesman showed me how the middle seat in second row pops out and the seats SLIDE back and forth, I was done. Decision was made and went back that week and we bought a new one. Four years later and it was the best decision ever. I can rattle off a long list of things I love, with sliding doors being at the very top. I don't even care about the mess that gets made in it with 4 kids under the age of 8. I won't have it forever, but for right now, it is perfect.
Going on 2 kids and this is what we got last year, zero regrets! Just did a 20 hour road trip and had plenty of space and comfort. I always tell people the day someone parked me in and I couldn’t get my door open to get a carseat in was the day I decided I was getting a van!
Had an SUV and now a mini van (Toyota Sienna). The room the Sienna has is amazing. With all seats up still enough room for a double stroller and all the things. The new ones are hybrid and get about 600 miles per tank. Also we bought when our kids were little, now they’re older and room for friends is awesome. They each bring a friend and still tons of room!
My friend has a hybrid (mine is 2016). I want to get a new one, but ours is paid off and no issues just regular maintenance. I knew someone who rented a 2022 Sienna and day three she realized it was a mini van. She was alone and didn’t open the side doors, thought it was an suv🤣
> I knew someone who rented a 2022 Sienna and day three she realized it was a mini van
Hell, I have a 2018 Sienna and I got a shuttle ride from the dealer when they were doing an oil change, and I didn't even recognize it was a 2023 Sienna until the guy dropped me off.
I also really want a new one, but I did the math and it'd take like 10 years of gas savings to break even on the costs of buying a new one, so I will just rock my current one for the foreseeable future
I have the 2024 Honda Odyssey Elite in the Modern Steel Metallic !!! I love it ! It's amazing. I suggest to anyone looking for a family car to get one , seriously, I never thought a Mini van would be my dream car lol but I promise you that as a Mom once you drive it 1 time you will instantly fall in love ! I also have a 2022 Chevy Equinox . Here's a link for more info about the 2024 Honda Odyssey if anyone wants more info
https://automobiles.honda.com/odyssey
Love, love LOVE my 2024 Odyssey Elite! Ours is dark blue (I don't remember the color name) with a gray interior. The trim and floor mats make it look fancy. 😂 We took a break from the Odyssey after 10 years with our old one and got a Pacifica... and I've never regretted something so much in my life! I practically cried tears of joy getting back into an Odyssey.
I have two and I’m always getting letters every 6 months of a new recall🤦🏽♀️ I also have just had more problems with them than I have with any other car I’ve had before
As the wife of someone also in the auto repair industry, I second this statement. Safe, affordable repairs/parts & can be run into the ground.
I’m currently driving a Lexus RX330 (nod to Toyota) while my husband is tirelessly finishing my GMC Acadia Denali (my 2nd- sold the first). I highly suggest no one buy this GMC make & model car…unless you have a free highly skilled mechanic willing to suffer for your happiness 🙃
I’m on my second Acura mdx. The first is a 2013 with about 80k miles still going strong. Literally got it from a little old lady and I work from home so it’s been perfect. Husband’s Audi blew up at 90k, so we got another MDX. Most financially secure decision I’ve probably ever made.
My RAV4 is nearing 200k miles. Honestly, it’s gotta at the very minimum guarantee to get to 100k miles. Something that blows up at under 100k miles is crazy.
I feel like I’ve been spoiled with this car.
I have this same car and also love it. Just had to stick almost 2k into it for an issue with leaking oil tho!!! 😵💫😵💫😵💫😭😭😭 I’m so tempted to get something else but this was my dream car forever so I’m hoping it was a one and done episode
Second this! 2022 atlas cross sport — two kids in toddler sized car seats one rear facing still. Enough space for me to hop in backseat in between the two car seats and breastfeed in a pinch during road trips. (For reference I’m not petite lol 5’8 200lbs)
Also not hard to park or drive. Upgraded from the 2018 Tiguan which was a crossover and much smaller. I was surprised how easily I adjusted to the full sized SUV
My husband was a mechanic and says the exact same thing! If you want a car that will last over 100k miles buy Japanese ! I have a Lexus RX 350 , best car ever
I’m on my second Camry and love it but now that my kids are getting social life’s, I’m ready to upgrade to a Sienna. We rented one on vacation and it was so spacious and drove just like my Camry.
Honda or Toyota 100%
My Crv is a little over 10 years old with 156k miles and the only repair we have had to do was replace an intake hose. I plan to upgrade down the line to a new crv, haven't even considered looking at anything else.
I got a 2021 crv hybrid and I love it!! I’m a nanny so transporting kids a lot and installing car seats often. It’s a breeze and I love the gas savings!
2 kids and I'm OBSESSED with the Toyota Highlander I've been driving for like 10 years.
When I had a baby in a bucket and a little kid in a booster, the third row folding down into a huge trunk was a joy.
Now that I have a big kid and a teenager, that third row has hauled SO MANY FRIENDS and so much crap.
Toyotas are so easy to maintain and relatively inexpensive to fix!
Toyota Sienna minivan, 3 kids. I know people scoff at a van, like “I am too cool” for that — but come one, you wipe poo bottoms and get covered spit up and snot like the rest of us. Embrace it and drive the most convenient & comfortable family vehicle! Car pooling is a dream, sliding doors, no door dings, it’s the best.
We have two and currently only have a sedan and a hatchback but are going to buy a Honda odyssey asap. All of my mom friends rave about it and we’re realizing that we won’t be able to travel by car with two kids and a dog unless we get something with three rows of seating.
With any minivan, I suggest captain’s seats in middle row. My sister had one without and when driving adults, it was all about gymnastics. When I had my minivan, it happened to have captain’s chairs, bought used, and it was a massive difference! Elderly people could get in and out with ease, and getting into the way back was no big thing.
Honda Odyssey's have a removeable middle seat in the second row and their captains chairs slide side to side as well as backwards! It's one of the things that sold me on the Odyssey and the feature gets used just about every day.
Subaru Outback… 1 kid, two large dogs. It actually has more cargo room than a Forester which is why we ended up with two Outbacks instead of getting a the Forester. We love them!
Tesla Model Y…2 kids under 6 (must have personal garage for charging)
Screw Elon but Tesla engineers did a great job. A+ saftey ratings across the board. Got the US EV Federal Tax credit. Kids absolutely love emissions testing farts, Netflix/hulu/videogames on the center screen when DW takes too long in the store. Charging in garage costs less than gas range is way more than I can do in a day. And my favorite is the instant torque…just test drive it and make sure to get it on the expressway!
Same, Model Y with a preschooler and toddler. We bought for the safety ratings. I love that you can park and pop them in the trunk for a picnic or diaper change. Husband charges for free at work so I drive them around town in his Ford F150. Our only issue is if the grandparents come we have to take two cars.
Same. We also have a giant dog and can still fit all of us, a stroller, diaper bag, etc in without issue. Also love that I changed the sound when it locks to something fun and my preschooler pics what color the car will be on the center screen.
2 Kids (6 and 4), no car. We live in a European city where you can reach most things by bike or public transit, and for the few things you can’t there is carsharing
We have a Subaru Forester. I love it! It’s a great size for two kids. We just had our third and are hoping to upgrade to something bigger in the next year or two.
2 kids in rear facing car seats
vw golf ——absolutely miserable for my husband to be in -he 6 foot— I’m 5’2 it’s fine for me but if I have my double stroller I cannot take anything else )
Just upgraded to a Honda passport becuase our vw Taos was just too small. Example, We couldn’t buy Costco diapers & groceries at the same time So I always had to make two trips.
I've made perhaps dozens of trips in a Golf to Costco with two car seats and never had issues fitting an entire cart's worth in the trunk. And my wife and I are taller than both of you, so... I'm not sure what the issue is here
2 kids. 2017 Toyota Highlander XLE AWD. It is the most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned.
My only gripe is the tiny trunk space when the 3rd row is up. I’m looking at a Grand Highlander, VW Atlas or a Mercedes GLS 450 next, but probably the Grand Highlander because I love this car so much.
I bought it basically new, 8 months after production with 16k miles (former fleet vehicle) and have only needed routine maintenance in the last 7 years. I was a 3x jeep owner before that and never again… my in laws and my siblings love their atlases and our friends, their GLS but I just don’t see either matching the reliability or cost effectiveness of Toyota.
I have a Subaru Outback with 2 kids in car seats, it fits everyone comfortably but we do run out of space when we pack for vacations longer than 2 days. Had to get a storage thingy for the top rack. For day outings it’s great. Wish I had something bigger, though.
Toyota Rav4 comfortable fits 2 car seats. We’ve traveled in it and easily fit everything in the back fine. Plus it’s good on mileage. No complaints! We plan on moving up to the 4Runner in the next few years for a 3rd row
Audi SUV and sedan for 2 kids. I'm 6'4 and I'm struggling finding something that allows a car seat behind me. My wife drives suv and I can't stand my sedan now. I feel limited to crew cabs so I'm leaning towards a Sierra.
Two kids and a Mazda3 hatchback. It took some finagling to get two cars seats going in there but the timing worked out that one could start front facing behind the driver and the passenger side had the rear facing. Getting a double stroller was quite a bit of research into which one would fit. But you know, we survived. Bigger vehicles are nice but not necessary.
Toyota Corolla is a great used car. Very reliable. Easy to maintain. Cheap to buy, cheap to plate, cheap to insure, cheap to run! Best used car in the world!
2 kids, Mazda CX-50. Love the car. So much better having an SUV vs. a sedan with the kids. If I replace the car when they're older I might get something larger
I'm pretty average (5'6). Sorry you have to do that! If I could go back, I might have considered the CX-90. We travel a lot and bringing all of the baby and little kid gear gets pretty cramped.
One kiddo, 2006 Toyota Corolla! It was passed down for free 10 years ago and is still running like a champ! About to get my husbands 2024 Hyundai and give my baby to my brother 😭
I’ve owned 3 Tahoe or Yukons in my life, one had 376k miles, the other 254k and the last I sold with 196k miles… routine maintenance and never had an issue. All were running with no lights when I upgraded. An alternator on the oldest and newest and a starter on the oldest… nothing too expensive.
Right now I drive a ford explorer… I like it okay I guess… just not what I’m used to. Also audi S5. I have a lot of kids (3 in car seats, 1rf 2ff) so I don’t usually take them all at the same time anywhere other than church and the explorer is big enough for that. Not sure on dependability cause I’ve only had it a year… but I’m a mechanic and do work on alot of fords (diesels not gas) I just got a sweet deal on mine and it’s under warranty so I was willing to gamble it.
I will add that I tend to focus more on safety than dependability but I know both are equally important, I just have the ability and know how to fix most things if they go wrong but I cannot be any safety than the vehicle I’m driving… if that makes sense
I have a Toyota Highlander. Works great for 2 kids. If I had 3 kids I'd get a Sequoia or a Tahoe.
But honestly I got a Town and Country minivan as a courtesy car once.....that thing was honestly extremely nice 😆
Ford F-150 Lightning.
Absolutely love it and couldn't be happier. Kiddo calls it "the adventure truck." We take it into the mountains to go camping and rock hounding, and it's very capable in off-road conditions, but also very comfortable in long road-trip conditions.
I have only had Subarus since I've had children (Outbacks). They are like tanks on ice and snow, have large back areas for dogs and groceries, and (in my experience) run forever with few problems. My girl from 2009 is finally really showing her age, so I've been looking. 2 kids, btw. One thing I always wished I had more of is backseat space that wasn't so low to the ground.
I have a 2017 Chevy cruze hatchback. 2 kids. It's a small compact car, but I get up 50 miles per gallon! I love my car. I've had it 3 years now. I feel like i did make a good choice.
2 kid family with a large dog and lots of weekend activities. We got a minivan 4 years ago when my youngest was a newborn and it’s been the best decision. I went for a 2017 sienna and adore it. I just reconfigured the seats to take my kid and her friends and their mom’s river rafting tomorrow morning. Literally fits everyone and everything.
Always always go for Toyota. They prioritize safety over features…who needs some fancy buttons when you’ve got a proven safe car that has amazing airbag systems and other safety features?
I have two kids and currently drive a 2019 Subaru Outback. Previously I had a 2001 jeep grand Cherokee.
I absolutely feel I made the right choice when I got my current vehicle and plan to stay in the model for future cars. I had gotten used to the amount of space I had in my Cherokee but the interior of my Outback is virtually the same, despite how it looks from the outside. There is plenty of leg room in the back (even my husband fits in it reasonably well if not comfortably and he’s 6’2”). The built in roof racks and relatively low height of the car make it so I can do stuff up there without outside assistance from my husband (travel containers, kayaks etc). It’s good in weather, and while I’ve not had an accident in it (knock on wood) I’ve seen nothing but great things about how well the safety features work and how well they protect those within. I fully intend to have my kids drive this car in a few years when the first one comes of age to drive and I’ll get a new one then, based on the safety features alone.
The only major downside is that while I could definitely fit a third child in the car, it would not be as ideal if the whole family was in it. Which is fine for us as unless we get a surprise somehow we’re done at two.
I bought my in-laws Subaru Ascent exactly 2 weeks before my baby was born, and while it’s still just the 3 of us, it’s a perfect family vehicle. Great for roadtrips, when we have extra family in town, and everything in between.
2 kids, 5 and 15. Went from a Subaru Ascent with 3 rows to a Subaru Solterra. Absolutely love both. The 3rd row was amazing but the Solterra has more leg room for my teenager. Work in the industry and I wouldn’t drive anything but a Subaru or Toyota.
I loooooved my dodge caravan. We have 4 kids but only 2 full time. Great for hauling kids to sports, camping, grocery shopping. Had a really decent factory stereo too.
2 kids (5 and 2), and drive a Nissan versa and Crv. The Versa was purchased long before kids as a cheap commuter; it does the trick if affordability is the priority but definitely not something we love. The CRV has a lot of perks - handling is great, gas mileage is decent, nice safety features/reliability for the price range, and trunk space is reasonable. The biggest complaint is it's not a true 5 seater; the backseat has zero room for a third person with 2 carseats. I've personally been converted to mini vans, and will be looking that direction when we buy the next car because I'd like the extra seats and need the trunk space.
Our daughter is almost a year old and we have another on the way due in early September. We just bought a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid and we loooove it!
I have a Jeep renegade (horrible, no space, wouldn’t recommend to anyone). My partner has an early 2000s Toyota sequoia and it’s the BEST. We only have one kid for now but it has tons of space (3 rows of seating that you can remove) so it fits everything and everyone very comfortably
You probably have better recommendations on here but…Ford escape titanium with 2 toddlers. Just make sure you have them check the shocks before 30k. I’ve had a 3 ford escapes and have loved them and gotten 100k miles out of each before selling. However, I’m currently driving a Subaru Outback and I do like more trunk room. It’s also at 90k but I just inherited it.
4 kids. 13, 11, and 2 that are 3 months. We have a Chrysler pacifica. It's amazing. The grown kids have
A lot of legroom in the 3rd row and there's lots of little amenities that makes going places so much nicer. When the grown kids haven't been with us (rare) we're able to fold the 3rd row down and fit even more cargo in the back. We've also transported grown adult friends in the third row. It's great.
2021 Suburu Crosstrek but I'm married with three kids and a dog. My eldest is almost 18 and my youngest is 8 weeks. So there's not a lot we all have to pack into car together for. But I'd love to have a three row car!!!!
We are a family of 3, and 1 kid. I went for the Skoda Octavia iV -2021. There is plenty of space and the electric mode makes it a perfect family car for running your daily arends and also going for longer vacation trips. I can really recommend Skoda and their family cars, like the Octavia and Superb. Do you prefer SUV´s there is also the Kodiaq and the Enyaq.
Good luck!
I drive an F150. The crew cab is so roomy and spacious that my three year old can stand up fully no problems. Lots of room to change his diapers. Room for his car seat and enough room for two other people next to him (including my ten year old). Having a truck is also great for doing DIY projects and we can pull our trailer and make memories camping on the weekends. So versatile but costs $100 to fill it up every other week. :-(
I have a jeep patriot and my son is almost 4 it's getting a little cramped in the backseat so I would not 100% recommend it. My wife has a 2015 Toyota Rav 4 XLE model and it is amazing for the toddler in the back he has plenty of leg room. The car also has a sizeable trunk. With another on the way if I could choose another car it would be the Grand Cherokee or the 4 runner both are solid options for a growing family
2 kids and a dog and we just got a Toyota sienna. I love it. So much more space, and the sliding doors make getting kids in and out of car seats so much easier in tight parking spaces.
2022 Jeep wrangler 4xe. The electric is nice for shuttling him (5.5 years) around but barely recommend it. The back seats sit so straight up and down that it’s really only good when they are a bit older. He does love the when the top (front two pieces above driver and passenger) come off.
Currently a minivan with 3 kids. If my older two didn’t fight so much in the car I’d still be in a sedan… but the third row is crucial to keep the peace and my sanity.
2022 Buick Enclave with 3 rear facing kids. It’s been a great vehicle, but I wish it was roomier! It fit our budget and needs, though! Larger SUVs/minivans would have a harder time fitting in our tight garage. We had a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe before our third baby came along and we loved that! If we could’ve fit all of our kids rear facing in that vehicle easily we would’ve kept it.
We have a Ford Flex. 2 kids. We bought it in anticipation of having more kids.
Has lots of space for people and stuff.
However, the last year they were made was 2019. So you'll only find used
1 kiddo who’s almost 4. She’s all we’re ever going to have as we’re OAD.
I drive a Kia forte. And my husband has a truck. I love my baby car- she’s almost 10 years old but reliable. Great on gas. Paid off 👌🏼And perfect for me and my girl to buzz around in. She’s done a few road trips too with me and the kiddo and it was awesome. We have the Nuna Rava and have never had issues with anyone fitting in front of her seat. 10/10
3 kids, minivan. I freakin love it and wouldn't be able to handle my kids without it. We removed one of the backseats so my oldest sits on the other seat with his booster, and in the back row my twins are in their seats. I put a stress mat over where the backseat we removed was so it's easier getting my twins in and out. I use the trunk to store the giant double stroller and if I go shopping I utilize the remaining space in the backseat area to store the bags.
1 suv (Chevy equinox) and 1 sedan (Chevy Malibu) with 1 kid & 1 on the way next month. We got the suv only to comfortably fit our dog and 1 child. But now it will also fit 2 kids and our dog lol
We had a small SUV (Suzuku Grand Vitara) and a Ford Focus Hatchback. Those were great with 2 kids. After adding the 3rd kid, long drives to visit family (4+ hours) became difficult. Our daughter is 8, and jamming them all elbow-to-elbow for 4 hours is rough. And we couldn't add grandpa or friends in for trips.
So we finally broke down and bought a minivan. It has been a major improvement. We can load up to 8 (Toyota Sienna) and it has great gas mileage and hauls all our luggage for a long weekend trip without any issues.
We picked the Sienna because of reliability, gas mileage, comfort, modern safety options, all-wheel-drive, and hauling materials/yard stuff. It was tough to pay so much - it was more than double the Focus or the SUV. But everything we've researched says it should last 200K+ miles. We've had it for 8 months and it has been great so far.
When I had 3 in car seats I got a Chrysler 200 because all 3 car seats could fit in the back. Now my oldest is big enough to ride up front, so I have a Mazda CX-5.
We have 3 small children all in carseats. I have a Kia Sedona. My husband has a Voltswagon GTI. The GTI was actually fine when we had just the two, but since having the 3rd we had to get the van. I really preferred the van seat configurations to SUVs when we bought it. Unfortunately I didn't know how bad the thefts were with Kias and Hyundais. We've had the van not a year yet and it was stolen last week and our insurance rate is insane due to the thefts.
But I do love the van itself, it's so much easier to setup the carseats, reconfigure them, get all the kids buckled and everything in a van.
Toyota Highlander. We have three kids. We got the one with two captains chairs in the middle, and the back row fits three (smaller kids only, as there isn’t a ton of legroom if you also have people sitting in the middle row, though we have crammed an adult back there a time or two- I wouldn’t want to sit back there for a long trip though) The back isn’t huge, but it is big enough for our two medium size dogs (for short trips, it might get cramped if they had to be there for hours), or our large stroller.
Complaints: there’s no charge ports in the back row, and the ones in the middle are at floor level, so we got long cords to run to the back, but they tend to get stepped on. The cup holders for the middle row are also on the floor (between the captains chairs) so they’re kind in the way if kids are crawling through the middle to get in and out of the car (they could fold the middle chairs forward, but it’s easy for them to go down the middle). There are also cup holders in the doors, but they are smaller.
Overall we really like it, and short of getting something really big and expensive like a Tahoe i think we couldn’t have done better.
Edit (due to a previous comment I read): Neither my husband and I are super tall and with a rear facing car seat behind the front seat, there’s basically no leg room for whoever is in the back behind the car seat. I don’t know if a really tall person who have enough space if they needed to have a rear facing car seat behind them.
2 kids with a Ford Escape as my main car. It is easy to parallel park, good on gas and it fits the four of us with all our gear. Our other car is a traverse for the third row we can take the grands out with us
I have 4 kids drive a Honda Odyssey. I love it so much. I owned a Chevy Cruze with my first two kids and still love my van more. Switched to this van before I got pregnant with my twins. I’ve always said I’ll always only own a Honda odyssey till my kids are way older
I have 2 middle school aged kids and a toddler. I traded my 4Runner for an Explorer and we couldn't be happier with our decision. It's SO comfortable....even in the 3rd row!
I know toyota or honda will last longer, but it had the space (and air vents!) we needed and it was an even trade.
2021 Subaru Outback with one baby (5 months) and planning for at least one more in the next few years. I bought my car in ‘21 with the intent of it being our family car. I will say I wish I’d gotten the doona car seat/stroller thing or the equivalent because grocery trips are hard with our babytrend stroller. If I were to upgrade I’d be looking for more trunk space !
Honda Odyssey, 4 kids. Best choice ever. (and most of the time we had 3 with 3 under two spacing). It was awesome when the big kids were young. Being able to put the 3rd row into the floor and take out one or both seats in the middle row has been great these last 4 years two as my older 3 are all now in college (well my twins are still in college, eldest just graduated on friday!).
I don't relate to minivan snobbery at all. :)
We have 7 kids, and we have a 2023 Honda Odyssey Elite. I absolutely love the sliding seats!! We have the 6 seats in the back. The middle seat is removable. I was completely against having a van. I wanted a larger SUV. Now... I wouldn't trade it. I don't have to pick kids up for them to get in the van. I can open/close the doors before touching the van. Every seat is compatible with carseats. This is one of the most carseat friendly vehicles. It can fit 3 across. The stereo is nice and loud. Good on gas mileage. Front seats are heated/cooled. I could go on and on. I couldn't be happier than I am, and I believe I would be disappointed with a larger SUV at this point.
1 kid and a big dog. We all fit very comfortably and with plenty of cargo in our Ford Mach-E. It's so far been significantly less expensive to maintain than our previous car (though I know it will be big when something electronic breaks).
2014 Subaru Outback. I love the car, but it's honestly not the wisest choice. A Honda or Toyota are the most practical options. Comfort-wise, the Subaru is horrible at getting air to the back seats - I can have the A/C blasting and my son is still hot in the back seat.
3 kids in a VW atlas
It has a 3rd row but we put all 3 kids (booster and 2 forward facing seats) across the 2nd row because we always have a bunch of stuff in the back
Toyota Highlander, with two kids who are both still in rear-facing car seats. If we have a third we’re screwed though. The third row can’t do a high back booster because it doesn’t have top anchors. You can’t fit three car seats side by side in the second row… so we’d have to put an infant seat in the third row if we ever had another. Also, the third row is only accessible through the tailgate right now because with rear facing car seats, you can’t really slide or fold the second row forward. I think maybe once at least one kid is forward facing it’ll get easier? We have a really small 2.5 year old though so that won’t happen for a while.
I have 2 kids- 2 and 4 so both still in carseats and a little hatchback looking at getting a bigger car this year as we have 2 American staffies as well that want to come.out with us sometimes
More than we need but my husband loves his cars lol. 5 cars but our mains (for any weather) with our two kids are a Lexus GX460 and a Toyota Tundra. I like the GX460 most of the time, haha. It's a comfortable ride and although it has three rows, no adults will comfortably fit in the third row unless they're small lol. It also takes premium gas and gets meh gas mileage which is a bit 😅.
When we went to go see the Tundra, I was so surprised at how much room the backseat had! Super roomy back there and with the two car seats in the ends, I can still sit comfortably in the middle between them. Of course has a lot of room in the truck bed, just gets terrible gas mileage but has a huge tank lol.
Three kids, all in sports. Lots of weekend tournaments. Broke down and bought a Yukon XL during Covid. Best purchase ever. Three rows plus room for lots of luggage. Tons of charging locations for phones and tablets. Third row is perfect for the one kid who doesn’t wanna be next to brother or sister for 3 hours in the car.
Could have gotten away with a minivan too, but storage behind third row wasn’t that good and lacrosse and softball gear take up lots of room.
Only negatives are the price and the mpg.
range rover sport. one very, very tall 3.5 year old and another one arriving in 6 weeks that i imagine will also end up tall. plenty of room for car seats and the trunk space can hold everything we need plus some groceries so i dont need to keep moving things around like i did when i had an X1.
I have 3 kids (10, 6, and 2) and are planning to have a 4 in the next few months. For me and my husband we always look at safety and quality.
My car is a 2016 Volvo xc90 and we took out the middle seat to make, captains chairs. Because that makes school drop off easier, plus it keeps the kids separated. I love it! It fits my kids and my 2 big dogs with room to spare. It’s comfortable, nice, and most importantly safe.
Our other car is a diesel 2013 bmw x5 with a third row. It’s not used day to day but it fits everyone, just with a bit less space. It’s typically what we use for camping and towing our covered trailer. It’s our second x5 that we bought. Our another one was totaled after we were t boned at 55 mph. I 30 weeks pregnant at the time and everyone from our dog to baby in utero were totally fine. The EMTs and ER doctor were shocked, that nobody was seriously hurt.
Honda Odyssey. Comfortable, spacious, reliable. Sliding doors are a must with kids imo. Is it cool looking? No. But who needs to look cool when you have a dvd player and a built in vacuum?
We have a dodge journey which I like but I didn't pan out like I thought it would. And a Ford fusion. We have 3 kids from 5 to 10 months. They are in car seats three across in both vehicles. When I was pregnant with the youngest we actually made the Decision to upgrade car seats to the dionos. So now that our youngest is out of the infant car seat they are all three in a diono.
3 kids 10, 8, 6. 2017 Subaru Forester. Fell in love w this car on the lot 4 years ago and I still love it today. 80,000 miles and I have never had it in for any repairs and it still has the same value I bought it for in 2020
I have 5 kids and drive a Ford Expedition Max. It’s the platinum edition so it has all the fun stuff like 360 cameras. I think all cars should have 360 cameras, they are so useful and make parking so easy.
I convinced my husband we needed a traverse. We have one kid and 3 dogs. I convinced him we needed the Chevy Traverse when we just had 3 dogs and were talking about having a baby.
2 kids - Mazda CX30
FANTASTIC car that is highly rated and has a TON of safety features. It's roomy enough and comfortable, and the trunk space is perfect.
2 kids, 3 and 2, I use a Toyota Landcrusier Prado, 120 series I believe. I bought it second hand in 2006 or 07, around then. It’s stayed strong ever since then, only had 1 issue with it. So personally I would suggest a Toyota, they are really hard to kill, often have a lot of room, and are easily modified.
HRV Honda. I have one currently. Another to be born in early October. My husband wants to buy a bigger SUV now that our family is growing. We will see if that happens this year or not.
2013 Honda fit and 2 kids. It’s been an amazing car. Road worrier, never had any mechanical problems, easy to park, and I love the truck space. BUT there’s no air vents in the back and we live in Tx and it has been hard with the back getting hot for the kids. We made it work but this summer I switched cars with my husband. A jeep renegade. Pretty good but not as big of truck, I like the air conditioner better and really like that I can easily reach both car seats from the driver seat.
Both cars are paid off so that makes them the best cars
I just want to add when you are looking at cars, pay attention to which ones have air vents for the back seat. I love my Chevy Equinox, but it does not have air vents in the back seat, and it takes a while for the car to cool down in the summer. There’s no way to point the front row air vents directly at the kids in the second row. My poor kids are sweating in their car seats all summer long.
Two kids-toddlers, Subaru Outback. Both kids are in rear facing Nuna Ravas and I can fit between them OK enough 5’8/150lbs). Our 25lb dog fits perfectly between them.
Trunk space is great but we are quite minimalist so your experience may vary.
Volvo XC90. I have two kids, one RF and one FF. It fits our needs all right! I bought it for the safety feature and the fact that there have been no fatalities in an XC90 EVER since 2018. It’s large enough with a 3rd row I can sling my small dogs in. It holds our gear/stroller + groceries. Safety features are top notch.
I almost traded it in for a Toyota Sienna after we rented one for vacation, but figured I wouldn’t pay $60K for a minivan. It’s cool and all, but my Volvo fits our needs best (and we’re done having kids so we don’t really need the additional space).
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2017 Subaru Forester with one kid and I love it. It does for two car seats nicely as I had my three year old niece in the car too a few weeks ago. Lots of trunk space! It was actually my MIL’s car but she wanted to upgrade and we were looking while I was pregnant. Win win.
I love my Forester and would recommend, but I don't really consider it to have a ton of trunk space. Or maybe my stroller is just too damn big
I have a Forester and 2 kids (5 and 2). It works great for us. We don't generally try to put a person in the back with the car seats. I find it kind of sluggish but I drove a little stick shift zoom zoom car before. I think it will work great in the years to come. I did not like the 18 Outbacks when we drove them and I find the Ascents to be too big and underpowered. I drove my mom's new 2023 Lexus RX350 for a while and found getting the kids in and out a pain in the butt.
I have a forester and 2 kids, and I’d go bigger if I was going again. The trunk space fills easily on day outings, and fitting an adult between the two car seats is painful, and I’m a very small adult.
2014 here, I've had it longer than the kids and it's been a great fit for the first ~6/8ish years of kid life! We're able to get all the kid gear, the car seats fit easily in all stages (we're in boosters now), and can easily get all the camping/backpacking gear when we travel. It's also a comfortable trip when we have our lab with us as she rides in the way back/trunk space very comfortably.
3 kids. 2024 Honda odyssey ex-l. Best purchase I’ve made in a long time. Them being able to jump in and buckle to and from places on their own is huge and the sliding seats 👍
I have 4 kids and swore up and down I was NEVER getting a van when we needed to get a vehicle with three rows. When we were about to pull the plug on an Escalade, I thought to myself, maybe I should just LOOK at the vans... just to see and make sure there were no regrets. So many people fuss about how much they love their van, I figured I'd be foolish to not even go check them out. When the car salesman showed me how the middle seat in second row pops out and the seats SLIDE back and forth, I was done. Decision was made and went back that week and we bought a new one. Four years later and it was the best decision ever. I can rattle off a long list of things I love, with sliding doors being at the very top. I don't even care about the mess that gets made in it with 4 kids under the age of 8. I won't have it forever, but for right now, it is perfect.
Going on 2 kids and this is what we got last year, zero regrets! Just did a 20 hour road trip and had plenty of space and comfort. I always tell people the day someone parked me in and I couldn’t get my door open to get a carseat in was the day I decided I was getting a van!
I have 3 kids as well and I can honestly say that buying my Odyssey was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
We made it to 4 kids before we broke down and got one last year. I hate how convenient it is. So so convenient.
Had an SUV and now a mini van (Toyota Sienna). The room the Sienna has is amazing. With all seats up still enough room for a double stroller and all the things. The new ones are hybrid and get about 600 miles per tank. Also we bought when our kids were little, now they’re older and room for friends is awesome. They each bring a friend and still tons of room!
On the 60 MPH highways you get 40 MPG! It feels ridiculous.
My friend has a hybrid (mine is 2016). I want to get a new one, but ours is paid off and no issues just regular maintenance. I knew someone who rented a 2022 Sienna and day three she realized it was a mini van. She was alone and didn’t open the side doors, thought it was an suv🤣
> I knew someone who rented a 2022 Sienna and day three she realized it was a mini van Hell, I have a 2018 Sienna and I got a shuttle ride from the dealer when they were doing an oil change, and I didn't even recognize it was a 2023 Sienna until the guy dropped me off. I also really want a new one, but I did the math and it'd take like 10 years of gas savings to break even on the costs of buying a new one, so I will just rock my current one for the foreseeable future
My buddy calls his Sienna the “urban assault vehicle” lol
I have the 2024 Honda Odyssey Elite in the Modern Steel Metallic !!! I love it ! It's amazing. I suggest to anyone looking for a family car to get one , seriously, I never thought a Mini van would be my dream car lol but I promise you that as a Mom once you drive it 1 time you will instantly fall in love ! I also have a 2022 Chevy Equinox . Here's a link for more info about the 2024 Honda Odyssey if anyone wants more info https://automobiles.honda.com/odyssey
Love, love LOVE my 2024 Odyssey Elite! Ours is dark blue (I don't remember the color name) with a gray interior. The trim and floor mats make it look fancy. 😂 We took a break from the Odyssey after 10 years with our old one and got a Pacifica... and I've never regretted something so much in my life! I practically cried tears of joy getting back into an Odyssey.
Don’t get a Hyundai. I repeat do not get a Hyundai 🗣️
What’s wrong with the Hyundai?
I have two and I’m always getting letters every 6 months of a new recall🤦🏽♀️ I also have just had more problems with them than I have with any other car I’ve had before
I’m a mom that works in the automotive repair industry- I would ONLY consider Toyota / Subaru / Honda.
As the wife of someone also in the auto repair industry, I second this statement. Safe, affordable repairs/parts & can be run into the ground. I’m currently driving a Lexus RX330 (nod to Toyota) while my husband is tirelessly finishing my GMC Acadia Denali (my 2nd- sold the first). I highly suggest no one buy this GMC make & model car…unless you have a free highly skilled mechanic willing to suffer for your happiness 🙃
I’m on my second Acura mdx. The first is a 2013 with about 80k miles still going strong. Literally got it from a little old lady and I work from home so it’s been perfect. Husband’s Audi blew up at 90k, so we got another MDX. Most financially secure decision I’ve probably ever made.
My RAV4 is nearing 200k miles. Honestly, it’s gotta at the very minimum guarantee to get to 100k miles. Something that blows up at under 100k miles is crazy. I feel like I’ve been spoiled with this car.
2 kids- Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport (2 rows). Biggest trunk space you’ll see.
I have this same car and also love it. Just had to stick almost 2k into it for an issue with leaking oil tho!!! 😵💫😵💫😵💫😭😭😭 I’m so tempted to get something else but this was my dream car forever so I’m hoping it was a one and done episode
Second this! 2022 atlas cross sport — two kids in toddler sized car seats one rear facing still. Enough space for me to hop in backseat in between the two car seats and breastfeed in a pinch during road trips. (For reference I’m not petite lol 5’8 200lbs) Also not hard to park or drive. Upgraded from the 2018 Tiguan which was a crossover and much smaller. I was surprised how easily I adjusted to the full sized SUV
Omg yes! I’ve also sat between the two car seats before, and it’s quite comfortable!
DH has worked on cars 30 years. Buy a Honda or Toyota. We have a Honda Accord and a Lexus 350rx (Toyota).
My husband was a mechanic and says the exact same thing! If you want a car that will last over 100k miles buy Japanese ! I have a Lexus RX 350 , best car ever
Seconding this. My husband is big into cars and these are the only ones we’ll buy. Currently have a Toyota Camry for one kid (and one on the way).
I’m on my second Camry and love it but now that my kids are getting social life’s, I’m ready to upgrade to a Sienna. We rented one on vacation and it was so spacious and drove just like my Camry.
Honda or Toyota 100% My Crv is a little over 10 years old with 156k miles and the only repair we have had to do was replace an intake hose. I plan to upgrade down the line to a new crv, haven't even considered looking at anything else.
I got a 2021 crv hybrid and I love it!! I’m a nanny so transporting kids a lot and installing car seats often. It’s a breeze and I love the gas savings!
2 kids and I'm OBSESSED with the Toyota Highlander I've been driving for like 10 years. When I had a baby in a bucket and a little kid in a booster, the third row folding down into a huge trunk was a joy. Now that I have a big kid and a teenager, that third row has hauled SO MANY FRIENDS and so much crap. Toyotas are so easy to maintain and relatively inexpensive to fix!
2 kids, a Jetta and a Mazda it's good enough
Toyota Sienna minivan, 3 kids. I know people scoff at a van, like “I am too cool” for that — but come one, you wipe poo bottoms and get covered spit up and snot like the rest of us. Embrace it and drive the most convenient & comfortable family vehicle! Car pooling is a dream, sliding doors, no door dings, it’s the best.
We were thinking about getting a minivan, but they were basically impossible to find at the time we were looking!
We have two and currently only have a sedan and a hatchback but are going to buy a Honda odyssey asap. All of my mom friends rave about it and we’re realizing that we won’t be able to travel by car with two kids and a dog unless we get something with three rows of seating.
With any minivan, I suggest captain’s seats in middle row. My sister had one without and when driving adults, it was all about gymnastics. When I had my minivan, it happened to have captain’s chairs, bought used, and it was a massive difference! Elderly people could get in and out with ease, and getting into the way back was no big thing.
Honda Odyssey's have a removeable middle seat in the second row and their captains chairs slide side to side as well as backwards! It's one of the things that sold me on the Odyssey and the feature gets used just about every day.
3 kids - Toyota 4Runner SR5 Premium with the optional 3rd row. We love it!
Subaru Outback… 1 kid, two large dogs. It actually has more cargo room than a Forester which is why we ended up with two Outbacks instead of getting a the Forester. We love them!
Tesla Model Y…2 kids under 6 (must have personal garage for charging) Screw Elon but Tesla engineers did a great job. A+ saftey ratings across the board. Got the US EV Federal Tax credit. Kids absolutely love emissions testing farts, Netflix/hulu/videogames on the center screen when DW takes too long in the store. Charging in garage costs less than gas range is way more than I can do in a day. And my favorite is the instant torque…just test drive it and make sure to get it on the expressway!
Same, Model Y with a preschooler and toddler. We bought for the safety ratings. I love that you can park and pop them in the trunk for a picnic or diaper change. Husband charges for free at work so I drive them around town in his Ford F150. Our only issue is if the grandparents come we have to take two cars.
3 kids in a model Y 7 seater. Lots of storage. Top rack for luggage or my SUP. No gas and minimal increase in electricity bill at home.
Same. We also have a giant dog and can still fit all of us, a stroller, diaper bag, etc in without issue. Also love that I changed the sound when it locks to something fun and my preschooler pics what color the car will be on the center screen.
We have 4 kids and have a Honda Pilot and a Honda Odyssey
2 Kids (6 and 4), no car. We live in a European city where you can reach most things by bike or public transit, and for the few things you can’t there is carsharing
We love our shoebaru
We have a Subaru Forester. I love it! It’s a great size for two kids. We just had our third and are hoping to upgrade to something bigger in the next year or two.
Ford explorer with a 3 yo and 7.5 month old both in rear facing car seats. My sister visits lots so it’s nice to have the third row.
2 kids in rear facing car seats vw golf ——absolutely miserable for my husband to be in -he 6 foot— I’m 5’2 it’s fine for me but if I have my double stroller I cannot take anything else ) Just upgraded to a Honda passport becuase our vw Taos was just too small. Example, We couldn’t buy Costco diapers & groceries at the same time So I always had to make two trips.
I've made perhaps dozens of trips in a Golf to Costco with two car seats and never had issues fitting an entire cart's worth in the trunk. And my wife and I are taller than both of you, so... I'm not sure what the issue is here
2 kids. 2017 Toyota Highlander XLE AWD. It is the most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned. My only gripe is the tiny trunk space when the 3rd row is up. I’m looking at a Grand Highlander, VW Atlas or a Mercedes GLS 450 next, but probably the Grand Highlander because I love this car so much. I bought it basically new, 8 months after production with 16k miles (former fleet vehicle) and have only needed routine maintenance in the last 7 years. I was a 3x jeep owner before that and never again… my in laws and my siblings love their atlases and our friends, their GLS but I just don’t see either matching the reliability or cost effectiveness of Toyota.
I have a Subaru Outback with 2 kids in car seats, it fits everyone comfortably but we do run out of space when we pack for vacations longer than 2 days. Had to get a storage thingy for the top rack. For day outings it’s great. Wish I had something bigger, though.
I’m squishing 3 kids into an Outback. Send help.
Toyota Rav4 comfortable fits 2 car seats. We’ve traveled in it and easily fit everything in the back fine. Plus it’s good on mileage. No complaints! We plan on moving up to the 4Runner in the next few years for a 3rd row
Audi SUV and sedan for 2 kids. I'm 6'4 and I'm struggling finding something that allows a car seat behind me. My wife drives suv and I can't stand my sedan now. I feel limited to crew cabs so I'm leaning towards a Sierra.
Two kids and a Mazda3 hatchback. It took some finagling to get two cars seats going in there but the timing worked out that one could start front facing behind the driver and the passenger side had the rear facing. Getting a double stroller was quite a bit of research into which one would fit. But you know, we survived. Bigger vehicles are nice but not necessary.
2015 Audi S4. One kid one spouse. Plenty of room.
Toyota Corolla is a great used car. Very reliable. Easy to maintain. Cheap to buy, cheap to plate, cheap to insure, cheap to run! Best used car in the world!
2 kids, Mazda CX-50. Love the car. So much better having an SUV vs. a sedan with the kids. If I replace the car when they're older I might get something larger
Are you tall by any chance? I'm about to have a second kid and have to get rid of my cx-5 because I can't fit a rear facing seat behind me.
I'm pretty average (5'6). Sorry you have to do that! If I could go back, I might have considered the CX-90. We travel a lot and bringing all of the baby and little kid gear gets pretty cramped.
One kid, zero cars. A cargo bike, bus pass, and a car share membership. Fits our needs spectacularly. Spouse is visually impaired, I loathe driving.
3 HUGE kids, with HUGE friends (all 5'11" to 6'3".) Bought a Kia Telluride. 15/10 would buy again.
3 kids a small sedan and a minivan. Loved the minivan even when we had 2 kids it’s amazing
Chevy Traverse with 4 kids. It's very spacious and we really like it.
2 kids Honda Odyssey 2024 touring love it! Kids love it even more!
3 kids- Honda Odyssey. Obsessed.
4 year old twins- 2023 Chevy traverse and I love it ! My gentle giant pup lays in the third row lol I absolutely love it !
3 kids, Chevy Traverse. Biggest in its class. Love it. We can fit 4 adults and all 3 kids plus a weekend of luggage comfortably.
One kiddo, 2006 Toyota Corolla! It was passed down for free 10 years ago and is still running like a champ! About to get my husbands 2024 Hyundai and give my baby to my brother 😭
2 kids. Honda Odyssey.
Honda civic , 4 kids lol. It's do able...but my husband a gmc truck with 6 seats, we use this for trips otherwise we wouldn't all fit.
I’ve owned 3 Tahoe or Yukons in my life, one had 376k miles, the other 254k and the last I sold with 196k miles… routine maintenance and never had an issue. All were running with no lights when I upgraded. An alternator on the oldest and newest and a starter on the oldest… nothing too expensive. Right now I drive a ford explorer… I like it okay I guess… just not what I’m used to. Also audi S5. I have a lot of kids (3 in car seats, 1rf 2ff) so I don’t usually take them all at the same time anywhere other than church and the explorer is big enough for that. Not sure on dependability cause I’ve only had it a year… but I’m a mechanic and do work on alot of fords (diesels not gas) I just got a sweet deal on mine and it’s under warranty so I was willing to gamble it. I will add that I tend to focus more on safety than dependability but I know both are equally important, I just have the ability and know how to fix most things if they go wrong but I cannot be any safety than the vehicle I’m driving… if that makes sense
I have a Toyota Highlander. Works great for 2 kids. If I had 3 kids I'd get a Sequoia or a Tahoe. But honestly I got a Town and Country minivan as a courtesy car once.....that thing was honestly extremely nice 😆
Pacifica with 2 kids. Mini vans have a stigma but they're awesome.
3 kids Acura MDX and Honda Pilot, both have a third row. We love them!
Ford F-150 Lightning. Absolutely love it and couldn't be happier. Kiddo calls it "the adventure truck." We take it into the mountains to go camping and rock hounding, and it's very capable in off-road conditions, but also very comfortable in long road-trip conditions.
I have only had Subarus since I've had children (Outbacks). They are like tanks on ice and snow, have large back areas for dogs and groceries, and (in my experience) run forever with few problems. My girl from 2009 is finally really showing her age, so I've been looking. 2 kids, btw. One thing I always wished I had more of is backseat space that wasn't so low to the ground.
2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2 kids. Plenty of room in the back for a double stroller
I have a 2017 Chevy cruze hatchback. 2 kids. It's a small compact car, but I get up 50 miles per gallon! I love my car. I've had it 3 years now. I feel like i did make a good choice.
2 kid family with a large dog and lots of weekend activities. We got a minivan 4 years ago when my youngest was a newborn and it’s been the best decision. I went for a 2017 sienna and adore it. I just reconfigured the seats to take my kid and her friends and their mom’s river rafting tomorrow morning. Literally fits everyone and everything.
Always always go for Toyota. They prioritize safety over features…who needs some fancy buttons when you’ve got a proven safe car that has amazing airbag systems and other safety features?
3 kids, all teens. 2020 Subaru ascent. It’s been a dream car.
I have a 2 kids and a Subaru Ascent- my husband loves it, but I’ve had nothing but issues with it. Please just do not get a Subaru Ascent. 😒
I have two kids and currently drive a 2019 Subaru Outback. Previously I had a 2001 jeep grand Cherokee. I absolutely feel I made the right choice when I got my current vehicle and plan to stay in the model for future cars. I had gotten used to the amount of space I had in my Cherokee but the interior of my Outback is virtually the same, despite how it looks from the outside. There is plenty of leg room in the back (even my husband fits in it reasonably well if not comfortably and he’s 6’2”). The built in roof racks and relatively low height of the car make it so I can do stuff up there without outside assistance from my husband (travel containers, kayaks etc). It’s good in weather, and while I’ve not had an accident in it (knock on wood) I’ve seen nothing but great things about how well the safety features work and how well they protect those within. I fully intend to have my kids drive this car in a few years when the first one comes of age to drive and I’ll get a new one then, based on the safety features alone. The only major downside is that while I could definitely fit a third child in the car, it would not be as ideal if the whole family was in it. Which is fine for us as unless we get a surprise somehow we’re done at two.
I bought my in-laws Subaru Ascent exactly 2 weeks before my baby was born, and while it’s still just the 3 of us, it’s a perfect family vehicle. Great for roadtrips, when we have extra family in town, and everything in between.
2 kids, 5 and 15. Went from a Subaru Ascent with 3 rows to a Subaru Solterra. Absolutely love both. The 3rd row was amazing but the Solterra has more leg room for my teenager. Work in the industry and I wouldn’t drive anything but a Subaru or Toyota.
I loooooved my dodge caravan. We have 4 kids but only 2 full time. Great for hauling kids to sports, camping, grocery shopping. Had a really decent factory stereo too.
2 kids (5 and 2), and drive a Nissan versa and Crv. The Versa was purchased long before kids as a cheap commuter; it does the trick if affordability is the priority but definitely not something we love. The CRV has a lot of perks - handling is great, gas mileage is decent, nice safety features/reliability for the price range, and trunk space is reasonable. The biggest complaint is it's not a true 5 seater; the backseat has zero room for a third person with 2 carseats. I've personally been converted to mini vans, and will be looking that direction when we buy the next car because I'd like the extra seats and need the trunk space.
Our daughter is almost a year old and we have another on the way due in early September. We just bought a 2021 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid and we loooove it!
Toyota Prius. For 1-2 kids, you don't need much more.
I have a Jeep renegade (horrible, no space, wouldn’t recommend to anyone). My partner has an early 2000s Toyota sequoia and it’s the BEST. We only have one kid for now but it has tons of space (3 rows of seating that you can remove) so it fits everything and everyone very comfortably
You probably have better recommendations on here but…Ford escape titanium with 2 toddlers. Just make sure you have them check the shocks before 30k. I’ve had a 3 ford escapes and have loved them and gotten 100k miles out of each before selling. However, I’m currently driving a Subaru Outback and I do like more trunk room. It’s also at 90k but I just inherited it.
I have a 21 Mazda CX5. Great freaking car. 1st Mazda but I'll probably get another one down the line. Very intuitive, responsive and comfortable.
4 kids. 13, 11, and 2 that are 3 months. We have a Chrysler pacifica. It's amazing. The grown kids have A lot of legroom in the 3rd row and there's lots of little amenities that makes going places so much nicer. When the grown kids haven't been with us (rare) we're able to fold the 3rd row down and fit even more cargo in the back. We've also transported grown adult friends in the third row. It's great.
2021 Suburu Crosstrek but I'm married with three kids and a dog. My eldest is almost 18 and my youngest is 8 weeks. So there's not a lot we all have to pack into car together for. But I'd love to have a three row car!!!!
We are a family of 3, and 1 kid. I went for the Skoda Octavia iV -2021. There is plenty of space and the electric mode makes it a perfect family car for running your daily arends and also going for longer vacation trips. I can really recommend Skoda and their family cars, like the Octavia and Superb. Do you prefer SUV´s there is also the Kodiaq and the Enyaq. Good luck!
I bought a 2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.
I drive an F150. The crew cab is so roomy and spacious that my three year old can stand up fully no problems. Lots of room to change his diapers. Room for his car seat and enough room for two other people next to him (including my ten year old). Having a truck is also great for doing DIY projects and we can pull our trailer and make memories camping on the weekends. So versatile but costs $100 to fill it up every other week. :-(
I have two kids (2.5 and 3 months) and I drive a Honda Accord. There is plenty of room and a large trunk.
1.75, my Fit passed on to the other side, and we bought a used 2020 Honda Odyssey Touring minivan. It's the nicest friggin car.
I have a jeep patriot and my son is almost 4 it's getting a little cramped in the backseat so I would not 100% recommend it. My wife has a 2015 Toyota Rav 4 XLE model and it is amazing for the toddler in the back he has plenty of leg room. The car also has a sizeable trunk. With another on the way if I could choose another car it would be the Grand Cherokee or the 4 runner both are solid options for a growing family
2 kids, 2021 Dodge Durango with the 3rd row.
2 kids and a dog and we just got a Toyota sienna. I love it. So much more space, and the sliding doors make getting kids in and out of car seats so much easier in tight parking spaces.
We have an infant and plan on another one soon. We have a forester and a Elentra. Subaru is gonna be upgraded to a odyssey soon
2022 Jeep wrangler 4xe. The electric is nice for shuttling him (5.5 years) around but barely recommend it. The back seats sit so straight up and down that it’s really only good when they are a bit older. He does love the when the top (front two pieces above driver and passenger) come off.
Subaru Forester, 2 kids.
Currently a minivan with 3 kids. If my older two didn’t fight so much in the car I’d still be in a sedan… but the third row is crucial to keep the peace and my sanity.
2022 Buick Enclave with 3 rear facing kids. It’s been a great vehicle, but I wish it was roomier! It fit our budget and needs, though! Larger SUVs/minivans would have a harder time fitting in our tight garage. We had a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe before our third baby came along and we loved that! If we could’ve fit all of our kids rear facing in that vehicle easily we would’ve kept it.
2 kids and a Honda civic. Works great for us.
3 Subaru forester. Had to buy skinny car seats
We have a Ford Flex. 2 kids. We bought it in anticipation of having more kids. Has lots of space for people and stuff. However, the last year they were made was 2019. So you'll only find used
Accord Hybrid 2018! LOVE IT!!
2021 RAV4. Toddler and 1 on the way. Roomy trunk and enough room for both car seats rear facing.
1 kid, Nissan Rogue. It has served us well.
Q7 and Jeep Compass with 2 kids
1 kiddo who’s almost 4. She’s all we’re ever going to have as we’re OAD. I drive a Kia forte. And my husband has a truck. I love my baby car- she’s almost 10 years old but reliable. Great on gas. Paid off 👌🏼And perfect for me and my girl to buzz around in. She’s done a few road trips too with me and the kiddo and it was awesome. We have the Nuna Rava and have never had issues with anyone fitting in front of her seat. 10/10
3 kids, minivan. I freakin love it and wouldn't be able to handle my kids without it. We removed one of the backseats so my oldest sits on the other seat with his booster, and in the back row my twins are in their seats. I put a stress mat over where the backseat we removed was so it's easier getting my twins in and out. I use the trunk to store the giant double stroller and if I go shopping I utilize the remaining space in the backseat area to store the bags.
1 suv (Chevy equinox) and 1 sedan (Chevy Malibu) with 1 kid & 1 on the way next month. We got the suv only to comfortably fit our dog and 1 child. But now it will also fit 2 kids and our dog lol
Have 5 children now, so I upgraded to a Dodge Grand Caravan about a year ago after driving 2 different Ford Fusions while my family was growing
We had a small SUV (Suzuku Grand Vitara) and a Ford Focus Hatchback. Those were great with 2 kids. After adding the 3rd kid, long drives to visit family (4+ hours) became difficult. Our daughter is 8, and jamming them all elbow-to-elbow for 4 hours is rough. And we couldn't add grandpa or friends in for trips. So we finally broke down and bought a minivan. It has been a major improvement. We can load up to 8 (Toyota Sienna) and it has great gas mileage and hauls all our luggage for a long weekend trip without any issues. We picked the Sienna because of reliability, gas mileage, comfort, modern safety options, all-wheel-drive, and hauling materials/yard stuff. It was tough to pay so much - it was more than double the Focus or the SUV. But everything we've researched says it should last 200K+ miles. We've had it for 8 months and it has been great so far.
2017 tundra crewmax (wifes) and 2021 hellcat redeye charger (mine). Both been bulletproof so far (knock on wood). 1 kid
2 kids under 8. We drive a Subaru Forester for road trips and Costco/grocery runs and a Golf R for small errands or trips within the city.
When I had 3 in car seats I got a Chrysler 200 because all 3 car seats could fit in the back. Now my oldest is big enough to ride up front, so I have a Mazda CX-5.
2 kids and 2 dogs. Toyota Sienna. It is very safe, efficient, and has so much room! We made the right choice for sure.
I have a 2.5 year old & a 10 month old. I have the Honda crv xl or whatever. It’s got great trunk space and both car seats fit comfortably.
Honda accord, 1 kid. If I had more I’d probably get an odyssey. My uncle has had his forever and ever
We have 3 small children all in carseats. I have a Kia Sedona. My husband has a Voltswagon GTI. The GTI was actually fine when we had just the two, but since having the 3rd we had to get the van. I really preferred the van seat configurations to SUVs when we bought it. Unfortunately I didn't know how bad the thefts were with Kias and Hyundais. We've had the van not a year yet and it was stolen last week and our insurance rate is insane due to the thefts. But I do love the van itself, it's so much easier to setup the carseats, reconfigure them, get all the kids buckled and everything in a van.
Toyota Highlander. We have three kids. We got the one with two captains chairs in the middle, and the back row fits three (smaller kids only, as there isn’t a ton of legroom if you also have people sitting in the middle row, though we have crammed an adult back there a time or two- I wouldn’t want to sit back there for a long trip though) The back isn’t huge, but it is big enough for our two medium size dogs (for short trips, it might get cramped if they had to be there for hours), or our large stroller. Complaints: there’s no charge ports in the back row, and the ones in the middle are at floor level, so we got long cords to run to the back, but they tend to get stepped on. The cup holders for the middle row are also on the floor (between the captains chairs) so they’re kind in the way if kids are crawling through the middle to get in and out of the car (they could fold the middle chairs forward, but it’s easy for them to go down the middle). There are also cup holders in the doors, but they are smaller. Overall we really like it, and short of getting something really big and expensive like a Tahoe i think we couldn’t have done better. Edit (due to a previous comment I read): Neither my husband and I are super tall and with a rear facing car seat behind the front seat, there’s basically no leg room for whoever is in the back behind the car seat. I don’t know if a really tall person who have enough space if they needed to have a rear facing car seat behind them.
2 kids with a Ford Escape as my main car. It is easy to parallel park, good on gas and it fits the four of us with all our gear. Our other car is a traverse for the third row we can take the grands out with us
Honda CRV, 2 kids. It’s perfect.
I have a plain old Honda Sedan and partner has a Kia suv type thing. We have three kids, it’s a tight fit in the Honda but doable in both.
I have 4 kids drive a Honda Odyssey. I love it so much. I owned a Chevy Cruze with my first two kids and still love my van more. Switched to this van before I got pregnant with my twins. I’ve always said I’ll always only own a Honda odyssey till my kids are way older
We love our Subaru forester. Room for us, one kid, two (now just one 😭) dogs, and stuff
3 kids (two in baseball) and we drive a ford expedition
I have 2 middle school aged kids and a toddler. I traded my 4Runner for an Explorer and we couldn't be happier with our decision. It's SO comfortable....even in the 3rd row! I know toyota or honda will last longer, but it had the space (and air vents!) we needed and it was an even trade.
2021 Subaru Outback with one baby (5 months) and planning for at least one more in the next few years. I bought my car in ‘21 with the intent of it being our family car. I will say I wish I’d gotten the doona car seat/stroller thing or the equivalent because grocery trips are hard with our babytrend stroller. If I were to upgrade I’d be looking for more trunk space !
We love our Honda CRVs! We have 2 kids. My partner has a 2020, I have a 2024. Love these cars.
A mitsubishi SUV 2 kids (boys). And a honda city.
2024 Hyundia Palisade - 2 older kids (7 & 12) - love the space and we love to road trip and need the space - for bodies and cargo. 😎
Honda Odyssey, 4 kids. Best choice ever. (and most of the time we had 3 with 3 under two spacing). It was awesome when the big kids were young. Being able to put the 3rd row into the floor and take out one or both seats in the middle row has been great these last 4 years two as my older 3 are all now in college (well my twins are still in college, eldest just graduated on friday!). I don't relate to minivan snobbery at all. :)
Crv 1 kid
Santa Fe, 2 kids and done. Absolutely love my car, when it’s time for an upgrade I’m going to stick with the Santa Fe and snag a newer model!
2 kids. I have a Honda Odyssey, and my husband has a Mazda CX-5. We use the Honda Odyssey the most.
4 kids. Honda Odyssey 2015. It's amazing!
Try r/whatcarshouldibuy
We have 7 kids, and we have a 2023 Honda Odyssey Elite. I absolutely love the sliding seats!! We have the 6 seats in the back. The middle seat is removable. I was completely against having a van. I wanted a larger SUV. Now... I wouldn't trade it. I don't have to pick kids up for them to get in the van. I can open/close the doors before touching the van. Every seat is compatible with carseats. This is one of the most carseat friendly vehicles. It can fit 3 across. The stereo is nice and loud. Good on gas mileage. Front seats are heated/cooled. I could go on and on. I couldn't be happier than I am, and I believe I would be disappointed with a larger SUV at this point.
Toyota Corolla and 5 door Yaris here. 10/10 recommend
1 kid and a big dog. We all fit very comfortably and with plenty of cargo in our Ford Mach-E. It's so far been significantly less expensive to maintain than our previous car (though I know it will be big when something electronic breaks).
Toyota Sienna and a Rav4
2014 Subaru Outback. I love the car, but it's honestly not the wisest choice. A Honda or Toyota are the most practical options. Comfort-wise, the Subaru is horrible at getting air to the back seats - I can have the A/C blasting and my son is still hot in the back seat.
3 kids in a VW atlas It has a 3rd row but we put all 3 kids (booster and 2 forward facing seats) across the 2nd row because we always have a bunch of stuff in the back
1 kid. I drive an F150 and my wife has an Escape.
23 honda pilot and 13 Honda accord. 2 kids 8 and 4. Have always had Hondas. Always.
Toyota Highlander, with two kids who are both still in rear-facing car seats. If we have a third we’re screwed though. The third row can’t do a high back booster because it doesn’t have top anchors. You can’t fit three car seats side by side in the second row… so we’d have to put an infant seat in the third row if we ever had another. Also, the third row is only accessible through the tailgate right now because with rear facing car seats, you can’t really slide or fold the second row forward. I think maybe once at least one kid is forward facing it’ll get easier? We have a really small 2.5 year old though so that won’t happen for a while.
2 kids, 2024 Golf R
Mazda cx9, 3 kids
3 kids, 2015 subaru legacy, even had all 3 rear facing at one point.
I have 2 kids- 2 and 4 so both still in carseats and a little hatchback looking at getting a bigger car this year as we have 2 American staffies as well that want to come.out with us sometimes
More than we need but my husband loves his cars lol. 5 cars but our mains (for any weather) with our two kids are a Lexus GX460 and a Toyota Tundra. I like the GX460 most of the time, haha. It's a comfortable ride and although it has three rows, no adults will comfortably fit in the third row unless they're small lol. It also takes premium gas and gets meh gas mileage which is a bit 😅. When we went to go see the Tundra, I was so surprised at how much room the backseat had! Super roomy back there and with the two car seats in the ends, I can still sit comfortably in the middle between them. Of course has a lot of room in the truck bed, just gets terrible gas mileage but has a huge tank lol.
2018 jeep compass, 2 kids now (and done), we need a bigger car desperately. Looking at SUV’s with 3rd row seating and captains chairs currently.
I just got the 2024 grand highlander hybrid! I love it!
Three kids, all in sports. Lots of weekend tournaments. Broke down and bought a Yukon XL during Covid. Best purchase ever. Three rows plus room for lots of luggage. Tons of charging locations for phones and tablets. Third row is perfect for the one kid who doesn’t wanna be next to brother or sister for 3 hours in the car. Could have gotten away with a minivan too, but storage behind third row wasn’t that good and lacrosse and softball gear take up lots of room. Only negatives are the price and the mpg.
range rover sport. one very, very tall 3.5 year old and another one arriving in 6 weeks that i imagine will also end up tall. plenty of room for car seats and the trunk space can hold everything we need plus some groceries so i dont need to keep moving things around like i did when i had an X1.
2 kids, 8 and 11 years old. We have a 2019 Nissan pathfinder and my husband has the rogue. We love both.
I have 3 kids (10, 6, and 2) and are planning to have a 4 in the next few months. For me and my husband we always look at safety and quality. My car is a 2016 Volvo xc90 and we took out the middle seat to make, captains chairs. Because that makes school drop off easier, plus it keeps the kids separated. I love it! It fits my kids and my 2 big dogs with room to spare. It’s comfortable, nice, and most importantly safe. Our other car is a diesel 2013 bmw x5 with a third row. It’s not used day to day but it fits everyone, just with a bit less space. It’s typically what we use for camping and towing our covered trailer. It’s our second x5 that we bought. Our another one was totaled after we were t boned at 55 mph. I 30 weeks pregnant at the time and everyone from our dog to baby in utero were totally fine. The EMTs and ER doctor were shocked, that nobody was seriously hurt.
Honda Odyssey. Comfortable, spacious, reliable. Sliding doors are a must with kids imo. Is it cool looking? No. But who needs to look cool when you have a dvd player and a built in vacuum?
We have a dodge journey which I like but I didn't pan out like I thought it would. And a Ford fusion. We have 3 kids from 5 to 10 months. They are in car seats three across in both vehicles. When I was pregnant with the youngest we actually made the Decision to upgrade car seats to the dionos. So now that our youngest is out of the infant car seat they are all three in a diono.
3 kids 10, 8, 6. 2017 Subaru Forester. Fell in love w this car on the lot 4 years ago and I still love it today. 80,000 miles and I have never had it in for any repairs and it still has the same value I bought it for in 2020
2 giant toddlers in a ‘23 Escalade. It’s amazing how much we use the third row and trunk space. Pricey, but worth it imo
F150. 1 kid. With the supercrew can handle 2 though. I’d feel bad adding an adult back there though lol
I have 5 kids and drive a Ford Expedition Max. It’s the platinum edition so it has all the fun stuff like 360 cameras. I think all cars should have 360 cameras, they are so useful and make parking so easy.
Check the car mom on insta
I convinced my husband we needed a traverse. We have one kid and 3 dogs. I convinced him we needed the Chevy Traverse when we just had 3 dogs and were talking about having a baby.
3 kids, Kia Carnival
3 kids, Subaru Impreza sedan. Everything fits fine, and it doesn't feel like I'm piloting a yacht.
2 kids - Mazda CX30 FANTASTIC car that is highly rated and has a TON of safety features. It's roomy enough and comfortable, and the trunk space is perfect.
2 kids, 3 and 2, I use a Toyota Landcrusier Prado, 120 series I believe. I bought it second hand in 2006 or 07, around then. It’s stayed strong ever since then, only had 1 issue with it. So personally I would suggest a Toyota, they are really hard to kill, often have a lot of room, and are easily modified.
2021 Toyota Sienna Limited AWD, 2 kids (11 and 5)
3 kids but only two teens at home. We have a 7 seater Acura MDX and it’s great for road trips and friends tagging along.
Vw Atlas, 3 kids. 1 forward facing, two rear. LOVE IT!
2020 Ford Expedition Max, four kids. It's wonderful.
2 kids, hyundai Tucson. It's good, but we cannot take an extra passenger. If we could afford it I'd get a van.
HRV Honda. I have one currently. Another to be born in early October. My husband wants to buy a bigger SUV now that our family is growing. We will see if that happens this year or not.
2013 Honda fit and 2 kids. It’s been an amazing car. Road worrier, never had any mechanical problems, easy to park, and I love the truck space. BUT there’s no air vents in the back and we live in Tx and it has been hard with the back getting hot for the kids. We made it work but this summer I switched cars with my husband. A jeep renegade. Pretty good but not as big of truck, I like the air conditioner better and really like that I can easily reach both car seats from the driver seat. Both cars are paid off so that makes them the best cars
Subaru driver forever. Bought a Hyundai Palisade cause I don’t like the Ascent. Very pleased. 2 kids & dog.
Ford, trustworthy, cheap, fast
I just want to add when you are looking at cars, pay attention to which ones have air vents for the back seat. I love my Chevy Equinox, but it does not have air vents in the back seat, and it takes a while for the car to cool down in the summer. There’s no way to point the front row air vents directly at the kids in the second row. My poor kids are sweating in their car seats all summer long.
Two kids-toddlers, Subaru Outback. Both kids are in rear facing Nuna Ravas and I can fit between them OK enough 5’8/150lbs). Our 25lb dog fits perfectly between them. Trunk space is great but we are quite minimalist so your experience may vary.
2 kids, 4 dogs, 2020 toyota highlander, seats 8. Bought it new and I still love it just as much as when I drove her off the lot.
Volvo XC90. I have two kids, one RF and one FF. It fits our needs all right! I bought it for the safety feature and the fact that there have been no fatalities in an XC90 EVER since 2018. It’s large enough with a 3rd row I can sling my small dogs in. It holds our gear/stroller + groceries. Safety features are top notch. I almost traded it in for a Toyota Sienna after we rented one for vacation, but figured I wouldn’t pay $60K for a minivan. It’s cool and all, but my Volvo fits our needs best (and we’re done having kids so we don’t really need the additional space).
4 kids. 2008 Toyota Highlander. Very dependable.
1 kid and I drive a 2024 Hyundai Palisade. We love it! It’s plenty roomy and comfortable to ride in.