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2025 Honda Accord vs 2025 Toyota CamryBest Cars for New Parents
Looking for the best car for your new family? Our experts have found the best cars for burgeoning soccer moms and dads. Find out our top picks here.Looking for the best car for your new family? Our experts have found the best cars for burgeoning soccer moms and dads. Find out our top picks here.
Find a New Ride for Your Growing Family
If you’re a new parent, then you already know the struggle. Babies seem to come with an entire list of things that are only for them. Diapers, changing tables, playpens, cribs, clothes, food, highchairs, toys…the list never ends. They have special requirements when they travel too. While it is possible to put a car seat in just about any vehicle, some are more practical than others.
You not only need room for the baby, but you’ll also need room to carry all of their “accessories” which means you’ll need room for cargo. You’ll also want something that will accommodate a growing family if you plan on having more than one child. Besides, no one ever argued with having too much room even if you don’t plan on having more than one child.
Before you go out and drop a ton of money on a baby-friendly ride, you may find it more appealing (and practical) to get a used vehicle. There are a ton of rides on the used market that the family will love and that won’t blow your monthly budget out of the sky.
We set our budget to around $20,000 dollars and done all of the research for you and found some of the best cars for new parents.
Honda CR-V
The Honda CR-V has always been a reliable mid-size SUV. It has also offered more cargo space and passenger space than a lot of other SUVs. One of the major benefits is that it is one of the most fuel-efficient mid-size SUVs on the market. That says a lot since the SUV market is so large in the first place.
The Honda CR-V offers a comfortable, easy ride with great handling. It can fit up to five passengers, and the rear seats are equipped with two LATCH connectors and a tether. You’ve also got 39.2 cubic feet of storage space to carry the baby’s belongings.
The Honda CR-V is a great choice for new parents because it offers a lot of great features, like a long list of available safety features and a solid infotainment system, without being too pricey.
Kia Sorento
The Kia Sorento has always been a bargain in the mid-size SUV market. And it’s possible to find a used model that is still covered under Kia’s impressive factory warranty for some added peace of mind while driving the kids around town.
In our price range of $20,000, you can find a 2017-2019 Sorento LX with a 2.4L four-cylinder under the hood for adequate power, and you get up to 29 MPG combined gas mileage which can help save money at the pump.
There is plenty of room in the rear for car seats and storage: the cargo area has 12.6 cu-ft of storage, but you can fold down the third row to get up to 45 cu-ft of cargo space.
The Sorento also comes with an impressive amount of standard safety features including automatic emergency breaking, blind spot monitoring, and lane keeping assistance just to name a few.
Jeep Grand Cherokee
The Jeep Grand Cherokee gives parents some fun features that will allow them to take their newborn on family outings. It has best-in-class towing capabilities in case you want to go for a weekend camping trip.
The Cherokee is also fun to drive – especially if you happen to get a model equipped with the 5.7L V8 engine with 360 horsepower. There is also room in the rear for up to 3 car seats! For our budget, you can find a well-equipped 2015- 2017 Grand Cherokee for around $20,000.
There is plenty of cargo room (36.3 cubic feet) to haul your new child’s necessities along with some great safety features such as blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear parking sensors, and a rearview camera.
Ford Edge
A 2015-2020 second generation Ford Edge is a crossover SUV with a spacious interior and plenty of safety features. New parents have plenty of room in the back for a car seat along with 39.2 cubic feet of cargo space. While it has a small profile, it doesn’t feel like it. The design allows for plenty of room on the inside.
The standard 2.0 L turbo engine provides a robust 250 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. Which gives the Ford Edge more power than many other crossovers. However, the fuel economy does take a hit with a rating of 21 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway.
The Ford Edge has a 5-star safety rating from the NHTSA along with pre-collision automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and a rearview camera.
Dodge Grand Caravan
Some look at minivans as a rite of passage into adulthood and family life. The 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan is a great way to get started. Drivers get a 283 horsepower V6 under the hood along with a six-speed automatic transmission. It handles well for a minivan and provides a very relaxed feel while on the highway.
You have room for seven passengers plus an additional 33 cubic feet of storage space. These are great vehicles for those with large families.
Toyota Sienna
Next up on the list is the Toyota Sienna. This is another minivan that is equipped to take care of your growing family. It has room to seat eight passengers along with 33.5 cubic feet of storage space. Other features like the easy-clean fabric seats and the Driver-Easy Speak system are available on the higher trim levels.
Chrysler Pacifica
The third minivan on our list is the Chrysler Pacifica. These minivans offer a comfortable ride for the entire family. Within our budget of $20,000 a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica Touring L is delightfully peppy for a van thanks to a V6 engine dropping 287 horsepower. Parents have plenty of room for baby stuff with the 32 cubic feet of cargo space, and there is seating for up to seven (maybe even eight) people. Dual power sliding doors make it easy to get in and out, especially if you have children that require help getting out of their car seat.
Chevrolet Equinox
The Chevy Equinox is a smart little crossover that is great for small families. You can find a well-equipped 2019-2020 Chevy Equinox on the used market with a fuel-efficient 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder engine or a 2.0L four-cylinder engine with up to 252 horsepower.
It comes with room for up to 5 passengers and includes 2 LATCH connectors for car seats. There’s an upper tether anchor on the middle rear seat as well. Parents have 29.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. It also comes with great safety features to ensure that your little family gets from point A to point B safely.
Subaru Forester
A gently used 2020 Subaru Forester gives new parents a lot of space for a small crossover SUV. It offers plenty of rear seat space for the little one while giving the parents a standard all-wheel drive ride with plenty of technology. The 2.5L four-cylinder engine and CVT transmission provide the power and get up to 26 MPG city/33 MPG highway. It has a car-like feel on the road, and its 8.7 inches of ground clearance will even allow it to go off-road when necessary.
It has a load of safety features and driver assistance tools to make life easier. These tools include features such as adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, pre-collision throttle management, lane departure warning, sway warning, lead vehicle start alert, and lane departure prevention.
Nissan Rogue
The 2020 Nissan Rogue is simple. It offers drivers a 2.5L engine and a CVT transmission that pushes 170 horsepower. While it isn’t the most exciting thing to drive, you will save money at the gas pumps with a 26 mpg city/33 mpg highway rating. There are also plenty of standard safety features for peace of mind. A tri-zone climate control system is sure to keep everyone comfortable on hot summer days.
There is plenty of room in the rear for a car seat with 36.3 cubic feet of storage – more than enough to pack a ton of baby accessories. The Nissan Rogue is great for families who don’t need a lot under the hood to get around.
Final Thoughts
New parents have a great variety of vehicles to choose from. It is even more comforting to know that many of them can be found with the latest safety features to ensure that every member of the family is safe during their travels.
Getting a new family-friendly vehicle is also easier on the wallet than ever before. There are many vehicles on the market that give parents great features without breaking the bank. You can save that money for more important things in life.
