These are the 9 best cars for families in 2023, according to U.S. News

By Weston Blasi

Kia, Toyota and Hyundai top U.S. News & World Report's annual list of family-friendly vehicles. Here are the top picks for SUV, EV, minivan and more.

Looking for a new family car?

U.S. News & World Report has released its "Best Cars for Families" list for 2023, which was drawn up by evaluating 92 vehicles to select the best family-friendly models across nine categories, including sport utility vehicles, electric vehicles and minivans.

U.S. News Best Cars, which is the automotive channel of U.S. News & World Report, has run this "best cars" list since 2007, grading vehicles on a variety of factors, including: safety and reliability ratings, seating and cargo volume, as well as family-friendly features like in-car wireless internet and hands-free cargo doors.

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The report does not select a single "winner," choosing instead to highlight nine winners by category, which can be found below:

-- Best 2-Row SUV for Families: 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe-- Best Hybrid Car for Families: 2023 Toyota Camry Hybrid-- Best Minivan for Families: 2023 Honda Odyssey-- Best Midsize Car for Families: 2023 Kia K5-- Best Large SUV for Families: 2023 Chevrolet Suburban-- Best Electric Vehicle for Families: 2023 Kia EV6-- Best Hybrid SUV for Families: 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid-- Best Compact SUV for Families: 2023 Hyundai Tucson-- Best 3-Row SUV for Families: 2023 Kia Telluride

Kia won the most awards in 2023, coming on top in three categories, including midsize car, EV and 3-row SUV. Toyota and Hyundai each won two awards, with Toyota taking best hybrid car and best hybrid SUV, while Hyundai drove off with best two-row SUV and best compact SUV. And the Honda Odyssey was named the best minivan for families for the 13th year in a row.

"Our 2023 Best Cars for Families offer the features, safety and space that will appeal to new parents, as well as parents with teen drivers or households that include grandparents," said Jim Sharifi, managing editor of U.S. News Best Cars list, in a statement. "What's more, every winner includes a strong list of family-focused features."

Tech features -- such as automatic emergency braking, backup cameras and teen driver controls to help parents monitor new drivers -- continue to be a top selling point for families shopping for cars, U.S. News Best Cars said.

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The best cars for families list comes as Americans are buying slightly more new cars in 2023 than they did in 2022, according to Kelley Blue Book, even as the price of new cars and car insurance continues to rev up.

"New-vehicle prices remain high while used retail prices are now in decline," said Charlie Chesbrough, senior economist at Kelley Blue Book parent company Cox Automotive. "New inventory is slowly stabilizing while used supply is falling."

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-Weston Blasi

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06-12-23 1127ET

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