Best family SUVs 2024: our favourite SUVs for kids and cargo
Want practicality, class and an elevated driving position in a relatively compact and affordable package? These are the top 10 cars you should be looking at – and the ones that are best avoided...
The modern family SUV needs to truly be a Jack of all trades – and a master of most of them. Whether it's ferrying the kids to school, or you to work in comfort, or taking everyone on holiday with a boot crammed full of cargo, family SUVs can take it all in their stride.
The best in this market offer the sort of high-up driving positions which most buyers love, along with punchy yet economical engines – or electric motors – and all the latest technology. Because of that versatility, it's easy to see why an increasing number of car buyers are shopping for family SUVs. But with so many models to choose from, ranging from different sizes and price points to those with petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric power, knowing which deserve a spot on your shortlist can be tricky – and that's where this story can help.
Of course, choosing plug-in hybrid or electric power for your family SUV can bring advantages, with such models currently very cheap to run as a company car, since their low C02 emissions translate to cheap Benefit-in-Kind taxes.
As you might imagine, our team of expert reviewers have spent thousands of hours testing every family SUV on the market in detail. We drive each model back-to-back against its key rivals, both on public roads and at our private test track, to assess its performance and how good it is to drive. We also fill every model with people and luggage, so we can tell you which family SUVs are the most comfortable for you and your family. We pay particular attention to the areas which our research suggests matters most to family SUV buyers – that's reliability, a comfortable driving position and good interior quality.
At the end of all that testing, our experts have named the Kia Sportage as the best family SUV you can buy. You'll need to keep reading to find out why, though, alongside which version we recommend and which other models made our top 10. We've also named the family SUV which we think you should avoid, too.
Should any car here take your fancy, you can read more about each model in our full new car reviews, and search the best family SUV deals available, too.
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