U.S. News & World Report announced its 2026 Best Cars for Families awards.
With seven new categories added in 2026, the awards recognize 14 different vehicle classes based on a strong combination of safety, reliability, interior space and family-friendly features.
“With a variety of new awards added this year, the Best Cars for Families provides households of all kinds with expertly vetted options to fit their specific needs,” said Zach Doell, vehicle testing editor at U.S. News. “The 2026 awards recognize the models that deliver a seamless blend of safety and strong interior capacity, making the ride enjoyable for every passenger – from the front seats to the back.”
Hyundai earned the most awards across all categories with five total wins. The Hyundai Palisade Hybrid took home the inaugural title as the Best Midsize Hybrid SUV for Families. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 earned the debut award for the Best Compact EV SUV for Families, while the Hyundai Ioniq 9 claimed the first-ever distinction as the Best Midsize EV SUV for Families. The Hyundai Tucson and the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid secured top honors in the compact SUV and compact hybrid SUV segments.
Three additional debut segments – Best Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) SUV for Families, Best Midsize Pickup Truck for Families and Best Full Size Pickup Truck for Families – reflect the rising demand for versatile family haulers. The Mazda CX-90 PHEV secured the premier honor in the PHEV SUV class. Meanwhile, the Honda Ridgeline and the Toyota Tundra took home the inaugural midsize and full-size pickup truck awards.
Other first-time winners include the GMC Acadia for Best 3-Row Midsize SUV for Families and the GMC Yukon XL for Best Large SUV for Families. In the competitive minivan class, the Kia Carnival was awarded the title as Best Minivan for Families – a jack-of-all-trades vehicle featuring a spacious cabin and many active safety technologies.
Among Honda’s wins, the Honda Passport won the Best 2-Row Midsize SUV for Families, and the Honda Accord and Honda Accord Hybrid continue their two-year streak as winners in the midsize car and hybrid car categories.
The 2026 Best Cars for Families awards’ criteria look at each vehicle’s overall rating from the U.S. News Best Cars Rankings to determine quality, incorporating elements like safety data, predicted reliability ratings, passenger and cargo space, our experience with the vehicle and the consensus opinion of the automotive press. The award methodology also considers the availability of family-friendly features such as device charging and teen driver controls. The winners were selected based on the highest composite score in each of the 14 vehicle categories.
