US News & World Report has ranked the best cars for families over the past 12 years. The 13th list has been released, selecting winners in nine categories: Mid-Size Car, Hybrid Car, Hybrid SUV, Compact SUV, 2-Row SUV, 3-Row SUV, Large SUV, Minivan and EV. When US News started the awards in 2011, as a measure of how much the vehicle landscape had shifted toward SUVs, there were 10 categories for cars alone as well as nine for SUVs and one for minivans. Now, there aren’t enough midsize sedans to break the prize into affordable and upscale segments, and there aren’t enough subcompacts nor hatchbacks nor wagons to give those segments anything. It’s called “progress”, isn’t it?
Anyway, the outlet states that “the award methodology combines professional automotive reviews, safety and reliability ratings, seating and cargo volume, and availability of family-friendly features. Within each of the nine automotive categories, those with the highest overall scores The vehicle has been named. Best car for families in that category.” Winners in each section:
- Mid-Size Car: 2023 Kia K5 — one of three awards for Kia in this year’s ranks, displacing the Honda Accord which has won three times in the last four years.
- Hybrid Car: 2023 Toyota Camry Hybrid – The standard Camry is the one that usually swaps places with the Accord in the midsize category. This year it’s locked in, leading the hybrid spot by displacing the Accord Hybrid that won last year and picking up the mantle of the Avalon Hybrid that won in 2020 and 2021.
- Hybrid SUV: 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid – In the 11 years this category has been awarded, the Highlander Hybrid has lost the category only once, handing the silverware to the Lexus RX Hybrid in 2014.
- Compact SUV: 2023 Hyundai Tucson Second consecutive win for Tucson in a segment once dominated by the Honda CR-V.
- 2-row SUV: 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe – The Honda Passport has won the last three years, with the Santa Fe taking its first win.
- 3-row SUV: 2023 Kia Telluride – The Telluride development team needs to buy another trophy cabinet. Don’t know how many awards this big SUV of Kia does in its name. Telluride has earned this position for the fourth year in a row.
- Large SUV: 2023 Chevrolet Suburban – The only domestic on the list to have won three years in a row and five times in total. It’s back on top after the Yukon and Escalade siblings won in 2016 and 2017, respectively, and the Ford Expedition won from 2018 to 2020.
- Electric Vehicle: 2023 Kia EV6 This segment used to be associated with the Hybrid Car Award. Only broken as an EV this year, the EV6 sends another win to South Korea.
- Minivan: 2023 Honda Odyssey Odissi retains its shutout position by winning 13th consecutive time.