10 Most Economical Family Cars

2019 Toyota Highlander SE red driving ・ Photo by Toyota

Family life is complicated. It requires balancing not just your time, but also your budget. A big part of maintaining that balance is finding the right car for your family. Whether it’s a minivan, sedan, or SUV, there are lots of choices perfectly designed to help a busy family get through the day.

The best family cars offer room for people and cargo, along with good fuel economy and an affordable sticker price. Here are 10 economical family cars to help you make your way through a day filled with dance classes, soccer meets, and unexpected trips halfway across town.

2019 Nissan Rogue

The 2019 Nissan Rogue has both an affordable starting price and good fuel economy, with three available trims ranging from $24,800 to $32,740. This 5-passenger SUV has a standard 7-inch infotainment touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. It also has good standard safety that includes automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning.

Power comes from a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 170 hp and a choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive on every trim. Front-wheel drive models get an EPA-estimated 26 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined. Those numbers drop slightly to 25 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg combined when equipped with all-wheel drive.

Photo by Nissan

2019 Subaru Outback

The 2019 Subaru Outback has room for five passengers with a comfortable and rugged interior. Pricing ranges from $26,345 to $38,995 with a choice of two engines and standard all-wheel drive. The base 2.5-liter four-cylinder gets an EPA-estimated 25 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 28 mpg combined. The more powerful 3.6-liter six-cylinder sees quite a drop to 20 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined.

Families with an adventurous spirit will appreciate the 8.7 inches of ground clearance, X-Mode, hill descent control, hill holder, and roof rails. There’s also new standard safety with EyeSight, which includes adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, lane departure warning, and lane keep assist.

Photo by Subaru

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe

The 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe is all-new this year. Formerly known as the Santa Fe Sport, this 5-passenger SUV is available in five trims ranging in price from $25,500 to $38,800. There’s a choice of a 2.4-liter four-cylinder or a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder if you’re willing to sacrifice fuel economy.

Equipped with the base engine, front-wheel drive models get an EPA-estimated 22 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway, and 25 mpg combined, while all-wheel drive models get an EPA-estimated 20 mpg in the city, 25 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined. The Santa Fe also has good standard safety features including forward collision avoidance, driver attention warning, lane keeping assist, and rear cross-traffic alert.

Photo by Hyundai

2019 Chrysler Pacifica

The 2019 Chrysler Pacifica offers all the features a family could want along with affordability and good fuel economy. It’s available in six trims priced from $26,995 to $44,445. While the top trim pushes the edge of affordability, the wide range of trims ensures there’s a Pacifica to fit any budget.

It achieves up to an EPA-estimated 19 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined, with seating for up to eight passengers. The interior is top-notch even in base trims with standard features including a third-row Stow ‘n Go bench seat, tilt and telescopic steering column, and lower instrument panel cubby for storage. This also is the only minivan available as a hybrid.

Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

2019 Honda Odyssey

The 2019 Honda Odyssey is available in five trims priced from $30,090 to $46,970, which makes the most well-equipped versions tough for those with a tight budget. The upside is that even the base models of the Odyssey come with great standard features including seating for up to eight passengers, automatic climate control, cruise control, and power-adjustable front seats.

The Odyssey gets good fuel economy with an EPA-estimated 19 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined from a responsive 3.5-liter V6 engine. There’s also ample room for cargo. Even with a full load of passengers, there’s 32.8 cubic feet behind the third row.

Photo by Honda

2019 Toyota Highlander

The 2019 Toyota Highlander offers room for up to eight passengers with front-wheel or all-wheel drive across six trims. Pricing starts at $31,330 ranging to the top Limited Platinum V6 with all-wheel drive priced at $47,010.

Base models feature a fuel-efficient 2.7-liter four-cylinder that gets an EPA-estimated 20 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined. Numbers drop only slightly for the more powerful V6 engine, so you can have both power and fuel efficiency in the Highlander.

Photo by Toyota

2019 Kia Sorento

The 2019 Kia Sorento offers seating for seven passengers with a choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive. The six-trim range is priced from $25,990 to $46,490 with a choice of two engines. That wide range of trims helps fit the Sorento into even tight budgets.

The base 2.4-liter four-cylinder gets the best fuel economy with an EPA-estimated 22 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway, and 25 mpg combined. All-wheel drive models have only a slight drop to 21 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 23 mpg combined.

Photo by Kia

2019 Chevrolet Traverse

The 2019 Chevrolet Traverse has room for up to eight passengers with a choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive and two engines. The best fuel economy comes from the 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which gets an EPA-estimated 20 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined and is front-wheel drive only.

The Traverse is a spacious SUV with room for passengers and all their cargo. There’s 23.0 cubic feet behind the third row, or 98.2 cubic feet behind the first row when there aren’t any passengers along for the ride.

Photo by Chevrolet

2019 Toyota Camry

The 2019 Toyota Camry might seem like an odd choice for a family, but not every family needs a big vehicle and there are definite perks to buying a sedan. First, there’s price, with the base Camry L starting at only $23,845 and the top XSE coming in at $34,600. There also are three hybrid trims priced from $28,150 to $32,725.

Next, there’s fuel economy, with the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine getting up to an EPA-estimated 29 mpg in the city, 41 mpg on the highway, and 34 mpg combined. Choose the more powerful 3.5-liter V6 and it still has solid fuel economy with 22 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and 26 mpg combined.

Photo by Toyota

2019 Hyundai Sonata

The 2019 Hyundai Sonata is an affordable and fuel-efficient option for families who don’t want or need the extra cargo room provided by an SUV. Available in six trims, the Sonata starts at just $22,300 with the top trim coming in at only $31,900. There are three available engines, all with good fuel economy. The 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder comes out on top with an EPA-estimated 28 mpg in the city, 37 mpg on the highway, and 31 mpg combined.

Although a sedan doesn’t boast the same cargo capacity as an SUV, there’s still plenty of room for your stuff in the Sonata. There’s 16.3 cubic feet for cargo in the trunk along with 60/40 split-folding rear seats for longer cargo.

Photo by Hyundai