Cars.com named the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe its Best Family Car of the Year, and for very good reason. It sits in a sweet spot that is increasingly hard to find: genuinely spacious without feeling like you are driving a truck, loaded with safety tech without an intimidating price tag, and comfortable enough for long highway stretches without punishing your lower back by mile 300.

The Santa Fe's cabin is practical in all the right ways. There is real legroom in the second row, a boot large enough to swallow a week's worth of luggage, and a driving position that feels natural rather than elevated and awkward. The hybrid powertrain is smooth, quiet, and genuinely frugal on the motorway : exactly what you want when the miles are stacking up and the next fuel stop is 200 miles away.

The 2026 model also scores at the top of its class for child seat installation ease : a detail that sounds minor until you are wrestling with a car seat in a car park at 7am. For most families planning a road trip in 2026, the Santa Fe is the first car you should test drive.

For families ready to go fully electric, the 2026 Kia EV9 is the answer. Named Cars.com's Best Electric Vehicle of 2026, it has spent nearly two years in their long-term fleet : and it has earned every word of praise directed its way. Three rows of seating, a smart DC fast-charging system, and a cabin layout that actually makes sense for family life set it apart from almost everything else on the market.

The front centre console of the EV9 extends to create additional second-row storage : which, in practice, doubles as the world's most useful family car trash bin. The second-row captain's chairs separate bickering siblings with the authority of a diplomatic solution. And the fast-charging capability means road trip stops are shorter than you might expect from an electric vehicle.

If you want the best of both worlds : electric efficiency for daily driving, petrol range for the long haul : the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid is the pick. It seats eight, offers cargo space behind the third row that Cars.com measured as one of the largest in its class, and delivers comfort in all three rows without the compromise that most three-row SUVs ask you to accept.

One detail that genuinely impresses road trip veterans: the ceiling-mounted rear climate vents. They deliver hot or cool air directly to rear-facing child seat passengers : a thoughtful engineering decision that only becomes obvious after a summer motorway trip with a overheated toddler. The Panoramic View Monitor with under-car cameras is equally useful in tight car parks after a long day of driving.

The hybrid system is quiet, smooth, and genuinely economical. On a long highway run, the Grand Highlander Hybrid can return figures that make the fuel bill significantly less painful. For families who are not ready to commit to a full EV but want the efficiency benefits of electrification, this is the sensible, spacious, and well-executed choice.

Not every family road trip requires a €60,000 three-row SUV. The 2026 Kia Sportage Hybrid is the proof. Named a finalist for Best Compact Hybrid SUV for Families by U.S. News, it delivers a comfortable ride, a smart interior, genuinely good rear seat space, and hybrid fuel economy : all at a price that leaves money in the budget for where you are actually going.

The rear seatbacks recline for long-haul comfort. The 40/20/40 split opens up practical cargo configurations. And What Car? : one of the most respected car test publications : rates the Sportage as the best family SUV you can buy right now, period. For families who want a modern, efficient, well-built car without spending into premium territory, the Sportage Hybrid is the most honest recommendation on this list.

Some families just need more. More seats, more boot space, more towing capacity for the trailer, more headroom in the third row. For those families, the full-size SUV segment is the answer : and in 2026, the two standouts are the Nissan Armada (Cars.com's Best SUV of 2026) and the GMC Yukon XL (U.S. News Best Large SUV for Families).

The Armada's third row has more legroom than the previous generation : a real improvement, since most full-size SUV third rows are designed for children or very patient adults. Charging ports in all three rows mean nobody fights over the single outlet during a 400-mile drive. And the NISMO variant, launched for 2026, adds a sporty dimension for drivers who want the space but do not want to feel like they are piloting a removal van.