Finding the best family vehicle is tough. There are so many top picks in addition to all the considerations you have to make for both you and your loved ones. Sedans and pickups can do in a pinch, and minivans always fit the bill, but to really maximize comfort, style and cargo space, most people lean toward an SUV. From there you must decide whether you want two rows or three. Electric or internal combustion? Hybrid or non-hybrid?
Fret not, you’re in good hands. Every year, we here at MotorTrend spend a not-insignificant amount of our time reviewing, testing and comparing SUVs. We even hold an annual SUV of the Year testing event to crown one MotorTrend SUV of the Year (it was the Chevy Blazer EV last year). So, if you’re looking for definitive answers to the top SUV picks for your family, we’ve got ’em. These are the best family SUVs of 2024, ranked according to our exhaustive testing and reviews, and selected based on safety, fuel efficiency and cargo space.
Building on last year’s strong bones, the 2024 Nissan Rogue returns to our roundup with admittedly few updates — but when you start out pretty great, there’s little to fix. The spacious interior and sophisticated styling remain. Efficiency-minded buyers will be pleased to know the EPA-rated fuel economy of 28-30/35-37 mpg city/highway means you can go further between fill-ups. The Rogue is safe, too: It earned a five-star overall rating from NHTSA, as well as IIHS’ Top Safety Pick award. If you want even more Roguish (sorry) validation, check out this massive seven-way test we conducted last year, in which the Nissan came out on top.
Related: What Are the Safest SUVs You Can Buy?
As an alternative to the high-roofed and boxy SUV, the 2024 Subaru Outback remains a strong option. Think of it more as a lifted wagon with standard all-wheel drive — handy if you live in place with inclement weather — and top safety scores. The Outback isn’t the most refined vehicle out there, as road noise and engine vibrations are palpable from the cabin, but these aren’t dealbreakers. Within the model lineup is the Wilderness trim, which adds some all-terrain chops and real off-road tires. Finally, Subaru’s EyeSight driver assist system is capable, smooth and reliable.
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If you haven’t been paying attention, the entire Kia lineup recently got hit hard by the glow-up brush. Previous Kia offerings have been inoffensive bordering on forgettable, but this newest crop of Kias are sleek and stylish. The 2024 Kia Sportage is no exception. Available with gasoline, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, there’s a Sportage out there for everyone. All three Sportages benefit from an attractive cabin that includes the modern-looking widescreen infotainment display and top safety scores, though the hybrid Sportage offers improved acceleration and fuel economy over the gasoline-only versions. Prices went up a bit between 2023 and 2024, but that’s likely because Kia added projector LED headlights and rear-seat-mounted airbags as standard features.
Toyota’s trending toward throwing all-in on hybrids, so it’s no surprise the 2024 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is excellent at everything it does. There aren’t any big changes heading into the 2024 model year, so just sit back and enjoy the highly functional interior, the spacious trunk and the massive gains this hybrid setup makes over the non-hybrid one. It is far more refined than the gasoline-only RAV4 and returns 41/38 mpg city/highway, as compared to the regular AWD’s 27/33 mpg city/highway. Against the similar Honda CR-V Hybrid, the RAV4 Hybrid handily won our recent comparison because it’s better on gas and more affordable to buy.
Sitting pretty atop the Hyundai lineup is the 2024 Hyundai Palisade, the more urban-focused version of the popular Kia Telluride. New for 2024 is the Calligraphy Night Edition, but that’s mainly just an appearance trim. The rest of the hardware remains the same. You can get it in either seven- or eight-seat configuration, though that third row doesn’t offer the best legroom. In terms of safety, the 2023 Palisade won five-star and Top Safety Pick+ accolades from both NHTSA and IIHS. In our big three-row SUV shootout from last year that included the Telluride, Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-90, Subaru Ascent, Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee L, the Palisade came out on top.
For all the reasons we recommend the Sportage Hybrid, the 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid furthers them even more. You still get the cool Sportage looks, but with all the advantages a PHEV brings: 34 miles of all-electric driving range and the most power output of the entire Sportage lineup. So, if you’re not ready to make the leap to a full EV yet — into, say, a Hyundai Ioniq 5 — the Sportage PHEV offers a compelling solution. You just need somewhere to plug it in. That extra PHEV hardware comes at the cost of some of the cargo room, though, but the little SUV remains spacious for its class.
You know how when you see something extremely stylish, you automatically assume it’ll be expensive? Not so with the 2024 Genesis GV70. Genesis has built a reputation around designing beautiful cars that undercut its German rivals, and nowhere else is it truer than with the GV70. Available with several powertrains — as well as an all-electric one — the SUV routinely scores high in all MotorTrend evaluations, even going as far as winning our 2022 SUV of the Year award. The GV70 is both elegant and athletic in the way it drives, and its spacious interior can comfortably fit a family of four. It’s safe, too, taking home IIHS’ Top Safety Pick+ rating in 2023. So, the next time you find yourself thinking about a BMW or Mercedes, consider a Genesis, as well.
Can we talk about how the 2024 Toyota RAV4 Prime is basically the perfect vehicle? You already get all the things that make the RAV4 great — good cabin space, comfortable and utilitarian interior, Toyota reliability — but with the added bonus of a PHEV powertrain. Not only does this make the RAV4 Prime one of the quickest cars Toyota has ever built, but with more than 40 miles of electric-only range, you really don’t have to dip into your fuel reserves unless you’re on a road trip. Which is one of the things that discourages would-be EV buyers the most! Although it’s expensive and only offered with two trim levels, we still think the RAV4 Prime should be something everyone considers.
2024 AWD vehicles:The best all-wheel drive cars to buy
The first of Kia’s new EV lineup, the EV6 was a great start. True, the 2024 Kia EV6 is more wagon than SUV, but we think its all-electric powertrain and cool design more than make up for its lessened interior volume. Seeing as the EV6 is so new, there aren’t big changes for 2024. Drivers can still enjoy its athletic road manners and UFO-like design, while the Hyundai/Kia EV architecture offers faster charging when the car is equipped with the optional 77.4-kWh battery. For those seeking even more thrills, the sporty EV6 GT will give ICE supercars a run for their money. However, it might be worth waiting until 2025 to pull the trigger on an EV6, since we think Kia might be cooking up a refresh that could include the bigger 84-kWh battery.
For a long time, you only had Tesla to turn to if you wanted an electric SUV. The arrival of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 changed that, and the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 continues to carry the torch. Hyundai really ran with the retro-futuristic design language; as such, the Ioniq 5 looks like nothing else on the road. But it simply drives like a car and isn’t interested in winning drag races or setting the fastest lap time. (That’s what the Ioniq 5 N is for.) Available in either RWD or AWD configurations, with different battery pairings for each, there’s a lot to choose from. Passengers will all enjoy adequate headroom and ample trunk space, though we wish the frunk was larger. Still, this wasn’t enough to stop us from making it the 2023MotorTrendSUV of the year.
1. 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 | MT Score 9.7
2. 2024 Kia EV6 | MT Score 9.4
3. 2024 Toyota RAV4 Prime | MT Score 9.3
4. 2024 Genesis GV70 | MT Score 9.2
5. 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid | MT Score 9.1
6. 2024 Hyundai Palisade | MT Score 9.0
7. 2024 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid | MT Score 9.0
8. 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid | MT Score 8.9
9. 2024 Subaru Outback | MT Score 8.8
10. 2024 Nissan Rogue | MT Score 8.8
Photos by Manufacturer and Violet Cruz
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