Which are the best cars for a family road trip?

We LOVE family road trips! Even though our first daughter screamed from day one in the car we persevered again and again, and many grey hairs later she loves them too!

Planning ahead when buying a new family car is a great idea because road trips are so much fun.

Thinking about how you’re going to use it and all the places you want your family to go in it, will help you make the right choice.

There are a few things to consider before taking the plunge. As we all know with kids and babies, boot space is essential. You have to fit in the portacot, highchair, change mat, pram, balance bike – you name it, it all has to go in!

Not to mention 25 changes of clothes in case the kids get sick, and then you need that for each weather possibility too (it could be four seasons in one day)…

Oh, and that will only leave just enough space for two changes of clothes for the adults because the suitcase is full of all the ‘just in case’ items for the kids.

Ride comfort is important; you want it to be great for both everyday drop-offs and long distances as there’s few things that can ruin a road trip quite like little passengers spending the entire journey travel sick.

You want everyone onboard to be comfortable and to have good visibility so they can see all the things you point out as you drive along, and they can see out to play eye-spy and ‘spotto’.

Is there enough storage for cups, water bottles, books and iPads etc in the car for the passengers, and are there USB-A/USB-C sockets in the back for charging their devices?

Towing capacity is also worth considering; even if you start off staying in accommodation or with a tent in the boot of the car, you will soon get sucked in to the great Aussie dream and want to upgrade to either a camper trailer or small caravan.

Towing a caged trailer that can fit in bikes, beach boards and other bulky gear for camping and recreational activities is also a common choice.

I have tested many fantastic cars on road trips with my family over the past seven years as a mum of two, family car journalist and founder of BabyDrive.com.au, so here’s my pick of the best road trip cars for families…

There are some great (and great big) SUVs to choose from, and depending on how many baby seats you need to fit in them, they can be a flexible option to fold down seats on one side of the car if you want to take kayaks, surfboards, swags or other equipment with you. These are my pick of the best…

The Nissan Pathfinder is a great large SUV for family road trips and camping.

My family spent a summer holiday in which we really put the Pathfinder through some quite extreme testing and it passed with flying colours! We only had five passengers and two in baby seats, so had the flexibility to fold away the seats on one side and put a child seat in the third row. That way we could fit a kayak and two double swags in.

The boot capacity is ample for family holidays including an Esky/fridge, scooters, etc. There is a socket for charging in the boot and a large underfloor plastic storage area which is big enough for two folded scooters and great for wet beach gear too.

The suspension makes for a very comfortable ride and really reduces travel sickness. Passengers are happy with the large tinted windows so you can see out easily and are shaded from the sun too.

There is plenty of storage throughout the Nissan Pathfinder for all passengers’ refreshment needs on a road trip and places to charge and store their devices too. Air vents in all three rows of seats and built-in second-row window blinds make sure everyone is the right temperature.

With a braked towing capacity of 2700kg, the Pathfinder could also tow a camper trailer or small caravan.

Like the Pathfinder, you can choose a seven- or eight-seater Hyundai Palisade with either two captain’s chairs in the second row or a three-seater bench. Both have a three-seater third row, but the seven-seater allows walk-through access from the centre row to the rear and the ability to load longer items when not using the third row (through the gap between the captain’s chairs).

The four top tether anchors in the Palisade give you flexibility for positioning baby seats too.

Quiet Mode and Passenger Talk in the media system are great features for long journeys with kids in the car. The Palisade is also very comfortable for rear passengers with air vents in all three rows of seats, window blinds in the second row and plenty of storage for drinks and devices in all three rows, as well as sockets for charging them.

The Hyundai Palisade has a 2200kg braked towing capacity, slightly less than the Nissan Pathfinder but enough for towing a camper trailer or small caravan.

Rated carsales’ Best Family SUV for the past three years, the Kia Sorento has five top tether anchorages and ISOFIX points in the third row, giving you total flexibility to position your child seats – which can be really helpful when packing the car for road trips.

All rear rows of seats are comfortable with air-con vents and sockets for charging devices. Storage is good throughout, especially the second-row door cup holders that make reaching refreshments easy for kids.

The hybrid and plug-in hybrid models are economical on fuel and Quiet Mode in the media system is great when kids fall asleep in the back so you can still listen to your music (finally) in the front.

The Kia Sorento has a 2000kg braked towing capacity but the boot is considerably smaller than that of the Kluger, Pathfinder or Palisade.

The seven-seater Toyota Kluger doesn’t have flexibility for where you put your baby seats as it only has top tether anchors in the second row.

But all passengers are comfortable with built-in second-row window blinds in high-spec models, while all get air-con vents in the ceiling plus charging sockets in all three rows.

With the Kluger, you get a bigger boot than the Sorento but it is slightly smaller than the Pathfinder and Palisade when using two rows of seats.

It has a 2000kg braked towing capacity if you want to tow a camper trailer or small caravan. An advantage of the Kluger is that you can get a hybrid from base spec, unlike the Sorento that only has this on the top GT-Line.

For families needing a car with a smaller footprint for easier parking and better fuel economy, and who don’t need the third row for child seats, these are my pick of the best medium and large SUVs with enough boot space and comfort for family road trips…

The very similar Nissan X-TRAIL and Mitsubishi Outlander both hold 13 bags of shopping in their boots, which is ample for everyday life and you can stack it to the ceiling for road trips.

A divider in the boot floor is also handy for separating shopping or camping gear, etc too. The 40/20/40-split folding rear seats allow you to divvy up space between the boot and second row when needed too as well.

Comfortably fitting three Infasecure baby seats, rear passengers are not cramped and have built-in window blinds and air vents for comfort in higher trim levels and all have great storage and numerous sockets for charging devices. Seven-seat versions are pretty small in the back row though.

Both have generous storage in the front for the adults and petrol versions have a 2000kg braked towing capacity for the camper.

Nissan offers a hybrid version and Mitsubishi a plug-in hybrid, which can respectively tow 1650kg and 1600kg (braked).

Being a long car and officially a large SUV (although it’s a traditional wagon-shaped vehicle to our eyes), the Subaru Outback’s boot space is generous, swallowing 17 bags of groceries for everyday life as well as being big enough for when you take the kitchen sink on road trips!

The Subaru Outback is also a winner for legroom, even with rear-facing baby seats and tall front occupants. Three Infasecure baby seats are a close fit in the second row, so siblings will need to get on well for long journeys!

Air vents in the back keep rear passengers comfortable and sockets are provided for charging their devices, but cabin storage is conventional rather than innovative.

A braked towing capacity of up to 2400kg in the XT versions matches that of larger seven-seat SUVs.

At the smaller end of the large SUV market is the seven-seat Hyundai Santa Fe, a great option for families and available as a hybrid for better fuel economy.

Those only needing five seats on a daily basis have the flexibility of a reasonably roomy third row when needed.

Second-row window blinds in higher-spec versions are a great inclusion and rear air-con that can be controlled from the front means all passengers are comfortable during long journeys.

Ample storage and charging sockets throughout all rows of the Santa Fe mean passengers big and small have ample refreshments and entertainment for long and short trips alike.

With a larger 2500kg braked towing capacity for those that need it and a boot that will hold 17 grocery bags with two rows of seats in use, on road trips you can pack in everything the kids need!

Quiet Mode in the media system is great when kids fall asleep in the back on long trips so you can still listen to music in the front.