Which family cars have the best cup holders?

We love caffeine, so when it comes to family cars the competition for cup holders is fierce!

They come in all shapes and sizes; round ones, square ones, heated ones, cooled ones and even pop-out ones!

But which family cars have the best cup holders?

Here’s our favourites from large and mid-size SUVs, luxury SUVs, people-movers and dual-cab utes, all tested with a steaming hot cup in hand…

Whether yours is a skinny flat white, a half-strength soy latte or a double shot caramel frappe, we are a nation of coffee lovers! (I’m technically a Pom so it’s English Breakfast tea for me!)

Where better to enjoy your morning coffee than in the warmth and comfort of your car on the way to work, with the kids dropped off at school and your music or podcast playing?

Whether you drive thru for a takeaway or make one at home for the road, we need to be able to transport our hot drinks safely without them spilling.

And it’s not just the front passengers that need their beverage-holding needs taken care of. Where the kids are concerned, like a high-maintenance house plant, they want constant watering!

Their drinks need to be easily accessible for them. They have sippy cups, water bottles, baby bottles, juices, babyccinos, hot chocolates and, as they get older, they start drinking smoothies and milkshakes and coffee too.

We ask a lot of our cars; we want them to drive well, look good, the interiors to be practical and to hold all the beverages our families require for any number of different journeys.

As a mum, family car journalist and founder of BabyDrive.com.au, I have tested the cup holders of hundreds of cars over the past seven years with my family, using a variety of disposable and reusable coffee cups and kids’ drink vessels.

So I definitely know a good cup holder when I see one!

Nissan Pathfinder

The incoming new-generation 2022 Nissan Pathfinder due in the final quarter is a mobile family hydration station!

The rear two rows of the new Pathfinder are packed full of handy and practical cup holders. And it has my favourite feature: the rear door double cup holders.

These are great for holding two drinks or a drink in one and a snack in the other. They are also within easy reaching distance for little kids to grab their drink cup or bottle, even while in their car seats.

Adult or teenage rear passengers can also ‘double park’ their caffeine or their frappe and their smoothies!

There are double cup holders on each side for third-row passengers too, and if you are not using all three rows of seats, these are great for securing more water bottles in the boot space for when you take extras on a family day out.

Parents can relax too; your caffeine is in safe hands in the front of the new Nissan Pathfinder with two cup holders in the central console that will hold a good selection of reusable or disposable coffee cups.

Hyundai Palisade

No one goes thirsty in the seven- or eight-seater Hyundai Palisade, with up to 16 cup holders throughout their three rows of seating.

Like the Pathfinder, the Palisade has the desirable rear door double cup holders. These are practical for passengers of all ages, whether it’s holding kids’ drink cups so they can reach them from their car seats while driving along or adults and teens ‘double parking’ their coffees and smoothies safely.

Third-row passengers get the same treatment with two good-size cup holders on each side.

While in the front, two revolving cup holders in the central console rotate out when you want to use them and retract away to give you more console storage when you are not carrying hot drinks.

Isuzu MU-X

My personal favourites are the dashboard-mounted cup holders in the Isuzu MU-X. Popping out of each end of the dashboard, they make it so easy to reach your drink while driving and if you want to keep your drink warm or cool you can point the air vents at them!

You also have two central console cup holders in the front row so you can be ‘double parked’, which is great for longer road trips.

All the rear passengers on board can stay well hydrated too, with two easy-to-reach cup holders in both the second and third rows.

Kia Sorento

Of all the large family SUVs, the Kia Sorento keeps you slightly less hydrated than others, with a more modest offering of eight cup holders throughout.

The front two are square, so not only will they hold the nation’s favourite chocolate milk carton but they will also hold a coffee cup nicely for each of the front passengers.

Second-row passengers enjoy a single cup holder in each door for easy access to sippy cups etc for little passengers, and two more in a fold-down arm rest in the central seat back.

Third-row passengers have a cup holder apiece and storage for devices next to them too.

Nissan X-TRAIL

Cool it down! Front passengers in the current-model Nissan X-TRAIL have the option for keeping their ice coffee chilled with two cup holders you can easily switch to cooling.

This is a fabulous stand-out feature that is great for Australian summers.

In the back, though, there are just two cup holders in the fold-down armrest in the central seat back.

The incoming next-generation Nissan X-TRAIL covers plenty of bases, but unfortunately does not have the cooled cup holder function.

Mercedes-Benz GLB

Storage is practical but minimal in the seven-seater Mercedes-Benz GLB.

Notable are the understated but well-positioned third-row cup holders located between the third-row seats along with inventive storage solutions for third-row passengers, like elastic iPad holders.

Second-row cup holders aren’t as well thought through, with two that pop out of the front of the central arm rest and aren’t quite big enough for most reusable coffee cups.

Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace

Two swivel cup holders in the front centre console safely transport drinks in the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace.

When you are not using the cup holders they can retract away and you can use the console for extra storage that you can slide a lid over.

Before the latest update, the Tiguan Allspace had airline-style fold-out tray tables on the back of both front seats with a pop-out cup holder on the side.

Those have now disappeared, but second-row passengers still have a fold-down arm rest in the central seat with two varying-size cup holders, the central of which will hold a babyccino. There’s the usual door bins for bottles etc, too.

Each third-row passenger also has a cup holder and storage area for devices.

If our best mid-size and large SUVs didn’t have enough cup holders for you, our top picks in the people-mover segment will hold enough coffee cups to keep even the most sleep-deprived parents awake.

Hyundai Staria

The Hyundai Staria is THE hydration station, offering 16 cup holders, including my favourite dashboard cup holders!

One is conveniently located next to the driver’s right hand on the steering wheel. Another pops out of the dash by the front passenger’s right hand too!

Two more are in the back of centre console box, and if you only have two passengers in the second row, there is a fold-down arm rest in the central seatback with two cup holders here too.

Third-row passengers do not miss out, with two cup holders on either side and an iPad shelf too.

Kia Carnival

The Kia Carnival has nine cup holders and four bottle holders, keeping passengers in all three rows well-watered.

Along with the usual positions for cup holders, the Carnival has some stand-out additions such as the two in the back of the central console box that offer the option for front passengers to hold extra beverages or for rear passengers like school kids to sit their drink bottles there and hang their school bags beside them on the well-positioned hooks.

Perhaps one of the Carnival’s most sought-after functions is the second-row central seatback that folds down to provide great access through to the third row and also act like a picnic table with two more good-size cup holders in it.

Although not traditionally thought of as family cars, dual-cab utes are definitely being used as family haulers! These are our best picks for cup holders…

Isuzu D-MAX

The Isuzu D-MAX has retractable dash-mounted cup holders, which are always appreciated. Convenient caffeine is what’s important and it sure is in the D-MAX – for the front passengers anyway!

As well as one cup holder at either end of the dash, the D-MAX has two in the central console and two for the rear-seat passengers too.

Ford Ranger

We’ve had a good look at the new Ford Ranger and note that pop-out cup holders up front are only provided on the top-shelf Ranger Wildtrak. For lower-tier models, fairly useless holes are provided on either side of the dash.

Toyota HiLux

On a par with the Isuzu D-MAX, the Toyota HiLux has pop-out cup holders conveniently located at each end of the dashboard, plus two cup holders in the centre console. So front passengers are well catered for.

In the back there are two cup holders in a central fold-down seat that are easily accessible.

Nissan Navara

If you’re like the character ‘Chippy’ from Bluey and you like your chocolate milk, you are going to love the square cup holders in the Nissan Navara!

The Navara also has dashboard cup holders so you don’t need to panic, those who prefer a flat white are well catered for too!

Rear passengers have two cup holders in a central seat fold-down that are convenient for rear outboard passengers to reach their drinks.

Images: babydrive.com.au