Which five-seat medium SUVs have the best legroom for families with teenagers?

We know that kids big and small take up a lot of space in the car. Once you have survived the child seat years, you only have a few years’ grace until you are playing taxi to teenagers. Suddenly space in the back gets tight again as these ever-growing adolescents need more and more legroom.

It’s easy to assume that all medium SUVs will be spacious and have a lot of legroom, but it’s not always the case and in some instances, you’d be better off with one of the roomier small hatchbacks out there.

Some medium SUVs definitely do legroom better than others, even allowing three passengers to sit comfortably in the back without having their knees up around their ears or their knees poking into the driver’s seatback.

A squishy back seat sees the return of the familiar sibling squabbles of “she’s touching me” and “he’s in my space!” Please, let’s not go there.

Good rear passenger legroom and kick room also makes getting in and out of the back so much easier, especially for ever-taller teenage passengers.

Most cars are compromised by the transmission tunnel, which eats into the legroom for the centre-seat occupant. This hump varies in size; a flatter floor in the rear means three passengers can sit similarly comfortably in the back seats. The central seat passenger no longer has to sit with their knees around their ears because they have their feet resting on the hump, or their feet are straddling it.

When looking for a car with good internal space and legroom, some cars compromise space in the boot, resulting in good legroom but you can’t get the family dog or the kids’ sports equipment or musical instrument of choice in the boot.

There are some fantastic family cars out there that have great rear legroom and practical boot space, cars that I have tested with my family over the last eight years as a mum of two, family car journalist and founder of BabyDrive.com.au.

What a growing family needs then, in a medium SUV, is a nice wide rear seat, plenty of kick room under the front seats and plenty of distance to the front seats, adjustable seats that slide back and forth to distribute legroom according to your family’s needs – and preferably that flat floor – the flatter the better.

Every car is slightly different and every family has varying combinations of family members. The height of the driver and front passenger will play a part too. Here’s my list of five-seater medium SUVs that deliver great rear legroom for lanky teenagers.

These cars are an affordable option for families that need to play taxi to their tall teenagers! And the H6 is available as a hybrid.

The GWM Haval H6 is very spacious throughout, with excellent legroom for 186cm (the old fashioned six-foot) rear and front passengers. Kick room is great for all rear passengers and while the central passenger has a small hump in the footwell, the back of the centre console box is cut away to give equally fantastic kick room as the outboard passengers. A wide seat base in the back makes it comfortable to fit three adults shoulder to shoulder.

The kids’ sports or musical equipment fit easily in the generously sized boot, which will fit 13 shopping bags or a large family dog.

Visibility is very good for rear passengers in the Kia Sportage, allied with good legroom for 186cm passengers in the front and back seats. Kick room under the front seats is good for rear outboard passengers and the centre-seat passenger has a smaller hump to straddle.

Kia has recently added a hybrid option for families wanting to save fuel too.

The boot of the Sportage is very practical, slightly larger than others, with room for 16 shopping bags, your large family dog or all the kids’ camping, sports or music gear.

Also available as a hybrid, the Nissan X-Trail is a medium SUV that ticks a lot of boxes for families that need to factor one or more lanky teenagers into their purchasing decision.

The rear seats are split 60:40 and can slide to distribute legroom as well as sitting slightly higher than those at the front to provide rear passengers with good visibility.

Kick room and legroom for outboard rear passengers of 186cm is great and the centre rear position is blighted by only a slight hump in the floor. In higher-spec levels this is one of very few cars of its size to have built-in rear window blinds, providing shade for rear passengers.

Space has not been sacrificed in the boot, which will carry 13 shopping bags, or a medium to large size family dog. And the kid’s sports equipment will fit nicely too.

The Honda CR-V is a fantastic car for tall families. Interior space is very generous, offering great legroom in the back for tall teenagers without conflict with the parents seated in the front. A 186cm driver can sit in front of a 186cm passenger in the back.

Kick room is great in the two outer seating positions, although the floor is not totally flat for the centre passenger, so that teenager will have to straddle a small hump in the middle if they’re the youngest and smallest of three in the family.

With large windows all around the rear passengers enjoy a great field of vision.

Thirteen shopping bags fit in the boot, so space there has not been compromised, giving the CR-V plenty of room for the kids’ sports bags and instruments or the family’s medium-large dog.

Subarus on the whole are designed with very good legroom in mind, and I often point tall families in that direction. The Subaru Forester is no exception, and can comfortably accommodate 186cm passengers behind an equally tall driver.

Rear passengers are allocated good kick room in the outer seats and the centre-seat passenger only has to straddle a small hump in the floor, and the back of the centre console box is cut away slightly for more toe room.

The back seats are generous in size and comfortable for three passengers to sit abreast, with a good view out of the big side windows.

Outdone only by the Sportage, the Forester’s boot is very capacious and can fit fifteen shopping bags, or a mid-large family dog, or all the teenager’s sports, camping or musical gear.

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