Video: What's the Best Family Car of 2026?

As three kids have joined my family and two kids have joined your family and what's become really important are safety, room for people and all of their stuff, and family friendly features. Yeah, I never thought I'd be so passionate about how well car seats fit in cars, but it makes a huge difference and it's one of the reasons why the Hyundai Santa Fe is cars.com's Best Family Car of 2026. So the Santa Fe's size is really what's genius about this car. It's a tweener, you know it's not a compact SUV and it's not a full blown three row SUV. Yeah, and my tweens fit really well in the Santa Fe, especially in the third row. Yeah. of space for adults and kids. But just because it is roomy inside doesn't mean that it drives like a big bus. No, what I really like because I have small kids is how it's actually pretty low to the ground, so it's easy to get in and get out of. And you are our certified car seat technician. You found a lot to like about how car seat fits in our official test. Yep, it's got easy access latch anchors for drama free installation and then plenty of leg room for the rear facing car seats that take up so much space. One thing we both need, young kids, old kids, cargo space. So the Santa Fe's shape is what gives it so much room on the inside because it's very squared off and both you and I greatly appreciate what it fits back here. Yeah, this big boxy shape translates to a lot of space. We even fit a double stroller behind the third row of seats, which would've been really handy for me with my twins. And this is not something that every SUV can do. No, there's a lot of family friendliness in the cargo area, but also on the inside. So let's check out some of the family friendly features on the inside. One of the only times my kids have been excited to throw away trash is with this rear center console bin that slides out. We use it as a trash can and then also for rear passengers, you get easy access to the front storage because this bin opens both ways. So handy. One of my favorite features, selfishly, are these dual available wireless cell phone chargers because then I don't have to share. Yeah, it's so nice on road trips and when you're distracted on a road trip because everyone's yelling at you, well this car comes standard with front and rear parking sensors, which is just great for parking. And a lot of the features that we love in the Santa Fe come standard even on lower trim levels. You've got convenience goodies, safety tech, and then you've also got great crash test scores. And for families looking for better fuel economy, a hybrid version is available. Yeah, and for those reasons and more, the Hyundai Santa Fe is cars.com's Best Family Car of 2026. (lively music)