When it comes to protecting your family, a good place to start is with the car you drive. Naturally, the next question is: What are the safest cars for my family?
More often than not, families are opting for SUVs, a choice underscored by Kelley Blue Book’s 12 Best Family Cars in 2019, where not one sedan is included on the list. SUVs, in addition to size have another advantage – their weight. The safest cars weigh between 3500 and 4500 pounds, a range in which the vehicle remains safe in collisions with larger vehicles, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The 2019 Subaru Forester includes the EyeSight suite, featuring adaptive cruise control, automatic braking and throttle management to prevent collisions with cars and pedestrians, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist.
Among the SUVs and minivans that made the list, several offer advanced safety features like smart cruise control and automatic emergency braking. Other distinctive features include wireless phone charging, an exit warning that alerts drivers if there’s a bicycle approaching, and teen-driver monitoring that alerts parents when a teen driver exceeds a pre-set speed limit or goes outside designated geographic boundaries. Here are the best family cars of 2019, according to Kelley Blue Book:
Best 2-row SUVs
Best 3-row SUVs
Best Minivans
Before purchasing a new vehicle, families should take advantage of some the newest safety features available. Those include:
- adaptive headlights, which adjust the car’s headlights to the curve of the road,
- rear cross-traffic alert, which warn you if a vehicle is about to enter your backing path, and
- driver-assist features, like a backup camera and blind spot detection, to name a few.
Depending on your family’s needs, some other features to consider include:
- cargo versatility,
- window height, seat width, seat height, and access when considering the use of child seats, and
- modern connectivity and entertainment technology.
Before opening your wallet, it’s also smart to think about the value of the car. Kelley Blue Book’s 5-Year Cost to Own ranks cars that retain the most value and therefore are easier to resell. The brands that rank the highest for 5-Year Cost to Own are Subaru overall and Lexus in the category of luxury brands.
As personal injury attorneys, we know how vital it is to purchase a safe vehicle for your family. With new advanced safety features designed to assist drivers in being safer on the road, there are many affordable options available.
