Odds are if you are reading this article, it’s your first time purchasing a family car and you are feeling completely lost as to what you are supposed to look out for. Not to worry, that is precisely why we made this article. We know it can be pretty overwhelming so we are going to go over the most important things that a great family car needs to have. So, let’s get right into it.
1. Plenty of Storage Space
If you plan on going on road trips with the family and traveling across the country, you will put storage space as your highest priority when searching for a new family car. Don’t underestimate the amount of space you will need even for a family of four, especially for a longer trip. Whether you want to bring some BBQ equipment, or your kids want to play some sports while away, you will not be having the luxury of excess free space in your car. This is a problem you should think about first when going to a car dealership. It might sound silly, but you should bring to the dealership some piece of equipment that you know you will be bringing with you consistently and request putting it inside the car to test whether it can hold it properly. This is the best way of knowing whether it can work or if it can’t. Do you really want to risk something as fundamental as having enough space for such a large investment? Thought so.
2. Make Sure You Can Actually Afford it
Found your dream car? Great! But there’s a slight issue. You can’t afford it. You can analyze the smallest specifications to maximize efficiency, but none of that matters if the car is outside of your budget. It happens more often than not that people go over everything for their dream car but forget to stay grounded in reality. Remember, family cars are expensive. You need to do your research and not get carried away with the compartment features. This means you will have to take fuel and potential repairs into consideration when purchasing a new car. For example, Suzuki is a proven family-friendly car brand, and visiting a Suzuki service center won’t hurt your wallet as it would for a BMW.
3. Good Mileage
If one thing is for certain, it’s that your family car will be getting used a lot. And knowing this, you want to ask around about your potential car’s mileage. In fact, it should be your deal-breaker if the mileage is bad. Petrol prices have been up through the roof in recent times. If you want to have a consistently-used family car, you can’t afford (figuratively and literally) to compromise a great deal in this department. As we mentioned, weigh in how much of a financial strain the car will be for you in a few years’ time.
4. Safe for the Whole Family
Every family man will have safety as their biggest concern when searching for a new car. In this case, the internet will be your best resource for all your concerns. Browse through consumer reports for a certain model, and review safety specifications. For parents with younger children, you will want to check out the cars’ child occupant protection scores, as they will judge how reliable a car is at protecting children. Mostly in the categories of seat restraint effectiveness and how well the car can accommodate a child. Also, be prepared for car crash test reviews to become your best friends. When you go through all of these resources rigorously, you will be able to tell which model will prove to be the most reliable for you and your family.
Bonus: Here’s an up-to-date list of the safest cars for young families to give you a good feeling of what you should look for when going to the dealership.
5. Enough Leg Room for Everyone
Having enough legroom is always a drag. This problem becomes more evident in families with older (and taller) children. The kids will not want to use the car if they feel horribly uncomfortable in it. Even if they aren’t older, you don’t want to buy a family car now and deal with the legroom problem as they keep growing. The problem is going to come back to bite you, whether you like it or not. The road trip mood will always be a negative one if there’s a lack of legroom.
6. Does it Have Any Extra Features?
While essentially a quality-of-life search, you want to see how well your car is built to make life easier on a daily basis. Modern cars come with a variety of features so you should expect to always have some features at your disposal. Some of our favorite practical features include touchscreen infotainment systems, smartphone integration, and USB charging ports. Not only are they handy for yourself and the children, but they can also improve safety since you don’t ever have to take your eyes off the road.
Those would be the most important factors that every great family car should have. It might be a bit tricky filling every requirement you need on a budget but whatever you do, don’t compromise on safety. Good luck with your hunt.
