When Kelley Blue Book editors hashed out the list of the Best Family Cars of 2022, we didn’t keep a tally of which manufacturers had won. We focused on finding the vehicles with the best balance of solid fuel economy, low ownership cost, strong safety testing performance, affordability, and living space.
But when we finished the list, we weren’t surprised to learn that a quarter of our selections were Hondas.
Most automakers have design teams that focus on building cars that fit easily into the lifestyles of American families and don’t break the family budget. But Honda has consistently hit that target for generations.
About the Best Family Cars Awards
Our Best Family Cars awards consider the following factors: a car’s performance in multiple crash tests; the 5-year cost of ownership; the durability to endure years of heavy use at every seating position; the ease of driving, comfort, and convenience in every row of seats; flexible cargo space; and the ease with which a vehicle accommodates child safety seats.
Our editorial team tests cars non-stop year-round and includes parents of children ranging from toddlers to young adults. They test the cars for days and sometimes weeks at a time by commuting and dropping the kids at school to find the vehicles a family can enjoy without blowing up the monthly budget.
Honda’s Best Family Cars Winners:
2022 Honda CR-V – the 2022 Best Compact SUV for Families
Compact SUVs are now the second most common type of vehicle Americans buy. No longer small runabouts favored by those too young or old to have kids at home, they now play the role of the classic family car.
None plays it as well as the CR-V. It’s an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick. It has one of the roomiest interiors in its class, with lots of space for kids and cargo. And bulletproof Honda reliability means it holds its value well for the day you need to sell it.
Its rivals miss the family sweet spot. The Mazda CX-5 sells itself on its great driving experience. The Jeep Cherokee and Subaru Forester have off-road intentions, but the CR-V is aimed at reliably serving as family transport for many years and pulls off the trick well.
The excellent Honda Sensing suite of driver assistance technology is standard at every trim level — never an added-cost option.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Honda CR-V models for sale near you.
2022 Honda Pilot – Best 3-Row Midsize SUV for Families
The only segment that outsells compact SUVs? Midsize SUVs. Inevitably, most families find it worth adding some rear-seat space and extra cargo room as the kids grow tall enough to need adult-size accommodations and room for their field hockey gear and an instrument case on the way to camp.
In that field, the 2022 Honda Pilot took home our prize. It offers a smooth, predictable driving experience, a V6 powerful enough to close holes in traffic easily but more fuel-efficient than most, and a long list of standard equipment so you don’t have to spring for the top trim level. Niceties like 15 cup holders and the available CabinTalk intercom system (so the driver and third-row passengers can hear each other) make road trips more pleasant.
It’s difficult for automakers to make their midsize SUVs stand out. Ford pushes its classic Explorer as the rugged choice. Kia offers a long warranty and tech-centered feature list with the Telluride. But no one threads as many needles as Honda, building a 3-row SUV that meets nearly every family need and holds its resale value well.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Honda Pilot models for sale near you.
2022 Honda Odyssey – Best Minivan for Families
Building family-friendly SUVs is an impressive feat, but the Olympics of family cars is the minivan class. Honda took our Best Minivan for Families Award, which means Honda built the single best vehicle for families on the market this year.
The Odyssey won the IIHS’ Top Safety Pick Plus award — its highest honor. Its Magic Slide second-row seats let parents easily access a child safety seat and make getting to the third row more straightforward than in most rivals. A 280-horsepower V6 can handle any traffic situation, but a 10-speed automatic transmission helps it get up to 28 mpg on the highway.
No automaker markets a minivan as anything other than a great family vehicle. So, Honda can’t win this category by being the automaker most focused on family needs. They’re all focused on family needs. Honda takes the prize anyway.
Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Honda Odyssey models for sale near you.
What They Have in Common
All of the Hondas on the podium got there with remarkable balance. They’re safe, efficient, easy to drive, and hold their value well. Honda builds great family cars by focusing on a balance of traits, not one marketing angle — and its designers have mastered that practice so thoroughly that they can win even when all their rivals do the same.
