5 Tips for Finding the Perfect Family Car

This post is sponsored by Kelley Blue Book; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Shopping for a family car can seem like a difficult and stressful task, but it doesn’t need to be! I’m sharing my top 5 tips to use when starting your search and I promise it will make your decision and shopping experience a breeze! I always refer to Kelley Blue Book for car questions because their site is backed by 90 years of experience! They recently released a Best Family Cars of 2020 guide and included options for every budget and every size family! Their list was based on thorough testing procedures on 2020 vehicles and include many of the models we considered when we were shopping for our perfect car! 

I’m sharing my top 5 tips to use when starting your search and I promise it will make your decision and shopping experience a breeze:

1

Decide how many rows you need in your vehicle! Narrowing down the list of cars will easily be done once you decide if you need a 2 or 3 row vehicle. Most 3 row vehicles have the option of folding down the back row for a huge trunk, which is a feature I really enjoy. For now, we keep the 3rd row folded down and enjoy the spacious trunk, and when we eventually have another child, or when we take long trips with our family and dog, we use the 3rd row! KBB.com breaks down their list of Best Family Cars of 2020 by seating options so it’s easy to narrow down the list! Click here to see the list. 

2

Decide what type of technology is important for you. Vehicles these days have so many options. Heads up display, lane assist, parking assist, bluetooth technology, screens in the head rests, touch screen controls etc. While it’s nice to have it all, not everything is necessary if you’re trying to stay within a budget. For me, it was essential to have a vehicle that was compatible with my phone so that I could receive and send texts while driving (it reads my texts out loud and allows me to dictate my answer back) which means that even when I’m on the go, I can still work. Kelley Blue Book offers full descriptions of all the vehicles on their site so they make it easy to determine if the vehicle you’re interested in has the technology you’re looking for! They also let you Price and Build your vehicle so you can get an idea of what your perfect car will cost you!

3

Car seats, car seats car seats! The item that as a parent you will use the most and the reason you turn away some of your favorite cars. Let's start with the most essential - what will fit in your car. Some cars will be able to fit 3 car seats side by side safely, while others will not. So it’s super important to check out the size of the interior of the car and the car seats that you have or are planning to purchase to make sure everyone fits! It’s something we never thought of until we considered having a 3rd baby! Next are the LATCH mounting points. These make car seat installation SO easy. Life changingly easy. But not every car is equipped with them and not every car has them so that they’re easily accessible! Finally, and probably the most important if you’re considering a 3 row SUV: can you access the 3rd row if you have car seats installed in the second row (again, something we never considered until we were talking about trying for a third baby)? Thankfully, KBB.com offers answers to all these questions on their site when you’re researching cars! Click here to check out their Best Family Cars of 2020.

4

Reputation is key. Getting a good deal and buying a car that checks most of the items off your list is important, but you want to make sure that the car you’re choosing is safe, reliable and that you won’t be spending more on repairing your car than absolutely necessary. Take the time and figure out which manufacturers have a reputation for vehicle safety, handling and quality before spending your hard earned money. Kelley Blue Book is, again, a great resource for reviews from real owners! I love reading through the reviews and seeing what people loved and didn’t love about each vehicle.

5

Lastly, make sure to consider Comfort and Convenience. While having all the bells and whistles on your car is great, the reality is that having a vehicle that’s comfortable to drive and that’s simple to operate is even better. Being able to close the trunk with the push of a button or unlock doors without pulling a key out of your pocket when your hands are full, are things that you will really appreciate when you have your family with you. Being able to put down the back seats with the push of a button or open the car doors from the front seat, are just a few other features that you never thought you would use, but are such game changers with kids! KBB.com highlights all of these incredible options and features in their vehicles and took all of it into consideration when they published their Best Cars of 2020. Click here to check out the entire list!

Don’t waste your time looking at cars that may not be able to accommodate your family! Check out the list published by Kelley Blue Book and save time!

Kelley Blue Book also released a site to help car buyers and owners stay on top of auto-related COVID-19 news! Click here to check out the site that includes news, advice and safety-tips!