Expectant parents often face stress, and the task of shopping for an endless list of baby gear can add to it. Items like cribs, strollers, bottle warmers, and sound machines may fill up a baby registry, but one major purchase likely requires a more significant financial commitment: a new vehicle for your expanding family.
While we can’t assist with financing, we can recommend five great SUVs of various sizes, all priced under $40,000. Edmunds’ automotive experts emphasize three crucial features: ample space between the first and second-row seatbacks to accommodate rear-facing infant safety seats, large rear door openings for easily getting your newborn in and out, and a roomy cargo area for baby gear. The prices listed include destination fees.
2025 Volkswagen Taos
Subcompact SUVs are typically not the go-to for young families due to their limited cargo and child safety seat space. However, the Volkswagen Taos is a notable exception, boasting one of the roomiest interiors in its class. With space rivaling that of a Mazda CX-5, it is highly suitable for transporting baby essentials. Whether you have a rear-facing infant seat or a convertible seat, along with a stroller and travel crib, the Taos accommodates them without the need to push front seats excessively forward. The 2025 Taos also features improvements such as an updated interior with a larger center touchscreen and a more powerful engine, offering an EPA-estimated 31 mpg combined.
2025 Taos starting price: $26,420
2025 Kia Niro
The Niro is available as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicle. The hybrid comes oh-so-close to matching the Toyota Prius’ fuel economy by getting up to an EPA-estimated 53 mpg combined. It also costs less than the Prius and has a more spacious back seat. The cargo area is nice-sized too. There are a lot of hybrid-powered SUVs available and the Niro is one of the least expensive. The plug-in version and the Niro Electric are considerably more expensive than the regular Niro hybrid, but otherwise they share the same family-friendly utility.
2025 Niro starting price: $28,385
2025 Honda CR-V
The CR-V has long been a go-to choice for parents and rightfully so. It’s an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick. It has a vast back seat, so you won’t likely have to move the front seats up to accommodate the infant car seat in any of the rear positions. The CR-V’s rear door openings are huge, and cargo space is among the roomiest you’ll find for a compact SUV. The entry-level versions of the CR-V come with a 190-horsepower engine, while the more expensive trims have a 204-horsepower hybrid powertrain that gets up to an EPA-estimated 40 mpg combined.
2025 CR-V starting price: $31,495
2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV
The Equinox EV is Edmunds’ top-rated electric SUV under $40,000. It has loads of space between its first and second seating rows for fitting a rear-facing child seat. The cargo area is also of a decent size, though ultimately you’ll find more in the CR-V and other compact SUVs. Its electric vehicle credentials are also excellent. It traveled 356 miles on a full charge in the independent Edmunds EV Range Test and has enough power to zip around town without issue. Basically, the Equinox EV is a great family-friendly SUV, and a great EV, at a reasonable price.
2025 Equinox EV starting price: $34,995
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe
The Santa Fe is the most expensive vehicle on our list, but it is a great choice if you foresee multiple children and want to get a head start with a slightly bigger vehicle. It has three rows of seating. That’s good for future-proofing and just generally handy for those times when you’re going out to dinner with the grandparents and want to take just one vehicle. The Santa Fe isn’t quite as large as Hyundai’s Palisade, but it’s roomy enough for new families and is less expensive. It has also received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick+ award for crash test results and is available with a hybrid powertrain that gets up to 36 mpg.
2025 Santa Fe starting price: $35,775
Edmunds says
These are great SUVs to start your search with. Make sure to bring along your car seat and any other baby gear on a test drive to know for sure what will work for you.
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This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. James Riswick is a contributor at Edmunds.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
