By James Liswick
As if the impending arrival of your first child is not stressed enough, you are definitely shopping for a seemingly endless list of baby gear. Whatever your Mamaloo, whether it’s a baby cot, a stroller, a bottle warmer, or a sound machine. You will probably get most of that from your baby’s registration. However, the biggest baby gear items require more important cash expenditures. A new vehicle for growing families.
We can’t help you pay for it, but we can point out five great SUVs in various sizes, where everything starts at under $40,000. Edmunds automotive experts focus on three qualities: 1) Many space between the seat backs of bulky rear infant safety seats in the first and second rows. 2) Large rear door opening for easy access to newborns. 3) Spacious cargo area for all baby gear. The following prices include destination fees:
2025 Volkswagen Toos
Subcompact SUVs are usually not the biggest option for younger families due to limited space for cargo and child safety seats. Volkswagen taos is the exception. It is one of the widest models in its class and rivals the Mazda CX-5 due to its overall baby tot utility. Have you got a backward facing toddler seat or a convertible seat that combines a stroller and a travel crib? There’s no problem. They could all fit without sliding the front seats far forward. The 2025 Taos also receives welcome improvements, including an updated interior with a larger center touchscreen and a more powerful engine combined with an EPA-estimated 31 mpg.
2025 TAOS Start Price: $26,420
2025 Kia Niro
The NIRO is available as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric vehicle. The hybrid is extremely densely packed with the Toyota Prius’ fuel economy, with the addition of the 53 mpg estimated by the EPA. It also has a lower, more spacious rear seating than the Prius. The cargo area is also a good size. There are plenty of hybrid-powered SUVs available, and the NIRO is one of the cheapest. The plugin version and NIRO Electric are considerably more expensive than the regular NIRO hybrid, but otherwise share the same family-oriented utility.
2025 NIRO Start Price: $28,385
2025 Honda CR-V
The CR-V has long been a go-to option for parents, but it’s no surprise. Insurance Association for highway safety picks. There is a vast rear seat so there is no need to move the front seats up to accommodate infantry car seats in the rear position. The CR-V’s rear door opening is huge and the cargo space is one of the widest compact SUVs. The CR-V’s entry-level version comes with a 190-horsepower engine, but the more expensive trim has a 204-horsepower hybrid powertrain paired with EPA’s estimated 40 mpg.
2025 CR-V Starting Price: $31,495
2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV
The Equinox EV is Edmunds’ top rated electric SUV for under $40,000. There is plenty of space between the first and second seats for installing a rear-facing child seat. The cargo area is also a decent size, but in the end there are even more sizes with the CR-V and other compact SUVs. He is also highly qualified for electric vehicles. It travels 356 miles on a full charge with an independent Edmunds EV range test and is strong enough to zip through the town without any problems. Essentially, the Equinox EV is a great family-friendly SUV and is a great EV at a reasonable price.
2025 Equinox EV Start Price: $34,995
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe
Santa Fe is the most expensive vehicle on our list, but if you want to foresee multiple kids and get a head start with a slightly larger vehicle, it’s a great choice. There are three rows of seats. It is suitable for future prevention and is generally convenient when you go out for dinner with your grandparents and want to have only one car. Santa Fe isn’t as big as the Hyundai palace, but it’s spacious enough for a new family and inexpensive. It also receives a highway safety top safety pick + award for crash test results and is available on a hybrid powertrain that can reach up to 36 mpg.
2025 Santa Fe Start Price: $35,775
Edmunds says
These are the perfect SUVs to start your search. Bring your car seat and other baby gear on the test drive to make sure you know what works for you.
This story was provided to the Associated Press by the car website Edmunds. James Liswick is a contributor to Edmunds.
