5 Important Family Car Selection Criteria You Should Know

Choosing a family car is a serious step for a couple. There are a lot of parameters like the capacity of the cabin and trunk, the number of seats, and safety that should be taken into account. It is necessary to consider the family budget because spending all the money on a car is the wrong decision. A family car should be reliable. This means that you shouldn’t spend the family budget on repairs. In this article, we gathered five important family car selection criteria you should know.

1. Capacity

Your family car should have enough seats. This statement becomes even more relevant when it comes to large families. That’s why the coupe or roadster is not suitable. A good car should fit seven people and the third row of seats should meet all the requirements. All these parameters should be considered even if your family is not so numerous now, because there is always a chance of its replenishment. Moreover, you shouldn’t forget about room for other relatives or pets. Buying a minibus may be inappropriate, but a proper family car should have good capacity.

2. Safety

The family car body must be durable. Make sure that all seats are equipped with airbags. Before you buy or lease a car NYC for family trips, it is better to look through the results of crash tests because they describe the degree of car safety. If you plan to transport small children in the car, you need to pay attention to the special child seat. When you are choosing a family car, none of the systems providing safety can be superfluous. 

3. Trunk volume

Trunk volume is also very important because each family member should be able to carry something necessary during travel. If you plan to carry certain voluminous things, the luggage capacity should be even greater. However, even if a car looks big enough, you should pay attention to its capacity. A car with a standard capacity of 5 people can have a rather voluminous trunk and some multi-seat cars are equipped with very small luggage compartments.

If there is not enough space in the trunk, it can be increased by installing an additional rooftop cargo carrier. However, it may be useless if you need to carry oversized cargo. That’s why you need to consider the real trunk volume when you choose a car for family trips. In this case, it is better to pay attention to crossovers and cars with a universal body.

4. Reliability

If the car breaks down regularly, then it is definitely inappropriate for family trips. Frequent malfunctions are not only empty your budget but also break your plans. Some experts claim that the complex design of the car means the higher likelihood that it will break more often. However, it is not always true because the simple design doesn’t always represent quality and reliability.

A family car should be reliable because it supposed to be used for a long time. A large family implies varied expenses, so the family car is usually used for 10 years or even more. Experts recommend sticking to the middle ground but it is better to choose among cars produced by trusted manufacturers. 

5. Maintenance cost

If you have a large family, there are a lot of things you need to buy. That’s why constant extra spendings on a car is undesirable. Car maintenance should be inexpensive. It includes fuel costs (therefore it is better to choose economical cars), tax expenses, periodic maintenance, and repair. A large powerful car will not contribute to savings, but you should consider that a family car usually has a substantial weight. A low-powered engine doesn’t meet the requirements, so your task is to chose the most suitable option.