Best Family Trucks for 2024
These are the best family trucks ranked by iSeeCars' analysis of each vehicle’s reliability and NHTSA and IIHS safety ratings, along with key family-friendly features.
The best family midsize truck is the Honda Ridgeline.
iSeeCars has identified the best family trucks and ranked them by their Family Car Score, which prioritizes safety and reliability and then considers which family friendly features are available on each model. Until relatively recently, pickup trucks were not considered viable family vehicles. They were cramped, minimalist workhorses without the refinement to satisfy family needs. But over the past two decades, both foreign and domestic automakers recognized the profit potential of selling full-size pickup trucks in configurations that accommodate not just the truck owners but their whole family.
The result is a majority of new trucks being sold in four-door, two-row (crew-cab) configurations. Most of them offer touchscreen infotainment systems with advanced connectivity tech, while top-trim versions feature plush front seats with heating and even massage features, along with roomy, adult-friendly rear seats. Standard safety features and convenience tech like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto further elevate today’s pickups far above the simple work trucks that used to dominate the segment.
The full-size and heavy-duty truck segments sell in the highest volume, with the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, and Ram 1500 dominating sales charts. Japanese automakers saw the demand for full-size trucks in America and joined the fray with the Nissan Titan and Toyota Tundra, also sold as crew-cab and slightly smaller double-cab models. These full-size models are the best pickup trucks for family duty because they provide the most interior space, but fuel efficiency suffers due to their large size and V8 or turbo V6 powertrains.
Family shoppers concerned with fuel economy more than payload and towing capacity should consider a midsize pickup like the Chevy Colorado, Honda Ridgeline, Jeep Gladiator, or Toyota Tacoma. These trucks deliver better mpg and are easier to drive and park, and still come with cool full-size truck styling, plus either four- or all-wheel drive and enough capability to serve most truck buyers’ needs.
Compact pickup trucks have returned in recent model years, with examples like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz built on car-based platforms and offering car-like ride and handling. These trucks may be too small for some families, but if their combination of fuel efficiency, passenger space, and functionality prove adequate they are the lowest-cost options for family truck buyers on a budget.
How We Rank These Cars
The Best Family Cars rank vehicles by iSeeCars' analysis of each vehicle’s reliability and NHTSA and IIHS safety ratings, along with key family-friendly features.
The best family vehicle is specific to one or more trim levels for a given vehicle model, and has the highest combined reliability and safety score as well as the most important family-friendly features. In the event there is a tie, we use iSeeCars proprietary rating of the overall quality of the car (iSeeCars Score) to break the tie.
Separately, the overall iSeeCars Score shown for each vehicle is an analysis of three factors: reliability, resale value and safety. It is calculated based on the latest research and analysis by our data science team. The data analysis comes from over 12 million new and used vehicles in our Longest-Lasting Cars and 5-Year Depreciation Studies, combined with NHTSA and IIHS Safety Ratings.
Vehicles are scored in three categories:
Reliability
The reliability score represents an analysis of iSeeCars' proprietary research on the longest-lasting vehicles.
Value Retention
The value retention score is based on our data science team's statistical analysis and prediction of 5-year depreciation from MSRP to determine which cars hold their value best, using US Bureau of Labor Statistics data to adjust for inflation.
Safety
The safety score is calculated based on the last five years of crash test ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and incorporates the latest Top Safety Pick information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
