Cars.com Best Bets for New Minivans

To rank models as first, second and third best, and so on, is to suggest that all people want the same thing in a vehicle, and that's just not the case. For this reason, cars.com Best Bets include one or more models that are "best overall" or best in a subcategory, but all other citations center on a particular aspect in which the model excels. To see the criteria used in making the picks, click here.

Best Bet Criteria

Safety is a primary criterion because it's an important consideration among family-oriented minivan buyers. Cars.com cannot designate a vehicle as safe or unsafe. All we can do is provide interpretations of crash-test ratings and audits of safety features. For the crash tests, I take those conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety much more seriously than those of our federal government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for reasons explained in our Guide to Crash Tests and Rollover Ratings.

All but two of the minivans considered score Good or Acceptable, which qualifies them. (The same basic vehicle may be sold under different brand names.) NHTSA's Rollover Rating is a consistent four stars across all minivans tested, compared to three stars for many SUVs, which have become the minivan alternative for family hauling. Beyond the ratings, features such as full side curtain-type airbags, electronic stability systems and rearview cameras put a couple of the models over the top.

Interior design and quality ranks highly, not in the sense of design but in terms of ergonomics and what the automotive industry terms perceived quality: materials, the feel of controls and handles and the like, which is not as easy for shoppers to compare from one model to the next.

With the rear seats out of the way, minivans provide ample interior space for hauling bulky items.

Roominess and comfort are important because they're the main reason people buy minivans. This vehicle type is actually very space efficient. The interior space closely reflects the exterior size. This is less true of SUVs, and particularly the truck-based kind. Most of the minivans currently on the market qualify as large ones. In some cases the differences aren't dramatic from one model to the next, but we tend to favor a van that grants the most or best-used interior volume without unduly sacrificing other aspects, such as fuel economy, exterior size and turning diameter.

Comfort depends on personal preference, but some conditions — such as low seats that raise the occupant's knees significantly above the seat cushion — seem to be seen universally as drawbacks. Seats that fold into the floor more often suffer this shortfall as well as cushions that are thinner than those on conventional seats.

Ownership cost and reliability are also important considerations because low ownership costs can easily compensate for a higher sales price. Aside from being a drag, repairs are a significant cost component, too. For reliability data I rely on Consumer Reports magazine's Reliability Histories. Other factors in cost of ownership include fuel economy, required fuel grade (octane) and insurance costs.

New and redesigned models have no reliability data. These entrants will remain innocent until proven guilty and may earn a Best Bet citation along with a caveat. Exceptions among all the brands are Honda and Toyota. It's always possible that either company will field a clunker, but their reputations for reliability are so well established that we're comfortable with giving them the benefit of the doubt.

DVD-based rear-seat entertainment systems are available on many minivans but can be expensive when optional.

Features are important, but the playing field has leveled out recently, with many entrants offering flat-folding third-row seats, power doors on both sides and optional video entertainment systems. In the rush to outdo each other, automakers continue to equip their vans with new features — some useful, some frivolous. The more useful ones set a model apart. One thing we've come to ignore is cupholder counts. It's gone past ridiculous, with some automakers tallying every circular depression in a folded seatback. Let's just say there are more than enough cup and drink box holders in the modern minivan to induce an unplanned tour of every rest stop on the vacation route.

Acceleration is certainly a factor, though not as great a one as in other categories. In general, we consider minivans either not quick enough, quick enough and more than quick enough, with consideration given to the issue of load whenever possible. Minivans are now quicker than they've ever been, and the leaders get extra credit — again, only if it doesn't unduly diminish other factors, most significantly fuel economy. Transmission performance is also an issue, and I'm never kind to automatics that are unrefined or slow to react.

Ride and handling are considered, as in any vehicle class. The difference here is that minivans aren't expected to drive like sports cars. Still, a comfortable ride is good, and the ability to handle a panic situation and execute an evasive maneuver makes a vehicle safer.

Design issues come dead last, for two reasons: One is that aesthetic appreciation is in the proverbial eye of the beholder. Another is that even though one minivan might look better to you than another, styling has never been what minivans are about. Automakers have attempted to make their models look less like minivans, but they seem to have failed. If a large vehicle has sliding side doors, it's a minivan. People who buy them don't equate their image with what they drive, and we applaud them.