Whether you’re starting a family soon or already have a full house, the need for one product is nearly unavoidable: a solid, safe family vehicle. Having a model that can keep your family comfy without killing your budget is key to keeping your stress as a parent manageable. To help your family enjoy every road trip and errand run, here are the must-have features your next family vehicle should come equipped with:
High Safety Ratings
More than any other feature on this list, the safety rating of a potential new family vehicle is of utmost importance. Thankfully, the manufacturers making vehicle models that are meant for family consumers understand this and keep vehicle safety at the forefront of their minds when crafting their materials. From extra airbags to technology that will help you avoid preventable accidents, family vehicles are safer than ever.
Entertainment Options
If you’ve ever been on a long road trip with the family, you know how quickly boredom can lead to arguments and stressful situations. To help keep everyone in the vehicle at ease (even on shorter trips) buying something with plentiful entertainment options is a must. From DVD players to internet-connected panels, the sheer variety of potential entertainment features that can be packed into a new vehicle is impressive. Especially for families with toddlers, this should be a major focus for your next purchase.
Plentiful Storage Space
From sporting events to birthday parties, it’s always useful for family vehicles to be absolutely stacked with storage space. With large families, grocery store excursions can become a nightmare without a lot of space to pack groceries into. Thankfully, newer vehicle models (even cars) are becoming more and more focused on giving you the extra square footage you need to keep your trips smooth. After all, who wants to make multiple grocery trips simply because they can’t fit everything into their vehicle in one go.
Remote Keyless Entry
On a parent’s busy schedule, every second counts. With new remoteless keyless entry tech, Bluetooth is no longer the main technology that helps you keep your day moving at a quick pace. Many new remoteless entry keys will even let you open and close doors all from the convenience of a single location. For parents with toddlers, this technology will be warmly welcomed.
Backup Camera
When you’re navigating a family vehicle, you’re more likely to be driving something larger. SUVs and passenger-friendly trucks are especially popular in the family vehicle market. To help you keep your family’s carriage scratch-free and out of fender benders, having a quality backup camera is amazingly helpful. Not only are you able to navigate parking lots with ease thanks to these nifty inventions, but you’ll be able to keep your mind at ease when you’re backing out of your family home. As an added bonus, these types of modern safety features may help you find car insurance at lower rates!
Handsfree & Bluetooth Connections
Even if you’re a single parent, you’ll likely know how many calls a day it takes to keep your family’s errands on task. To ensure you’re able to stay in touch with the world safely, having easy-to-use, hands-free Bluetooth capabilities is essential. Newer models have well-designed buttons on steering wheels to help make the hands-free technology that much easier to use. Even technologically-challenged parents should be able to navigate this tech without any headaches after the initial Bluetooth connections are set up and paired.
Easy-Clean Surfaces and Interior
Whether you’ve got toddlers or teenagers, one thing is certain – your family vehicle is going to get dirty quickly. To help you clean up messes with ease, it’s important to have easy-clean surfaces in your family vehicle (with leather being one of the best options for interiors). Alongside easy-clean surfaces, many new vehicles come equipped with built-in vacuums that can help you get rid of built-up dust and clutter. With all the other stresses you have to deal with day after day, clutter in your car should not be added to them.
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel efficiency is a must these days, as the price of gas seems to fluctuate between high and ridiculous at a moment’s notice. For family vehicles, that odometer is going to rack up mileage at an intense rate, so having a fuel-efficient engine becomes that much more important. Even traditionally gas-guzzling vehicle types that are popular with family buyers, such as SUVs, are being made with fuel-efficient engines and features these days – so it’s never been a better time to be in the market for a sweet, feature-packed family vehicle.
Keep Your Precious Cargo Safe
Thankfully, almost every one of these features we’ve covered is a given with any newly made family vehicle model. Even if you’re in the market for an older or used family vehicle, it’s easy to find a choice within your budget that will check off the majority of these must-have features.