Parents magazine and Edmunds.com have done all of the research for you. They have come up with 15 vehicles ready to give you and your family a great ride.
"You've got to have safety and reliability," said Karl Brauer, Edmunds.com. "Parents also want cars that look good and are fun to drive. All of these cars have most of these characteristics."
In the crossover category the Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota Rav 4, and Honda CR-V all stood out.
"It's got great cupholders. There is a lot of room inside," said Brauer. "It is easy to park, but there is still plenty of room inside for people and things in the cargo area."
In fact, Honda had five vehicles in the top 15 including the Honda Fit.
You probably wouldn't think of the Honda Fit as a family car, but with the large hatchback opening and the ability to fold down the rear seats you can get a lot of extra space. This is a car that a family could use and later on a college student.
Along with the Honda Fit in the budget car category the Kia Soul and the Mazda 5 made the list.
And for the first time hybrids got their own category in the survey with the Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Honda Insight as top picks.
In the big car category you will want to check out the Ford Flex, Chevrolet Traverse and the Honda Odyssey.
"It's also a fun and engaging vehicle to drive," said Brauer.
The final three cars are in the sedan category, they are: the Honda Accord, Subaru Legacy and Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
