The 5 Best Minivans For Parents in 2015

“This is your second baby?” asked the ultrasound technician on November 6, 2013.

“No,” I responded, holding my husband’s hand, “This is our third baby. If you can tell us that it’s a boy, that’d be great. But we will take a third girl and be pretty happy about that, too. We’re good at girls, after all.” I was 18 weeks pregnant and we were more concerned that the ultrasound would show abnormalities or something wrong with the baby (we had a rough second pregnancy in that aspect).

“Oh. So you wanted three kids, then? Well, did your doctor tell you that you’re measuring quite large for 18 weeks?” she asked, giving me a quizzical look. Give me a break. For the past 13 weeks I’ve been listening to everyone and their mother joke about how quickly my baby bump appeared, literally at 5 weeks it was big enough that people knew I was pregnant and I couldn’t keep the cat in the bag anymore. Not this woman, too.

Sigh.

“No, he mentioned nothing of the sort,” I said, my voice resigned.

“So….he didn’t tell you that there are two babies in here?” she asked with a forced smile. I used a naughty word. My husband asked for a chair. Yes, baby number three was actually babies number three and four and we were having twins the third time around. On that note, one was definitely a boy. We were about four months away from welcoming two babies in our family, a third girl and our first boy, and we were shocked. And then the ultrasound tech smiled.

“I guess it’s time to get a minivan!” she said cheerfully.

Let’s not go that far, lady. We might be having twins and that might mean we just went from being a little family of four to a family of six, but that does not mean I have to go from being cool to being drastically uncool. I drove up to that appointment in my BMW sedan; I wasn’t leaving that life behind for a minivan. An Escalade or a Yukon Denali, maybe; but not a minivan.

You might think that being the mother of four kids with active social lives and numerous extracurricular activities would turn me into a minivan momma, but it did not. I’m not a fan. Sure, they have some seriously cool features, but I wouldn’t drive a station wagon just because it has cool features, and I’d never drive a truck just because it has cool features. I’m not spending that much money on something if I don’t like the look of it – but car shopping did turn into a series of, “Oh, twins? Wow! Four kids?! Let me show you our minivan selection,” every single time we went out to look at a new car.

I went with a big SUV, because it’s more my style, and also because I’m just not a fan of the minivan. Call me vain or ridiculous, I don’t care. Just because I don’t like them doesn’t mean everyone else has to dislike them. In fact, they are some of the safest, most amazing vehicles for parents. Everyone I know that drives a minivan swears that they’ll never go back. They love it. They love the space, the features and the storage, and they are hooked.

So, if the saying is true and once you go van you never go back, you’re going to want to know which minivans happen to be the best ones for your family – and there is not a darn thing wrong with that.

Chrysler Town & Country

These are nice vans. They come with the option to get everything from leather seats to dual sunroofs to DVD players to automatic window sunshades to 8908 cup holders (and if you have kids, you know how important cup holders are). It’s a powerful minivan that does just about everything that you’d expect, and you can get one that seats 7 or 8 depending on your needs. And you never, ever have to worry about overly excited kids slamming your doors into the car parked next to you with the sliding doors. Also, this is the highest ranking vehicle in initial quality by JD Powers and Associates in the minivan industry.

Nissan Quest

It’s boxy, and that makes it interesting. However, it’s one of the best minivans in the world. It has everything, and Nissan is big on making sure that their drivers are the most important consideration when designing their vehicles. This van feels more like a sports car from behind the wheel, and it has everything you’ve ever wanted in a family vehicle – and then some. It’s also ranked one of the safest vehicles on the market, and it’s not too expensive.

Toyota Sienna

This is a minivan that was completely redesigned not too long ago. What that means is that it has everything that you might expect to find in a luxury SUV, and it has serious towing capacity. Because, naturally, if you have a family big enough to need a minivan you also need to be able to tow the boat so you can enjoy your family fun days. This is a minivan that’s sleek and noteworthy, and it is one of the best on the market.

Kia Sedona

Kia is sneaky. They’ve given their minivan a facelift so that it looks more like a crossover SUV than a minivan, yet it functions, acts and rides just like a van. It’s got everything a mother wants from DVD players to collapsing seats, sliding doors, Bluetooth and an impressive sound system. Additionally, it’s really affordable starting at only $26,000. It’s easily the most attractive minivan on the market, and people are falling all over themselves for this one.

Honda Odyssey

I don’t know much about this van personally, but I belong to several twin groups on Facebook and this is the minivan du jour. Moms love this car like it’s their first born. It seats 8, but the middle row seats can be spread apart so that you can keep cranky kids from touching one another or so that you can create an aisle. If that doesn’t sell you right there, nothing will. It comes with every single upgrade option on the market, and it’s a Honda. We all know Honda is quality.

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