After-school play dates, soccer practices, road trips, errands, groceries… the list of things a mom needs her family car for goes on and on. What makes a good mom-mobile? It’s important to keep kids safe at home and on the road, so finding a vehicle with a 5-Star safety rating is paramount. You’ll also want plenty of cargo space, great gas mileage, and lots of entertainment features that can keep the kids’ attention as you buzz around town.

Here are our top four suggestions — broken down by category — that you can use to inspire your next car purchase. Happy hunting!

Safety

You know the saying: “safety first.” We’re all about promoting safe driving tips on the road — minimizing distractions, obeying traffic laws, ensuring seat belts are buckled — but unfortunately, you can’t always protect yourself from bad drivers no matter how defensive and vigilant you are.

The 2020 Subaru Outback is one of the safest cars you can put your family in. It comes standard with a suite of cutting edge EyeSight technologies designed to keep everyone out of harm’s way including:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Forward collision warning
• Forward automatic emergency breaking
• Lane departure warning
• Lane keep assist
• Automatic high-beam headlights
• Rear-view camera

You have the option of upgrading for more safety features such as blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, reverse automatic emergency breaking, adaptive headlights, distracted driver monitoring, and a front-view camera.

Subaru manufacturers distribute nearly everywhere, so whether you’re shopping in the Midwest or looking along the East Coast, you’re probably not far from the closest model.

Cargo Storage

Guess what: you don’t need to drive a massive SUV to get the cargo storage that you need to comfortably transport backpacks, sports equipment, bags of groceries, and other essentials. It’s totally possible to tow it all along without feeling cramped even in a compact sedan.

Take the Audi A5 Sportback, for example. This lends the stylish look of a coupe but provides space for all the ones you love. In addition to rear doors, it boasts a roomy hatchback trunk that’s as sleek and usable as car’s other suite of features. The A5 Sportback is a great option for moms who want cool and compelling family car rather than a big brick on wheels. And with the specials going on at the Audi dealership in the Seattle area, you could save thousands of dollars in financing.

Seating Capacity

Whether you have a family of five or the most popular kid in school, you might be feeling the need for extra seating space. Upgrade your passenger capacity and lead the carpool pack in style driving the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse. This 3-row SUV delivers an ultra-smooth ride with ample passenger space for the whole gang to pile in.

Even when all seats are in use, you can enjoy 23 cubic feet of cargo space. However, you can fold the second and third row down when you need extra room to score over 98 cubic square feet — which is about the size of a studio apartment in New York City!

This is definitely a vehicle you can take camping with the kids or pack up for long-distance road trips. Some of the Traverse infotainment, Bluetooth, and navigation features that come standard include:

• 7-inch touch screen
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Bluetooth connectivity
• 6 USB ports
• Wi-Fi hot spot

You can also upgrade to a 10-speaker Bose sound system, satellite radio, wireless device charging, and a rear-seat entertainment system. The kids will never be bored!

Fuel Economy

Busy moms who are always on the go know the value of a car that boasts a high MPG. No one has the time, let alone the money, to waste on constant fill-ups at the gas station. Commuting from the suburbs to the city can demand quite a lot of fuel, so consider saving yourself the hassle and expense by purchasing an electric 2019 Volvo XC90.

Offering third row seating and best-in-class handling, the efficient Volvo can drive up to 17 miles on just battery power alone. That means you can stop worrying about filling up all the time and focus on other concerns, like how to clean those stubborn car mats.

What do you drive the family around in? Let us know in the comments below!