Best Kia SUV For Families: Comfort, Safety & Space In 2025

Pinning down what the best Kia SUV for families depends on your personal preferences and lifestyle. Do you want an exceptionally nimble SUV with excellent fuel economy, or one that uses all-electric power? Are you looking for a three-row SUV with a length under 190 inches, or one that offers a maximum cargo space of nearly 90 cubic feet? Our DARCARS Kia of Temple Hills team will be happy to give you a digital tour of our lineup, allowing you to find the safest SUV for family use.

Best Kia Cars for Families: Examples

There is no single best Kia vehicle for families. Instead, there are four SUVs that we'd recommend for growing crews, depending on dealership availability. Let's look over them each and see why you might want to check them out at DARCARS Kia of Temple Hills.

Kia Telluride: Best Family SUV With Third-Row Seating

Explore a brand-new Kia Telluride if you plan on using an SUV to do almost anything. The first and second rows each offer more than 41 inches of legroom, with passengers in the rear stretching out in 42.4 inches. If you're taking the kids on a camping trip, you can fold the rear row and access 46 cubic feet of cargo space. Moving day for a college student? Both rows tuck in to give you 87 cubic feet to work with. As one of the sole Kia models with eight-passenger seating, the Telluride will rarely lack in space.

The Telluride also brings prestigious features. Baseline Blind-Spot Collision Warning and Rear Park Distance Warning work together to watch your hard-to-see angles. Convenience tech, such as the standard Day/Night Rearview Mirror (or available auto-dimming mirror) and dual-zone climate control, are just a few highlights of the Kia Telluride.

Kia Sorento: A Kia Family Car With Versatility

The Telluride is not the sole member of the Kia lineup with a capable third row. If you don't need the cargo space of the Telluride and want better EPA-estimated MPG, the Kia Sorento is a fantastic option with six or seven seats. This three-row SUV measures just 189.6 inches in length, making it very easy to maneuver – even in urban environments or parallel parking situations. The third row might be more convenient for younger children, but the second row has 41.7 inches of legroom, which is plenty for any adult.

The smaller size of the Sorento (compared to the Telluride) already gives it an advantage in fuel economy. However, if you want even better mileage, the Kia Sorento Hybrid is the pick for you. This three-row SUV offers all of the safety and convenience features of the Sorento – including Parallel Exit Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance Assist – and puts it into a package even more eco-friendly than the baseline model.

Kia Sportage: A City-Ready, Family-Friendly SUV

For the families who prefer an easy-to-drive, five-seat model, the Kia Sportage could be the best SUV for family activities in urban environments that we have in our showroom. At 184.4 inches, this model is significantly shorter than our three-row lineup, leading to easier parallel parking and tighter navigation.

And the Sportage remains nearly as comfortable as our three-row SUV lineup is. In fact, the Sportage trunk space of 39.6 cubic feet is much more than what the Sorento or Telluride have without folding their rear seats, and its maximum cargo space is even greater than the Sorento's. With even better MPG ratings than the Sorento, the Sportage is an excellent choice for a smaller family that doesn't require the space of a three-row vehicle.

Kia EV9: All-Electric Kia SUVs With Third-Row Seating

Our final family SUV recommendation is for families who want to minimize their carbon footprint while still comfortably accommodating up to seven passengers. The EV9 commands the highest price point of our recommendations for good reason. This all-electric three-row SUV brings the best feature lineup of all, with options like Driver Attention Warning, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist 2, and wireless phone charging all standard. Relax with tri-zone climate control, enjoy standard eight-way power driver's seats with four-way lumbar support, and experience the incredible sound quality of the available Meridian™ 14-speaker sound system.

If you're concerned about transitioning to an all-electric powertrain, we'll take you on a test drive so you can get an accurate feel of the range your chosen model commands. Then, we'll show off how easy it is to charge your model at our local stations. Kia installation services can bring the ease of Level 2 charging to your home, allowing you to reap the rewards of an all-electric lifestyle with remarkably easy at-home charging.

Try Them All At DARCARS Kia of Temple Hills

What is the easiest way to tell which one is the best Kia SUV for families? We at DARCARS believe that question is answered through a test drive. Call ahead and make an appointment for a test of any of these fantastic options for families of any size. Our representatives will happily give you a tour of our new Kia vehicles in person, allowing you to see the customization options, add-ons, and trim levels of each model that interests you.

Once you make the choice and take home an SUV, we at DARCARS Kia of Temple Hills strive to remain your stalwart helpers. Check out our service center and parts inventory for anything you need as you reach standard maintenance dates – or, for add-ons before a vacation, like roof rails or hitch guidance software.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Kia SUV is the most spacious for families?

The Kia SUV with the most space for families is the Kia Telluride, a three-row giant in the Kia lineup with a cargo capacity of up to 87 cubic feet. With 31.4 inches of third-row legroom and 178.1 cubic feet of interior volume, this SUV has the size to handle nearly any family task. However, we also sell the Carnival MPV minivan for even more size.

Which Kia SUV is best for small families?

If you want to easily fit five people for drives in an SUV that's nimble, maneuverable, and safe, the Kia Sportage is likely your best choice. This two-row SUV offers a staggering 41.3 inches of second-row legroom and a cargo capacity of up to 74.1 cubic feet. With a length of 184.4 inches, the Sportage is easy to navigate in cities and parks.

Are Kia SUVs safe for family driving?

Yes, Kia SUVs offer a wide range of safety features, making them perfect for families who want peace of mind on the road. For example, the Kia Sportage comes standard with Front and Rear Parking Sensors, Front Collision Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, and Smart Cruise Control. The Telluride ups the ante with Blind-Spot Collision Warning and Navigation-Based Smart Cruise Control with Curve Aid.

Does Kia offer any three-row SUVs?

Yes, Kia has three three-row SUVs: the Sorento, the Telluride, and the EV9. The Kia Sorento offers better fuel economy and a more maneuverable driving experience, thanks to its smaller size. However, the Kia Telluride offers more cargo space, third-row legroom, and additional luxury features not available on earlier trim levels. The EV9 is an all-electric option that is just slightly smaller than the Telluride.

Featured Customer Review

Manuel Klein

6/4/2025

Overall, my wife and I had a great experience at Darcars Temple Hills. Van Dyke had an outstanding no no-pressure approach to the entire sale process. Ed, the manager, worked out a deal that we could not refuse. Sergio, in financing, walked us through each step and explained everything in detail that we had questions about. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this location to a friend or family. The only thing I would recommend is to get there early, or financing may take a while with other customers at the dealer.