2026 CarGurus Confidence Awards — Best Family Upgrade: Toyota Grand Highlander
The Toyota Grand Highlander is our 2026 Best Family Upgrade. It combines a genuinely usable third row with adult-sized legroom, up to 98 cubic feet of cargo space, three powertrain choices (including a 362-hp Hybrid MAX option), top-tier Safety and Form & Function scores, and a price range ($42,000–$60,000) that covers families at every budget level — making it the best three-row vehicle for growing families who need more of everything.
- Why We Chose It
- Is The Toyota Grand Highlander Big Enough For Three Kids And All Their Gear?
- Why Did The Toyota Grand Highlander Win The CarGurus Confidence Award For Best Family Upgrade?
- What Did The CarGurus Team Say About The Toyota Grand Highlander?
- What Were We Looking For In The Best Family Upgrade?
- Honorable Mentions
- How Did We Choose The Best Family Upgrade? (Methodology)
Why We Chose It
- It garnered the strongest combined marks in Form & Function and Safety, the two most heavily weighted categories for this award
- Its third row offers over five inches more legroom than the standard Highlander, making it genuinely usable for adults — not just kids
- It has up to 98 cubic feet of cargo space with seats folded, so the sleeping bags, stroller, dog crate, and cooler all fit without playing Tetris
- Shoppers can choose from one of three powertrain options (gas, hybrid, Hybrid MAX), letting them prioritize fuel economy, towing, or performance
- It offers seven USB-C ports, three-zone climate control with physical knobs, and a 360-degree camera — all designed for the realities of family life
Is The Toyota Grand Highlander Big Enough For Three Kids And All Their Gear?
Yes. The Grand Highlander doesn't try to be flashy — it tries to be useful, and it succeeds on just about every front that matters to a growing family.
Three powertrain options (gas, hybrid, and the 362-horsepower Hybrid MAX) let buyers pick their priority, whether that's fuel economy, towing power, or a surprising burst of speed from something with a car seat in the second row.
The third row is genuinely usable for adults, with over five inches more legroom than the standard Highlander, and the second row slides and reclines enough to make getting kids buckled into rear-facing seats painless. Up to 98 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats folded means the sleeping bags, the stroller, the dog crate, and the cooler all fit — and you don't have to play Tetris to make it work.
Seven USB-C ports, three-zone climate control with physical knobs, and a crisp 360-degree camera round out a cabin that's built for the realities of family life. Plus, with prices ranging from $42,000 for a base LE model to $60,000 for the high-zoot Hybrid MAX Platinum, there's a version to suit the budget and needs of any family.
Why Did The Toyota Grand Highlander Win The CarGurus Confidence Award For Best Family Upgrade?
Out of 40 eligible three-row vehicles — crossovers, SUVs, and minivans priced under $60,000 — the Grand Highlander won as a consensus pick in what was our most divided category.
The Grand Highlander earned the highest overall point total by blending strong marks in Form & Function and Safety (the two areas we weighted most heavily) with the kind of broad, do-everything competence that's hard to argue against. It doesn't top any single spec sheet, but it doesn't have a weak spot, either.
What Did The CarGurus Team Say About The Toyota Grand Highlander?
"The Toyota Grand Highlander effectively splits into three distinct personalities. The standard model is a well-priced, practical family SUV that covers the basics with ease. Step up to the regular hybrid, and fuel efficiency becomes a clear strength. Then there's the Hybrid MAX — less focused on economy, more on performance — pairing a turbocharged hybrid setup with genuinely unexpected pace for a three-row SUV. If you want a family hauler that adds a layer of driving enjoyment to long trips, the Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX stands out." — Elliot Haney, Senior Video & Podcast Producer, CarGurus
What Were We Looking For In The Best Family Upgrade?
It's happened to all of us. You're headed out on a family road trip, and you try to stuff one too many sleeping bags or backpacks into the trunk of your compact vehicle, maybe even packing around the dog or the bikes or both. It's time for an upgrade.
More room for the kiddos, more room for the pets, more room for the gear. More room to breathe. This award homes in on the best vehicle for families looking for more of everything. Form & Function and Safety were prioritized, and only vehicles with a third row of seats (crossovers, SUVs, and minivans) were eligible.
Honorable Mentions
Toyota Sienna (Runner-Up):
The Sienna's standard hybrid powertrain and available all-wheel drive give it an efficiency edge that no other minivan can match. Sliding doors make loading and unloading kids effortless — even in tight parking spots — and the third row is accommodating enough for adults. It's a minivan that doesn't apologize for being a minivan.
Kia Sorento (Runner-Up):
The Sorento packs a third row, sharp styling, and an impressive suite of standard safety features into a footprint that's more compact than most of its rivals. Available turbo power addresses the sluggish base engine, and the refreshed interior — with its wide dual-display dashboard and convincing materials — punches above its price point.
How Did We Choose The Best Family Upgrade? (Methodology)
The CarGurus Confidence Awards — Best Family Upgrade 2026 was determined through a multi-step, data-driven process designed to balance editorial expertise with real-world market conditions:
Eligibility filtering: Eligible vehicles had to have three rows of seats, at least 1,000 units of national dealer inventory, an average listing price no more than 15% above the manufacturer's suggested retail price, and an average listing price under $60,000. The price cap ensures the category stays focused on mainstream family budgets rather than luxury-priced three-row SUVs. This process yielded 40 eligible vehicles.
Weighted scoring: Each eligible vehicle was scored by our editorial team across six dimensions: Look & Feel, Performance, Form & Function, Tech Level, Safety, and Cost-Effectiveness. For this category, we applied the following weights: Form & Function (25%), Safety (25%), Cost-Effectiveness (20%), Tech Level (15%), Look & Feel (10%), and Performance (5%). Form & Function and Safety were weighted highest because growing families need maximum cabin versatility — third-row access, fold-flat cargo flexibility, passenger comfort across all rows — and occupant protection for a full vehicle of passengers.
Ranked ballot vote: Our editorial panel each independently ranked their top five vehicles. Points were assigned on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale (#1 pick = 5 points, #5 pick = 1 point) and summed across all voters. The highest point total determined the winner, with tiebreakers resolved by: (1) most first-place votes, (2) higher AI Weighted Score, and (3) higher national inventory.
About The CarGurus Confidence Awards
The CarGurus Confidence Awards are an annual program recognizing the best new vehicles on sale in the United States. Winners are selected through a rigorous, data-informed process that combines hands-on editorial reviews, real-world market data (including national inventory levels and listing-price analysis), and a ranked vote by the CarGurus editorial panel. The awards are produced by the CarGurus content team — a group of automotive journalists with decades of combined experience reviewing and reporting on new vehicles.
Written by the CarGurus editorial team: David Undercoffler, Matt Smith, Natalie Harrington, and Elliot Haney.
