Honda, Mazda Lead List Of Best Family Cars

If you're looking for one of the best family vehicles out there, you might want to give a Honda a try.

That's according to Parents magazine and Edmunds.com, which included four Honda models on their annual list of the "Best Family Cars."

After testing essentially every vehicle in the marketplace, the experts selected 15 top models -- three each in the budget, crossover, minivan, sedan and SUV categories. Each car was judged on safety, performance, interior, exterior and family friendly features.

Parents magazine praised Honda for combining "family friendliness with value and performance" in naming the Fit, the Accord, the CR-V and the Odyssey to the list. Reviewers raved about these models' spaciousness and thoughtful features such as convenient cup holders and steering-wheel mounted audio controls.

Mazda followed with three models, the Mazda 5, 6 and CX-9 making the list, while Toyota and Chevrolet each had two models on the list. Nine of the 15 models are newcomers to the annually updated list.

"There are 340 new car models on sale this year, and busy families could undoubtedly use some help sorting through the choices to decide what is right for them," said Karl Brauer, Edmunds.com editor-in-chief. "As a parent myself, I feel sure that just about any family can find a car on this list that will serve their purposes well."

Parents and Edmunds also took into account feedback from parents who own the vehicles and aimed to make all the cars on the list budget friendly. Five of the vehicles start at under $20,000 and one costs less than $15,000.

"If your family is in the market for a new car, now is actually a good time because steep dealer discounts make this a buyer's market," said Dana Points, editor-in-chief of Parents. "This list plus our money saving car shopping tips will empower you with all the information you'll need."

In addition to the 15 Best Family Cars featured in the magazine, six additional budget car recommendations are featured online at www.parents.com/bestfamilycars.

Complete list:

• BUDGET
• Honda Fit
• Mazda 5
• Volkswagen Rabbit
• CROSSOVER
• Honda CR-V
• Toyota RAV 4
• Subaru Forester
• MINIVAN
• Toyota Sienna
• Honda Odyssey
• Hyundai Entourage
• SEDAN
• Honda Accord
• Chevrolet Malibu
• Mazda 6
• SUV
• Ford Flex
• Mazda CX-9
• Chevrolet Traverse