Edmunds recommends these under-$40,000 SUVs for new parents
As if the impending arrival of your first child isn't stressful enough, you're undoubtedly shopping for a seemingly endless list of baby gear. Cribs, strollers, bottle warmers, sound machines and whatever the heck a MamaRoo is. You'll likely get most of that stuff from a baby registry. But the biggest baby gear item requires a more significant cash outlay: a new vehicle for your growing family.
We can't help you pay for that, but we can point you toward five great SUVs of different sizes that all start for under $40,000. Edmunds' car experts focused on three qualities: 1) lots of space between the first and second-row seatbacks for bulky rear-facing infant safety seats; 2) big rear door openings to make it easy to get your newborn in and out; and 3) a roomy cargo area for all of your baby gear. The pricing below includes destination fees.
2025 Volkswagen Taos
Subcompact SUVs are not usually top choices for young families because of their limited space for cargo and child safety seats. The Volkswagen Taos is an exception. It's one of the roomiest models in its class and even rivals a Mazda CX-5 for all-around baby-toting usefulness. Got a rear-facing infant seat, or even a convertible seat, combined with a stroller and a travel crib? No problem — they'll all likely fit without having to slide the front seats far forward. The 2025 Taos also receives some welcome improvements such as an updated interior with a bigger center touchscreen and a more powerful engine that gets up to an EPA-estimated 31 mpg combined.
2025 Taos starting price: $26,420
2025 Kia Niro
The Niro is available as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicle. The hybrid comes oh-so-close to matching the Toyota Prius' fuel economy by getting up to an EPA-estimated 53 mpg combined. It also costs less than the Prius and has a more spacious back seat. The cargo area is nice-sized too. There are a lot of hybrid-powered SUVs available and the Niro is one of the least expensive. The plug-in version and the Niro Electric are considerably more expensive than the regular Niro hybrid, but otherwise they share the same family-friendly utility.
2025 Niro starting price: $28,385
2025 Honda CR-V
The CR-V has long been a go-to choice for parents and rightfully so. It's an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick. It has a vast back seat, so you won't likely have to move the front seats up to accommodate the infant car seat in any of the rear positions. The CR-V's rear door openings are huge, and cargo space is among the roomiest you'll find for a compact SUV. The entry-level versions of the CR-V come with a 190-horsepower engine, while the more expensive trims have a 204-horsepower hybrid powertrain that gets up to an EPA-estimated 40 mpg combined.
2025 CR-V starting price: $31,495
2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV
The Equinox EV is Edmunds' top-rated electric SUV under $40,000. It has loads of space between its first and second seating rows for fitting a rear-facing child seat. The cargo area is also of a decent size, though ultimately you'll find more in the CR-V and other compact SUVs. Its electric vehicle credentials are also excellent. It traveled 356 miles on a full charge in the independent Edmunds EV Range Test and has enough power to zip around town without issue. Basically, the Equinox EV is a great family-friendly SUV, and a great EV, at a reasonable price.
2025 Equinox EV starting price: $34,995
2025 Hyundai Santa Fe
The Santa Fe is the most expensive vehicle on our list, but it is a great choice if you foresee multiple children and want to get a head start with a slightly bigger vehicle. It has three rows of seating. That's good for future-proofing and just generally handy for those times when you're going out to dinner with the grandparents and want to take just one vehicle. The Santa Fe isn't quite as large as Hyundai's Palisade, but it's roomy enough for new families and is less expensive. It has also received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick+ award for crash test results and is available with a hybrid powertrain that gets up to 36 mpg.
2025 Santa Fe starting price: $35,775
Edmunds says
These are great SUVs to start your search with. Make sure to bring along your car seat and any other baby gear on a test drive to know for sure what will work for you.
_____
This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. James Riswick is a contributor at Edmunds.
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Winnipeg Free Press
7 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Edmunds recommends these under-$40,000 SUVs for new parents
As if the impending arrival of your first child isn't stressful enough, you're undoubtedly shopping for a seemingly endless list of baby gear. Cribs, strollers, bottle warmers, sound machines and whatever the heck a MamaRoo is. You'll likely get most of that stuff from a baby registry. But the biggest baby gear item requires a more significant cash outlay: a new vehicle for your growing family. We can't help you pay for that, but we can point you toward five great SUVs of different sizes that all start for under $40,000. Edmunds' car experts focused on three qualities: 1) lots of space between the first and second-row seatbacks for bulky rear-facing infant safety seats; 2) big rear door openings to make it easy to get your newborn in and out; and 3) a roomy cargo area for all of your baby gear. The pricing below includes destination fees. 2025 Volkswagen Taos Subcompact SUVs are not usually top choices for young families because of their limited space for cargo and child safety seats. The Volkswagen Taos is an exception. It's one of the roomiest models in its class and even rivals a Mazda CX-5 for all-around baby-toting usefulness. Got a rear-facing infant seat, or even a convertible seat, combined with a stroller and a travel crib? No problem — they'll all likely fit without having to slide the front seats far forward. The 2025 Taos also receives some welcome improvements such as an updated interior with a bigger center touchscreen and a more powerful engine that gets up to an EPA-estimated 31 mpg combined. 2025 Taos starting price: $26,420 2025 Kia Niro The Niro is available as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicle. The hybrid comes oh-so-close to matching the Toyota Prius' fuel economy by getting up to an EPA-estimated 53 mpg combined. It also costs less than the Prius and has a more spacious back seat. The cargo area is nice-sized too. There are a lot of hybrid-powered SUVs available and the Niro is one of the least expensive. The plug-in version and the Niro Electric are considerably more expensive than the regular Niro hybrid, but otherwise they share the same family-friendly utility. 2025 Niro starting price: $28,385 2025 Honda CR-V The CR-V has long been a go-to choice for parents and rightfully so. It's an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick. It has a vast back seat, so you won't likely have to move the front seats up to accommodate the infant car seat in any of the rear positions. The CR-V's rear door openings are huge, and cargo space is among the roomiest you'll find for a compact SUV. The entry-level versions of the CR-V come with a 190-horsepower engine, while the more expensive trims have a 204-horsepower hybrid powertrain that gets up to an EPA-estimated 40 mpg combined. 2025 CR-V starting price: $31,495 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV The Equinox EV is Edmunds' top-rated electric SUV under $40,000. It has loads of space between its first and second seating rows for fitting a rear-facing child seat. The cargo area is also of a decent size, though ultimately you'll find more in the CR-V and other compact SUVs. Its electric vehicle credentials are also excellent. It traveled 356 miles on a full charge in the independent Edmunds EV Range Test and has enough power to zip around town without issue. Basically, the Equinox EV is a great family-friendly SUV, and a great EV, at a reasonable price. 2025 Equinox EV starting price: $34,995 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe The Santa Fe is the most expensive vehicle on our list, but it is a great choice if you foresee multiple children and want to get a head start with a slightly bigger vehicle. It has three rows of seating. That's good for future-proofing and just generally handy for those times when you're going out to dinner with the grandparents and want to take just one vehicle. The Santa Fe isn't quite as large as Hyundai's Palisade, but it's roomy enough for new families and is less expensive. It has also received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick+ award for crash test results and is available with a hybrid powertrain that gets up to 36 mpg. 2025 Santa Fe starting price: $35,775 Edmunds says These are great SUVs to start your search with. Make sure to bring along your car seat and any other baby gear on a test drive to know for sure what will work for you. _____ This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. James Riswick is a contributor at Edmunds.
Winnipeg Free Press
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Memorial Day weekend has long been one of the busiest times of year for car dealerships. Many car shoppers decide to pull the trigger on that long-considered purchase because of the major sales promotions and the symbolic start of summer. But things are a little different this year. Because of tariffs on offshore-built vehicles and components, confusion is setting in. Shoppers are rightly wondering: Will prices go up? Are the deals real? Should I buy now or wait? Here's some good news. With a little strategy and timing, you can score a great deal this Memorial Day weekend and avoid potential price hikes in the months ahead. Here are five tips from the experts at Edmunds that will help you decide and get the best deal. Prioritize U.S.-assembled vehicles Start close to home if you're looking to insulate yourself from the effects of tariffs. The tariffs most affect vehicles that are not assembled in the United States. While many of these vehicles use components from abroad, the final assembly taking place in the U.S. means they're not subject to the 25% import tariff. How do you know which vehicles are assembled in the U.S? To start, you could consider vehicles from domestic automakers such as Ford, General Motors and Tesla. But you need to be careful: Not every domestic brand vehicle is assembled in the U.S. At the same time, many foreign automakers, such as BMW, Honda and Toyota, build some of their vehicles here. You'll want to check the window sticker of a vehicle you're interested in. It will show where final assembly occurred as well as the percentage of U.S. and foreign parts. Keep in mind that even though a car is assembled in the U.S., it won't escape tariffs on its foreign-made parts. Seek out pre-tariff inventory Many dealerships still have vehicles in stock that were imported or assembled before the April 2 effective date. Most dealers carry about 60 days of inventory, which means at least some of the cars on lots this Memorial Day weekend haven't been affected by the new pricing yet. So how do you find them? Simple: You ask. Dealerships have inventory management systems that show exactly when each vehicle arrived. If you're eyeing a specific model, request to see vehicles that landed before early April. This approach won't work forever — by midsummer, that inventory will dwindle — but for now, it's one of the smartest ways to shop. Explore Memorial Day incentives and promotions Major holidays mean major promotions, and this Memorial Day is no exception. For example, Ford is offering employee pricing to all customers through July 7 — an aggressive discount that essentially strips away dealer markups. That can mean thousands in savings on popular models like the F-150 or Explorer. Other automakers are following suit. Expect to see 0% APR offers, cash-back bonuses, lease specials, and extended warranties advertised heavily this weekend. But here's the trick: These offers can vary significantly by region and dealer, so comparison shop online first. Automakers' websites often have tools to search incentives by ZIP code. Consider buying used Used cars are not subject to tariffs. So if you want to avoid tariff-induced sticker shock, the used market might be your safest bet. The supply of used vehicles has been rising steadily post-pandemic. That means better selection, more competitive pricing, and a greater chance of finding a lightly used vehicle with low mileage. Look for certified pre-owned models that come with factory warranties — they often strike a good balance between peace of mind and cost savings. And with interest rates still high, the lower principal of a used vehicle can significantly reduce your monthly payment if you finance. Be flexible and move quickly Finally, with the industry in flux, flexibility is your friend. That might mean settling for your second-choice color, choosing a different trim level, or opting for an in-stock configuration instead of ordering a custom build. In return, you'll get the benefit of a better price. Wednesdays A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future. And if you've been on the fence about buying? Don't wait too long. Automakers and analysts agree: Prices are likely to rise later this summer if the tariffs continue. Edmunds says Between factory incentives, pre-tariff inventory, U.S.-built options and a growing used car market, there are plenty of ways to save this Memorial Day. Just be prepared and be informed. ____ This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. Josh Jacquot is a contributor at Edmunds.
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Joly says Honda is still committed to EV investments after $15-billion project delayed
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says Honda Canada remains "fully committed" to major electric-vehicle investments in Canada after the company announced Tuesday that it was pausing a multibillion-dollar EV project in Ontario. Joly said in a statement Wednesday that she spoke with Honda Canada's president and CEO, Dave Jamieson, who assured her that "no jobs will be lost." "He also confirmed that Honda is still fully committed to major EV investments right here in Canada — and we'll work together to make it happen," Joly said. Honda announced on Tuesday that it has postponed a $15-billion electric-vehicle project, citing market demand, and is shifting some production of its popular CR-V model intended for the US market to its Ohio plant because of tariffs. The halted investment marks by far the biggest project delay yet in Canada as the outlook for EV growth softens. Joly told reporters earlier Wednesday that her goal is to ensure the government is in "solution mode." In a quarterly earnings press conference on Tuesday in Japan, chief executive Toshihiro Mibe said the company will look at where the electric-vehicle market is in two years before deciding whether to keep going with the project. "What happens after two years and the starting time of the project, we have to observe what is happening and ultimately make the decision," he said, based on translated remarks. While he cited EV demand for the delay, he said the company's move to shift CR-V production to the US is a more immediate result of tariffs. "There is room to increase the production capacity in the United States, and we are trying to look into what will happen as a result of that," said Mibe. "In the midterm, if the tariff measures are to be in place for a long time, then we will have to increase our production capacity in the United States." At a gala dinner Wednesday at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., to launch the Business 7 Summit, Joly said her first priority is to make sure Canada supports the sectors that are on the front line of the trade war, including the auto sector and the steel and aluminum sectors. She said Canada needs to continue to protect its jobs and ensure it can attract investments as it deals with uncertainty amid the trade war with the US. Joly said she will also be on the "offence" and drive economic growth with a prime minister who she says is obsessed with the economy. "We are in this global competition to attract investments at a time where the world is more complicated, more dangerous," Joly said. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, who was also at the event and spent at least 20 minutes chatting with US Ambassador to Canada Peter Hoekstra, said Prime Minister Mark Carney has challenged the government to be ambitious and have a more resilient economy. Honda was the second largest auto manufacturer in Canada last year based on the roughly 420,000 vehicles it produced, and the CR-V makes up close to half that total. Honda Canada spokesman Ken Chiu said the company has no plans to cut overall production or jobs in Canada, and that the company is instead shifting which vehicles go where based on tariffs. "We're basically swapping export destinations of a small portion of CRVs between our plants," he said by email. He said the decision to postpone the EV project, which would include a battery plant, a retooled assembly line and two other plants, has no effect on the 4,200 people who currently work at the Honda manufacturing plant in Alliston, Ont. Honda's decision, affecting plans that were expected to create 1,000 jobs, came as it reported a drop in profits and more on the way because of tariffs. The company said US President Donald Trump's tariffs are expected to cut US$4.4 billion from its operating profit for this fiscal year, largely because it has so many vehicles coming from Canada and Mexico into the US.
