The best electric cars for families in Australia

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Whether you need a seven-seater or you’re looking for the best family car for a party of five, there is quite a lot in the market to choose from when it comes to family-friendly electric vehicles (EVs).

RELATED: Every car available with seven seats in Australia

We’ve compiled a list of 10 of the most family-friendly electric cars currently on sale in Australia, taking into account pricing, boot space, child seat tether points and driving range.

Which ones cut it for young families? Which ones are more suited to families with older children who don’t need child seats, prams or all of the other baby paraphernalia that would otherwise occupy space in your car?

Here’s your starting-point shopping list…

Hyundai Ioniq 5

The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 is available with either all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive and is priced from $64,500 before on-road costs. This futuristic EV is hugely spacious for front and back-seat passengers, and able to accommodate three child seats across the back, or a combination of both child seats and passengers.

It has two ISOFIX and three top-tether anchor points, built-in sunshades for the rear windows on certain grades, and a range of up to 507km depending on specification grade, with a generous boot capacity of more than 560L (before you even count the extra room in the frunk!). 

Tesla Model Y

With a price point starting at $65,400 before on-road costs, a back seat that can fit three child seats, a combined boot and frunk capacity of 971L, and a driving range of up to 533km, you can see why (no pun intended!) there are so many Model Ys on the road.

There are three variants – one rear-wheel drive and two all-wheel drive – with a long range and performance powertrain available. In terms of safety, the Model Y also has a five-star rating from independent assessor ANCAP. 

Genesis GV70

The Genesis GV70 comes with the option of both petrol and electric powertrains, the electric being the most expensive at $126,475 before on-road costs. This luxe medium electric SUV has two ISOFIX and three top-tether child seat anchor points, and can actually fit three seats across the back row.

It has built-in sunshades for the rear windows, and its combined storage capacity between the boot and frunk is 525L (22L frunk, 503L all five seats up, 1678L with the back seats folded). With an electric range of 445km and all-wheel drive, this city-friendly car can double as a weekend road-tripper.

LDV Mifa 9

This seven-seater people mover comes in a 2:2:3 seating configuration. The second row has two captain’s chairs, making the usual awkward climb to the third row much more elegant. The two captain’s chairs have ISOFIX and top-tether anchor points, plus there’s one top-tether point in the third row, allowing for three child seats in total.

The Mifa 9 is available in three variants: the base model is called the Mode and costs $104,000 with a range of 440km, the mid-spec Executive is priced from $115,000 with a range of 435km, and the top-spec Luxe will set you back $129,000 and has a range of 430km (all prices are before on-roads).

The boot capacity is 466L, and if you fold down the third row that goes up to 2017L. It has a five-star ANCAP safety rating, the airbags cover all three rows, and it has a centre airbag between the front occupants.

Kia Niro EV

This crossover SUV can squeeze three child seats across the back row, making it a great choice for those wanting a family car with a compact footprint. The two outer seats have ISOFIX anchor points, and all three have top-tether anchor points. The boot capacity is 475L, plus an extra 20L from the frunk. If you fold down the back seats, you’ll get 1392L of storage capacity.

It’ll cost you $66,590 for the base grade, or $72,360 for the GT-Line (both prices before on-road costs). Both variants have a range of 460km and it scored five stars for the ANCAP safety rating.

Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric

The Volvo XC40 Recharge starts at $76,990 for the Pure Electric rear-wheel drive, which offers a single motor, while the Twin Pure Electric four-wheel drive costs $85,990 before on-road costs. The single-motor Pure Electric offers a driving range of 460km and the dual-motor Twin Pure Electric has a range of 500km.

There are two ISOFIX and three top-tether anchor points in the back seat, but you probably won’t fit three child seats across without some serious strategising as this is a small SUV. The boot will offer up 419L of space, or 1295L with the back row folded down, plus an extra 31L in the frunk. 

Audi Q8 E-Tron

If you’re after a large upmarket SUV, the minty-fresh Audi Q8 E-Tron landed in late 2023 priced from $153,900 before on-road costs and offering a large cabin with premium leanings and a decent range of up to 454km on a single charge.

It comes with a boot capacity of 656L, or 1453L with the back row folded down, plus 62L in the frunk. If you opt for the Sportback, you’ll lose 43L of storage capacity and it’ll cost $12,000 more. Both models come with two ISOFIX-equipped seats and three top-tether child seat anchor points, and it received a five-star safety rating from ANCAP based on testing in 2019.

MG ZS EV

The MG ZS EV small SUV is one of the most affordable EVs on the market. There are three variants: the Excite will cost $40,990, the Essence is $43,990, and the Long Range is $49,990 (all prices are before on-road costs). All variants are front-wheel drive, but the Excite and Essence have 360km of range, whereas the Long Range has 505km of range.

It has two ISOFIX and three top-tether child seat anchor points, and depending on which child seats you use, you might even be able to fit three across the back row! The boot capacity is a little smaller than some of the others on the list, with only 359L of space. You’ll get 1187L if you fold down the back row, but sadly no frunk for extra storage. 

BYD Atto 3

The BYD Atto 3 is a mid-sized SUV with a competitive price point and a quirky cabin. It offers two variants to choose from – the Standard costs $48,011 and has a driving range of 345km, while the Extended costs $51,011 with a driving range of 420km.

The back seat only offers child seat anchor points on the two outboard seats. For most families this won’t be a problem, but if you’re ever hoping to place a child seat in the middle, that isn’t possible. The boot is on the smaller side, offering just 440L of space, but expanding to 1340L with the rear seats folded down.

Mercedes-Benz EQB

If you’ve got a larger family, the Mercedes EQB should be on your radar. The EQB250 is an optional seven-seater and generously gives you four ISOFIX and five top-tether anchor points for child seats, allowing you to fit a total of five child seats at once. It doesn’t have a frunk, and with all three rows in use, the boot capacity is on the smaller size at only 130L. Folding down the third row will give you 495L, and folding down the second row will give you 1710L.

There are two variants, the EQB250 front-wheel drive and the EQB350 four-wheel drive. The EQB250 costs $87,734 before on-road costs with a larger driving range of 507km. The EQB350 is $106,155 before on-road costs with a driving range of 445km. It has seven airbags that reach the third row, but unfortunately only the EQB250 front-wheel drive has an ANCAP safety rating of five stars, while the EQB350 is currently unrated.

Honourable mention: Hyundai Kona EV

The Kona EV would have made our list, but you currently can’t buy it in Australia with the all-new Kona Electric yet to arrive Down Under, though expected soon. The previous model was on the smaller side, so if you’re hauling around a large pram or have multiple children, it might not be quite right for you.

But it still had what a lot of families needed – child-seat anchor points across the back row, a five-star ANCAP safety rating and affordable ownership costs. We’re yet to drive the new model, but hopefully it maintains this legacy and even offers a longer driving range and a little more boot space, as the previous capacity of 332L was on the smaller side.

The post The best electric cars for families in Australia appeared first on Drive.

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