Choosing the best family SUV with 3rd row seating takes more than counting seats. A third row can look big on paper and still be a pain when two car seats are in the way. Another one fits teens and adults, but costs far more than you planned.
This guide ranks seven top picks for 2026. It uses real specs, crash-test results, and child seat ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Prices are starting prices and will change, so treat them as a guide.
Best Family SUV With 3rd Row: Quick Picks
- Best overall: Hyundai Palisade
- Best for big kids and adults: Kia Telluride (2027)
- Best for cargo and fuel economy: Toyota Grand Highlander
- Best for car seats: Honda Pilot
- Best for young kids: Subaru Ascent
- Best budget: Kia Sorento
- Best for towing and big families: Ford Expedition
Step 1: Pick Your Size
Three-row SUVs come in three sizes. Start here, because size sets your budget and your gas bill.
- Small (Kia Sorento): The third row works for big kids and teens on short trips. Edmunds says it fits families that only need that row now and then.
- Midsize (Palisade, Telluride, Grand Highlander, Pilot, Ascent): The sweet spot for most families. Starting prices run from about $40,000 to $44,000.
- Large (Expedition, Tahoe): More room for people, cargo, and towing. Starting prices begin above $60,000, and Kelley Blue Book lists them at 17 to 18 MPG.
Need the roomiest third row? Our list of the most spacious 3rd row SUVs shows legroom, headroom, and hip room for 25 models.
Step 2: Know What the Car Seat Rating Means
LATCH is a set of metal anchors hidden in the back seats. They let you click in a child seat without using the seat belt. IIHS rates how easy those anchors are to find and use.
Good+ is the top score. It means the SUV has good anchors in two seats and at least one more full set beyond that.
One more tip. Many safety awards only apply to SUVs built after a certain date. Check the build date on the sticker in the driver’s door frame before you trust a badge. We point out the dates below.
The 7 Best Family SUVs With a 3rd Row for 2026
1. Hyundai Palisade – Best Overall
Edmunds named the Palisade Hybrid its best midsize three-row SUV for 2026. The gas version is almost as good, but the hybrid is more efficient and quicker. The 2026 redesign made the Hyundai Palisade bigger, and Edmunds says its reclining third row can fit adults.
- Best for: families who want one SUV that does everything well
- Starting price: about $41,035 for the gas model
- Fuel economy: 21 MPG combined for gas. A hybrid is also offered.
- IIHS award: Top Safety Pick+, but only for 2026 models built after November 2025. Hyundai changed the rear seat belt buckles at that point.
- Car seat rating: Good+
- Downside: Top trims cost a lot. Edmunds says the upper trims start above $50,000.
2. Kia Telluride (2027) – Best for Big Kids and Adults
Kia redesigned the Telluride for 2027 with a bigger, boxier body. Kelley Blue Book says it can seat six adults in comfort. It also pairs that room with a top crash-test award and the top car seat score.
- Best for: families with teens or adults who ride in the back
- Starting price: about $40,735
- Fuel economy: 22 MPG combined. A hybrid is also offered.
- IIHS award: Top Safety Pick+ for 2027 models built after June 2026
- Car seat rating: Good+
- Downside: KBB says the base turbo four-cylinder engine feels slow. The SUV is also new, so there is little long-term owner data yet.
3. Toyota Grand Highlander – Best for Cargo and Fuel Economy
The Grand Highlander is for families that really use all three rows. A certified child passenger safety technician at The Car Mom found the third row roomy enough for older kids, and for adults on shorter drives. Her large stroller fit in the trunk with room to spare. Edmunds says the hybrid saves a lot of gas compared with gas-only rivals.
- Best for: families that haul gear and want better gas mileage
- Starting price: about $43,355
- Fuel economy: 24 MPG combined for gas. The hybrid is much better.
- IIHS award: None for 2026. IIHS rated it Acceptable, not Good, in the small overlap crash test.
- Car seat rating: Good. The third row has only one full set of LATCH anchors.
- Downside: No safety award. Also, a child seat installed with LATCH in the second row will not slide, so reaching the third row gets harder.
4. Honda Pilot – Best for Car Seats
The Honda Pilot is built for the car seat years. The Car Mom’s technician says its second-row bench has three full sets of LATCH anchors. The center seat also pops out and stores under the trunk floor, so you can switch between a bench and captain’s chairs. Take it out and you get an easy walkway to the third row between two car seats.
- Best for: families with three kids in car seats, or kids who change seats often
- Starting price: about $43,690
- Fuel economy: 22 MPG combined
- IIHS award: None for 2026. It earned Acceptable in the moderate overlap crash test.
- Car seat rating: Good+
- Downside: No safety award, and the tiny middle seat in the third row is not very useful.
5. Subaru Ascent – Best for Young Kids
The Subaru Ascent is a safe, simple family hauler. IIHS gave it a Top Safety Pick+ award and the top Good+ car seat score. IIHS counts three seating spots with full LATCH anchors, plus extra spots with top-tether anchors. Subaru’s EyeSight driver-assist system is standard, and it avoided a collision in every IIHS front crash prevention test run against cars and motorcycles.
- Best for: families with younger kids who put safety first
- Starting price: about $42,245
- Fuel economy: 22 MPG combined
- IIHS award: Top Safety Pick+ for 2026 and 2027 models
- Car seat rating: Good+, with extra LATCH positions
- Downside: U.S. News calls the third row tight, so plan it for kids. Cargo space is also a little below the class average.
6. Kia Sorento – Best Budget
The Kia Sorento is the smallest SUV here and the cheapest. KBB lists it at 26 MPG combined, the best on its list of three-row SUVs. Edmunds says the hybrid is the best version, with good acceleration and strong value. A plug-in hybrid with about 30 miles of electric range is also offered.
- Best for: families with two or three kids who need a third row now and then
- Starting price: about $33,885
- Fuel economy: 26 MPG combined
- IIHS award: Top Safety Pick+ for 2026 models built after September 2025
- Car seat rating: Acceptable
- Downside: The third row is smaller than in the midsize picks. It suits big kids and teens, not adults on long trips.
7. Ford Expedition – Best for Towing and Big Families
Edmunds picked the Ford Expedition as its best large three-row SUV. It has a split tailgate, lots of passenger room, and a strong V6 engine. With the Heavy Duty Towing package, Edmunds says it can pull up to 9,600 pounds, the best of its rivals. KBB ranks it first on its three-row list.
- Best for: big families that tow a boat or camper
- Starting price: about $65,495. The longer Expedition MAX starts near $68,495.
- Fuel economy: 18 MPG combined
- IIHS award: None among the 2026 large SUV winners
- Car seat rating: Acceptable in IIHS’s 2024 test
- Downside: Price, fuel use, and crash tests. IIHS rated the 2023 to 2024 Expedition Marginal in the small overlap test. We could not confirm a newer result, so check the current IIHS rating for your model year before you buy.
Quick Comparison
| SUV | Price from | MPG | IIHS award | Car seat rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Palisade | $41,035 | 21 | Top Safety Pick+* | Good+ |
| Kia Telluride (2027) | $40,735 | 22 | Top Safety Pick+* | Good+ |
| Toyota Grand Highlander | $43,355 | 24 | None | Good |
| Honda Pilot | $43,690 | 22 | None | Good+ |
| Subaru Ascent | $42,245 | 22 | Top Safety Pick+ | Good+ |
| Kia Sorento | $33,885 | 26 | Top Safety Pick+* | Acceptable |
| Ford Expedition | $65,495 | 18 | None | Acceptable (2024) |
The award only applies to builds after a set date: Palisade, November 2025. Telluride, June 2026. Sorento, September 2025. Prices and MPG are from Kelley Blue Book in October 2026 and are for gas models. Hybrids get better mileage. Safety results are from IIHS.
Which Is the Best Family SUV With 3rd Row for You?
- Three kids in car seats: Honda Pilot
- Teens or adults in the back often: Kia Telluride or Hyundai Palisade
- Lots of gear and long road trips: Toyota Grand Highlander
- Two young kids and an occasional third row: Subaru Ascent or Kia Sorento
- Tight budget: Kia Sorento
- Fuel economy first: Grand Highlander hybrid or Sorento hybrid
- Towing a boat or camper: Ford Expedition
Also Worth Considering
- Mazda CX-90: Pick it if you want a sportier drive and rarely use the third row. It earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for 2026 and starts near $40,830 with 25 MPG. CARFAX notes a small third row and less cargo room than rivals.
- Nissan Pathfinder: Pick it if you want an award winner without a big price. It earned a 2026 Top Safety Pick+, and KBB includes it on its list of the cheapest three-row SUVs.
- Chevrolet Tahoe: Pick it over the Expedition if car seat anchors matter most. IIHS gave the Tahoe a Good+ car seat score in its 2024 tests, but rated its pedestrian crash prevention Marginal. It starts near $63,495 with 17 MPG.
- Ford Explorer: Pick it if you like driving. It earned a 2026 Top Safety Pick. CARFAX says rivals use less gas and some have more second and third-row room.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Buying on seat count. Eight seats do not help if you cannot fit your car seats where you need them.
- Skipping the test drive with your own car seats. Bring them. Install them, then try to reach the third row.
- Trusting a safety badge without the build date. Several awards above only apply to later builds.
- Forgetting the cargo trade-off. With the third row up, trunk space shrinks a lot, and you often lose space compared with a two-row SUV.
FAQ
What is the best family SUV with a 3rd row?
The Hyundai Palisade is our best overall pick. Edmunds named the Palisade Hybrid its best midsize three-row SUV for 2026. The best one for you depends on your car seats, your budget, and who rides in the back.
Which 3-row SUV is the safest?
Among our picks, the Palisade, Telluride, Ascent, and Sorento earned IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for 2026, in some cases only for later builds. The Mazda CX-90 and Nissan Pathfinder also earned it. The Pilot and Grand Highlander did not earn an IIHS award for 2026.
Which 3-row SUV has the best third row?
The Telluride, Palisade, and Grand Highlander have the roomiest third rows in our list. Reviewers say adults can fit, at least on shorter trips. For measurements on more models, see our most spacious 3rd row SUVs.
How many car seats fit in a 3-row SUV?
It depends on the SUV and your seats. The Honda Pilot’s second-row bench has three full LATCH sets, so it is the easiest pick here for three child seats. Always test with your own seats.
Is a 3-row SUV better than a minivan?
Not always. A minivan has sliding doors and a lower floor, which makes car seats and third-row access easier. Choose an SUV if you want all-wheel drive, towing power, or more ground clearance.
Bottom Line
The best family SUV with 3rd row seating is the one that fits how your family rides. The Palisade is the best all-around pick, and the Telluride suits big kids and adults. The Grand Highlander wins on cargo and fuel economy, while the Pilot is the easiest with car seats. The Ascent is a safe choice for younger kids, the Sorento saves money, and the Expedition tows.
Before you buy, check the build date and test with your own car seats. Want more legroom numbers? Read our list of the most spacious 3rd row SUVs.