Toyota is a popular automaker for a lot of reasons, so it’s not surprising that Toyota models win awards. In fact, two Toyota hybrids were named as one of the best 2023 cars for families, and here’s a look at why they’re such great options.

How U.S. News chose the winners of the Best Cars for Families award

As U.S. News explained, the ‘Best Cars for Families’ award winners were determined by a combination of factors. Those factors included the car’s relevant specs, such as its cargo capacity and its safety ratings. Another important factor included what family-friendly features the car had, as well as how the car performed in reviews. 

The site had nine different categories in total. There were two categories for sedans, one EV category, and six categories for SUVs and minivans. The Hyundai Santa Fe won in the best two-row SUV category, while the Kia Telluride won in the best three-row SUV category.

The Hyundai Tucson was named the best compact SUV for families, and the Chevy Suburban won in the best large SUV category. The Honda Odyssey got the win for the minivan category, and the Kia EV6 was named the best EV for families. Kia had another win in the sedan segment, as the K5 was named the best midsize sedan for families.

The 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is a great hybrid SUV option

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid, meanwhile, was named the best hybrid SUV for families. This Toyota SUV won because it had a great combination of features and few issues to speak of. Its hybrid powertrain provides 243 hp and about 36 mpg combined. It gets those numbers while having three rows of seats as standard, though the third row is cramped.

On top of that, when the seats are folded down, the Highlander Hybrid maxes out at 84.3 cu-ft of space. That’s far more cargo capacity than most other hybrid SUVs offer. The Japanese auto giant also gave the hybrid SUV a lot of standard family-friendly features, including a tri-zone automatic climate control system and a Wi-Fi hotspot. That said, it’s on the expensive side as it starts at about $40,000.

The 2023 Toyota Camry Hybrid is the best Toyota hybrid car for families

The Toyota Camry Hybrid was named the best hybrid car for families, and it won for many of the same reasons as the Highlander Hybrid. The $28,000 hybrid sedan’s powertrain gives it 208 hp and 52 mpg combined. That’s a great fuel economy for a hybrid, and it’s able to get those numbers while having a spacious and comfortable interior.

U.S. News described the Camry Hybrid’s cabin as “well-built”, and its trunk has a capacity of 15.1 cu-ft. Toyota also gave the car a lot of standard family-friendly features, and this is especially true in terms of safety features.

The Camry, just like the Highlander, comes with Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, which gives it a suite of smart safety systems, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and more.

A lot of other great cars made U.S. News’ list as well

While the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and the Toyota Camry Hybrid were the winners in their respective categories, the car critic named several cars that followed the two Toyota hybrid models. The Kia Sorento Hybrid and the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid were both runner-ups in the hybrid SUV category.

Hyundai had another runner-up as the Sonata Hybrid trailed behind the Camry Hybrid in the hybrid car category. Overall, all of these cars are great, and car shoppers should take the time to try them out if they’re able to.