Honda is well known for making high-quality cars, and one of the automaker’s best models is the Odyssey. Like most other vehicles in Honda’s lineup, the Odyssey is an excellent option for households. Indeed, it recently earned the title of the best minivan for families in U.S. News’ 2023 Best Cars for Families awards. Here’s a look at the 2023 Honda Odyssey and why it won in the minivan segment.

An overview of U.S. News’ 2023 Best Cars for Families awards

U.S. News recently published the winners of its 2023 Best Cars for Families awards. Reviewers evaluated 92 vehicles in various segments based on categories important to families. They include family-friendly amenities, cargo space, safety, seat comfort, and other areas. 

Editors chose 10 winners. The Hyundai Santa Fe won in the two-row SUV segment, while the Kia Telluride won among three-row SUVs. Another Hyundai model, the Tucson, earned the award in the compact SUV segment, while the Chevy Suburban got the nod as the best large SUV.

U.S. News awarded the Toyota Highlander Hybrid in the hybrid SUV segment and the Kia EV6 in the EV segment. Kia also won for the K5 in the midsize car segment. Meanwhile, the Toyota Camry Hybrid took home honors in the hybrid car segment. And, of course, the Honda Odyssey snagged the win among minivans.

Why is the 2023 Honda Odyssey the best minivan for families?

One of the most significant changes to the 2023 Honda Odyssey is its trim-level selection. Because Honda discontinued the standard LX trim, the $37,500 EX is now the base model. That means the 2023 Odyssey costs $4,000 more than the previous model but has more standard features. 

That’s one of the main reasons this minivan is an excellent option for families. It has a well-built, spacious, and comfortable interior loaded with features. For example, heated front seats are standard, as are Honda’s Magic Slide seats in the second row. When users fold the seats flat, they get 158 cubic feet of cargo space — above average for a minivan. 

In addition, the Odyssey boasts a long list of advanced safety and ADAS features. It has the usual forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking but also less common systems. For example, it has adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, and others as standard equipment.

Here are the runners-up in U.S. News’ 2023 Best Cars for Families awards

Folks who don’t want to spend at least $37,500 on a minivan have other excellent options, such as the Kia Carnival. It starts at $33,000 and is a runner-up in U.S. News’ best minivan category. In the large SUV segment, the Chevy Tahoe was the runner-up, while the Hyundai Palisade took second in the three-row SUV class.

The Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5 were runners-up in the compact SUV category, while the Kia Sorento Hybrid and Hyundai Tucson Hybrid were runners-up in the hybrid SUV segment. The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid was second-best in the hybrid car category, while the Toyota Camry was the runner-up in the midsize car segment. Finally, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 took second place in the EV segment.