Being a parent is hard, and one of the most difficult things to do as a parent is keeping the family safe. When it comes to cars that keep families safe, there are a lot of options. But one of the most popular options for new families is getting a minivan. Here’s a look at those who’ve bought a minivan and whether or not they regret their choice.

Most people are happy with their minivans

Despite the stereotype that only soccer moms drive minivans, minivans are a very popular and satisfying option for families to own and drive. This makes a lot of sense, as minivans have pretty much everything that a family could want in a car. 

Minivans tend to be longer than practically every other car body type on the road, so naturally, most minivans have a lot of space available. This is great not just for big families who need to do a lot of shopping, but also for parents who actually do want to help out with their kid’s soccer or other little league team. 

Plus, minivans tend to be very safe and the newest ones are packed with family-friendly features. The fanciest minivans give the driver the ability to watch over and talk to their passengers without having to look over their shoulder or even raise their voice.

There are some drawbacks though

That said, Beyond the Bump, which is a social media group on Reddit for new parents, has some minor regrets about buying a minivan. Minivans are large, and that comes with some negatives too.

The two most common issues that a minivan owner will have to face are the fact that minivans tend to get poor gas mileage and the fact that minivans have a huge turn radius. 

The newest minivans don’t have terrible fuel economies, but they’re usually not great regardless. This will definitely impact the bank accounts of new parents, which can become a big deal if you’re already living paycheck to paycheck. Additionally, all minivans are going to be very long, and that means that making turns with it can be more difficult than making turns with a smaller car. 

On top of that, most minivans don’t have all-wheel drive and that will be problematic for some parents. All-wheel drive is great for navigating through difficult terrains, so a minivan without all-wheel drive is going to have a harder time traveling through the countryside than the average SUV, which usually can have all-wheel drive, will. That said, newer minivans, such as the Chrysler Pacifica, do have all-wheel drive as an option.

What to know about minivans to avoid regretting your purhase

Like any other purchase, the best thing to do before deciding what to buy is figuring out what you actually want and need from it. Once you know that, you’ll know whether or not the car you’re thinking about will be enough. 

SUVs are very similar to minivans, and that’s part of the reason why SUVs are more popular than minivans. But, SUVs have their own pros and cons. For example, SUVs tend to be more powerful and sporty than minivans are. This allows SUVs to either go really fast or simply handle many different types of terrains. 

On the other hand, minivans are almost always going to be larger than an SUV. Big families who absolutely need as much space as possible may be disappointed with an SUV compared to if they had bought a minivan instead.

In general though, as long as you understand what a minivan is and isn’t, you won’t end up regretting your purchase. A minivan is a safe and practical family car, not a sports car and it’s definitely not a truck.