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    SUVs and Minivans With the Most Cargo Space

    These roomy and versatile models are available with flexible cargo areas and various seating configurations

    Chrysler Pacifica MiniVan with Cargo area Photo: Chrysler

    While many buyers are hesitant to purchase a minivan because it screams “soccer mom” to them, there’s no denying that these do-it-all vehicles provide abundant cargo room and low loading floors that make it easy to put everything inside. And those sliding side doors make it a breeze to get boxes, bags, furniture—you name it—loaded and unloaded.

    But hold on. The midsized and large SUVs of today offer plenty of cargo room as well, and without the compromises of past versions, such as seats that fold on top of—rather than into—the floor, or tall liftovers that make it challenging to get your stuff up and into the cargo bay.

    Nearly every SUV now has second- and (if equipped) third-row seats that fold flat, or even into the floor, which make it a snap to go from hauling passengers to carrying cargo. Plus, they all have standard or optional all-wheel drive, something only two minivans offer. Finally, SUVs often have a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds or more. Minivans top out at 3,500 pounds if they’re even rated to tow.

    More on Minivans and SUVs

    Still, knowing how much cargo your minivan or SUV can carry is a challenge. While automakers are happy to highlight the overall luggage capacity of their offerings, not all of that cargo room is usable space. Having a lot of space doesn’t do much good if the cargo opening is narrow, short, or oddly shaped. 

    At Consumer Reports we evaluate cargo room with an expandable rectangular pipe-frame “box.” We enlarge it enough to just fit through the rear opening and extend it into the cargo bay as far as possible without preventing the hatch from closing.

    Cargo capacity is the volume enclosed by that box, because it doesn’t help you to have a cavernous space with a small hatch opening. This gives consumers a better idea of what they can fit through the hatch and in the back, whether it’s luggage for a trip, a new dishwasher, or a big-screen TV coming home from the electronics store. (Learn more about how Consumer Reports tests cars.)

    Based on our testing process, we’ve identified the 10 minivans and SUVs with the most usable cargo room. They’re ranked in order of cubic feet of cargo room with both rows folded down, with the top performer first.

    All of the vehicles here have standard automatic emergency braking (AEB), AEB that works at highway speeds, blind spot warning (BSW), and rear cross traffic warning (RCTW) unless noted otherwise. Not every vehicle is recommended. This may be because of below-average reliability or a too-low Overall Score.

    If you’re a CR member, this article and the list below are already available to you. But if you haven’t signed up, click below and become a member to access the list and all our exclusive ratings and reviews for each vehicle we buy and test.

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    We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.


    Jon Linkov

    Jon Linkov is the deputy auto editor at Consumer Reports. He has been with CR since 2002, covering varied automotive topics including buying and leasing, maintenance and repair, ownership, reliability, used cars, and electric vehicles. He manages CR’s lineup of special interest publications, hosts CR’s “Talking Cars” podcast, and writes and edits content for CR’s online and print products. An avid cyclist, Jon also enjoys driving his ’80s-era sports car and instructing at track days.