Best Used SUVs Under $20,000 for Families

If your family fits comfortably in two rows, start with a 2018 Honda CR-V. If you need a third row, compare a 2017 Honda Pilot, 2017 Toyota Highlander and 2020 Ford Explorer. Bring your passengers and everyday gear to see how well each vehicle fits them.

The key question is simple: can everyone get in, buckle up and travel with what you carry? An extra seating position is not much help if a child seat blocks access to it or a stroller takes up space needed by a passenger.

The $20,000 ceiling here is the advertised vehicle price, before taxes and other charges. Availability depends on mileage, condition and location. Keep money available for any immediate work identified by an independent inspection.

Start with the seats you use every day

Write down your normal passenger count and the occasions when it increases. There is a difference between carrying an extra person twice a month and using the third row on every school run.

These are recommendations about where to start a physical comparison. They are not guarantees of a particular child-seat fit, and they are not a ranking based on family road tests.

CR-V EX: spend the budget on the car you actually need

Honda's 2018 brochure lists Honda Sensing as standard on the EX, but not the LX. It also lists 39.2 cubic feet of luggage space with the second row upright. That combination makes the EX worth considering when five seats cover your needs.

Pros: Generous published luggage space for a compact SUV and standard driver-assistance equipment. Check that equipment on the actual car.

Cons: No third row. A five-seat description also does not establish that your specific combination of child restraints, boosters and adults will fit across the rear bench.

Follow the vehicle and child-restraint manuals when installing child seats. Set the front seats for the people who will use them, then check access to buckles and whether the stroller fits without folding an occupied seat. Have the engine, transmission and service history assessed as carefully as the interior.

Pilot: check access to the third row

Honda's 2017 brochure lists Honda Sensing as available on EX and EX-L and standard on Touring and Elite. Do not assume that a leather interior or an EX-L badge proves the package is fitted. Honda also offered different transmissions across the range; identify the version before comparing fuel estimates or service requirements.

Pros: Three-row seating, with several seating and equipment combinations to choose from.

Cons: Equipment varies across the range, and third-row access may be harder with your child seats installed than it appears in a brochure.

Check how the layout would work on a school run. Can an adult help a third-row passenger buckle in? Where will the bags go? Check that every seat locks securely back into position. Request records for major scheduled servicing and have the inspector estimate the cost of anything coming due.

Highlander: useful when the third row is occasional

Toyota lists 42.3 cubic feet behind the second row of the 2017 Highlander and 13.8 behind the third. The larger figure applies when the third row is folded. Use the smaller figure when planning a trip with every row occupied.

Pros: Extra seats when required and a larger luggage area when the third row is folded.

Cons: Limited room for a family's luggage with the third row upright. Have your passengers try those seats before deciding whether they are suitable.

An XLE with a clean history can be a candidate, but a lower price on a different trim may leave more of the budget for maintenance. Equipment and condition should decide the choice, not the badge alone.

Explorer: check the luggage advantage in person

Ford lists 18.2 cubic feet behind the 2020 Explorer's third row, compared with 13.8 in the Highlander. Load both vehicles with your usual gear, especially if you will use all three rows frequently. The Explorer also appears on the IIHS/Consumer Reports used-vehicle Best Choices list for the applicable years.

Pros: More published space behind the third row in this comparison.

Cons: A larger cargo figure does not establish better reliability or a better deal. Check every seating mechanism, tires, service records and VIN-specific recalls. Test how the transmission shifts both when cold and after a drive.

Bring your family’s gear to the appointment

Bring the child restraints, stroller and the people whose fit is hardest to judge. Allow time for an independent inspection and a complete written price. If that price or the required repairs break the budget, move to another example rather than dropping the checks.

Use the cargo measurements to compare space, the safety guide to match the right ratings, and the main SUV guide if two rows may be enough.