The Safest Minivans on the Market in 2017

Because Nothing Is More Important for Your Family

The modern minivan experience is a lot like being in a family room on wheels. The interior offers spacious and comfortable seating, entertainment options, and lots of places to store stuff. Because it’s a vehicle, you also want the power to haul seven or eight passengers and the safety technology to protect your precious family cargo.

U.S. News & World Report ranks seven minivans. We provide an analysis of reviews from top automotive experts, as well as expert safety and reliability data to equip the curious and careful shopper. Today, we see how minivans fare when measured by their safety scores.

The U.S. News safety score is based on an aggregate of data from top industry sources, including the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The safety score will also take into consideration the scope of a vehicle’s standard and available driver assistance safety technology.

We also included U.S. News’ overall score for each vehicle, so you can assess its overall quality. Keep in mind that our scores are updated constantly as new expert reviews and data become available. Therefore, the scores in this slideshow may not match the scores in our new car rankings.

• See 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Photos
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2017 Chrysler Pacifica

U.S. News Safety Score: 9.7/10 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.9/10 | $28,995

The Chrysler Pacifica breaks through into the minivan class as an all-new model that replaces the Town & Country. It beat its rivals to come out on top this year. The Pacifica has a nearly perfect safety score and is the only minivan named a Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS.

Priced at $28,995, the Pacifica is U.S. News’ 2017 Best Minivan for the Money. It earns top scores in each of the IIHS crash tests and has many available safety features, including automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the Pacifica five out of five stars in all but one test (it earns four stars in the rollover test). This is the best report card of all minivans.

The Pacifica, with a 287-horsepower V6 engine, carries up to eight passengers. Second-row Stow ‘n Go seats fold flat under the floor, maximizing cargo space. When the second-row seats are in use, you can use the underfloor as extra storage, or as a cooler, when equipped with special liners. The Pacifica comes with a rearview camera, the top-rated Chrysler Uconnect system, and an array of available convenience features.

The all-new Pacifica Hybrid has not yet been tested.

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2017 Kia Sedona

U.S. News Safety Score: 9.7/10 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.0/10 | $26,900

The Kia Sedona is one of the safest minivans on the road, and one of the least expensive. The Sedona was a finalist for our 2017 Best Minivan for the Money award. The Sedona seats seven passengers in an upscale, quiet, and comfortable cabin. An optional second-row insert can increase seating to eight. The IIHS named the Sedona a Top Safety Pick+, and the NHTSA gives it a five-star overall rating. The minivan is available with an array of active driver assistance safety features.

The base model, at $26,900, is priced about 10 percent below top rivals. For advanced technology packages and high-tech safety features, move up to the LX trim ($28,900). The Sedona may not have as many standard entertainment features as others, but with today’s mobile technology, that may not be a deal-breaker. Slide-n-Stow second-row seats make converting cargo space a cinch. No rival matches the Sedona’s five-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

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2017 Honda Odyssey

U.S. News Safety Score: 9.4/10 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.5/10 | $29,850

The Honda Odyssey is a safe, spacious minivan with loads of comfort and the drivability of a car. The Odyssey has been the winner of U.S. News’ 2017 Best Minivan for Families award for seven years in a row. It receives a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration but has not yet been evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The 2016 model was a IIHS Top Safety Pick, and the 2016 and 2017 Odysseys are similar.

The Odyssey is priced to start at $29,850 and is available in six trims. The Odyssey seats up to eight passengers and comes with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, a six-speed automatic transmission, and front-wheel drive. Expect a smooth ride with nimble handling and good fuel economy, at 19 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

A rearview camera is standard. Available features include forward collision warning, front and rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, and lane departure warning. LaneWatch uses camera technology to show what is in the next lane before merging.

The redesigned 2018 Odyssey on the next slide offers new second-row seating and other improvements.  

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2018 Honda Odyssey

U.S. News Safety Score: TBD | U.S. News Overall Score: 9.4/10 | $29,990

Redesigned for the 2018 model year, the Honda Odyssey receives a multitude of new standard and available safety features. A multi-angle rearview camera and brake assist come standard. Available features include pre-collision braking, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, road departure mitigation, and adaptive cruise control. Honda is also offering blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and park assist.

The Odyssey has not been crash tested by the NHTSA or IIHS yet. However, with many standard and available safety features, the 2017 Odyssey’s 9.4 safety score, and Honda’s history of producing extremely safe vehicles, the new Odyssey should excel in IIHS and NHTSA testing.

The 2018 Honda Odyssey starts at $29,990 and comes with a 280-horsepower 3.5-liter engine. A nine-speed automatic transmission comes standard as well, though a 10-speed is available.

The Odyssey has one of the largest cargo areas in the minivan class, with 158 cubic feet of cargo space available when the two rear rows are folded.

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2017 Toyota Sienna

U.S. News Safety Score: 9.0/10 | U.S. News Overall Score: 8.4/10 | $29,750

The Toyota Sienna is a well-rounded minivan. The Sienna offers a high-end cabin, class-leading cargo space, strong safety scores, and is the only minivan to offer all-wheel drive. The Sienna is available in five basic trims and three Premium trims. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gives the Sienna an overall five-star safety rating.

The Sienna starts at $29,750 and was a finalist for our 2017 Best Minivan for the Money award. The Sienna features a new, smooth, eight-speed automatic transmission and a more-powerful 296-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine.

The 2017 Sienna includes basic safety features, but more become available in upper trims, including Toyota’s Safety Connect, with emergency assistance, roadside assistance, and automatic collision notification.

Enjoy a class-leading 39.1 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row. Lay down the third-row Split & Stow seat for 87.1 cubic feet of space. A power-folding feature is available. Get a maximum of 150 cubic feet by removing the second-row seats.

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2017 Dodge Grand Caravan

U.S. News Safety Score: 8.5/10 | U.S. News Overall Score: 7.1/10 | $25,995

The Dodge Grand Caravan offers a low price and convenient Stow ‘N Go seats that fold into the floor, but it doesn’t offer a lot of overall value.

The Grand Caravan gets spotty safety scores, including a poor rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in their small front overlap crash test, which measures the impact of hitting the edge of another vehicle or stationary object such as a pole. The Grand Caravan comes with a rearview camera and is available with rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert.

The highpoints of the Grand Caravan include its starting price of $25,995 for the SE trim. The minivan seats seven, and the third-row Stow ‘N Go seats offer flexible cargo space.

The Grand Caravan is equipped with a 283-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 engine. Standard features include a six-speed automatic transmission, front-wheel drive, tri-zone manual climate control, and a 6.5-inch touch-screen infotainment system.

The Grand Caravan is available in four trims. The SE Plus trim offers Stow ‘N Go standard in the second-row, along with satellite radio and voice recognition. A backseat DVD entertainment system is optional in all trims.

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More Shopping Tools From U.S. News & World Report

If you’re looking to get one of these minivans on the cheap, take a look at our best lease deals and financing deals pages. There, we’ve compiled a list of all the best incentives manufacturers are currently offering. Before you visit the showroom, explore our new car rankings to see how minivans compare in every category.

When you’re ready to buy, be sure to use our Best Price Program to find the dealership in your area offering the lowest prices. Shoppers who use the program save an average of $3,279 off their new car purchase.