Today, more people have been heard using SUVs as they prove to offer flexibility, safety, and comfort to families. While searching for the best family SUVs with the third row, it is necessary to take into account certain factors that will create optimum safety for our families. The choice of an SUV for your family should always begin with safety for the family members. Here we have brought the details of the top 10 safest family SUVs with a third row for you that can make your task easier to find one from the pool of available choices. Here’s our top 10 list:
Table of Contents
1. Kia Telluride
Automotorblog’s team has given the 2025 Kia Telluride the first spot, which has a low incidence of complaints and generates a high level of passenger protection through the use of advanced safety features. The Kia Telluride also has versatility and comfort, as well as security on its side, thanks to the overall 5-star rating provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Besides conventional sophisticated safety systems like Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Driver Attention Warning, the Telluride has received the IIHS Top Safety Pick +.
2. Honda Pilot
Of course, the Honda Pilot has been a popular choice for families for many years, and our team put it in the second spot. In terms of safety requirements, the 2025 Honda Pilot received a perfect five out of a possible five stars in NHTSA crash tests. All Honda models and submodels have standard Honda safety features. Honda Sensing features include Adaptive Cruise Control, Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Keeping Assistance, and Collision Mitigation Braking.
3. Toyota Highlander
The Toyota Highlander is another non-luxury mid size SUV that is commonly on a family car lot because of its high reliability and safety features. The 2025 Highlander has scored 5 stars overall from NHTSA, and a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS. Keller lists typical safety features of the Toyota Highlander as follows: Pre crash system with the ability to predict a pedestrian/vehicle, lane tracing assist, dynamic cruise control, etc. and Safety Sense 2.5 which combines all of them.
4. Hyundai Palisade
One of the new SUVs in the car market, Hyundai Palisade is one vehicle that has become a tycoon despite its many family cars owing to its safety technologies and outlook. The NHTSA gave Palisade a 5-star overall safety rating in its testing, just as it did with the other vehicles on our list. It was also one of the Top Safety Picks of the year, according to the IIHS. Features that are aimed at safety are forward Collision Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Following Assist, and Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist.
5. Subaru Ascent
The 2025 Subaru Ascent has a range of standard safety features; EyeSight Driver Assist Technology consists of adaptive cruise control, the lane departure warning & the automatic emergency brake. Subaru Ascent received five stars in the NHTSA ranking and became the current IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Besides, a standard all-wheel-drive system offers extra confidence, particularly on snow-covered roads in the Ascent.
6. Volkswagen Atlas
Volkswagen Atlas was ranked 5 stars by NHTSA and it gets the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating. Over and above safety equipment that comes with the atlas is the Front Assist, which is a forward collision warning and autonomous brake system, there is also the Blind Spot Monitor and the Rear Traffic Alert. Space, which is the third row, as well as a comfortable driving experience, can be attributed to the main advantages of this family car.
7. Chevrolet Traverse
New 2025 Chevrolet Traverse has received the safety ranking 5 stars in the US from NHTSA and has been awarded as the IIHS best safety pick. This kind of SUV has other special alerts like Chevrolet’s Safety Alert Seat, which consists of vibrating pulses to draw the driver’s attention to potential risks, together with other features including headlamp IntelliBeam auto high beam and lane departure warning and forward collision alert.
8. Mazda CX-90
The Mazda CX-90 is a modern and safe car for families who need a three-row SUV. The 2025 CX-90 can boast a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA and Top Safety Pick from the IIHS. Other safety measures are usually called i-Activsense, Vehicle Radar Cruise Control, Smart City Brake Support, and LDW.
9. Nissan Pathfinder
The 2025 Nissan Pathfinder is not just simply a fundamentally sound, but useful, standard family vehicle with three rows. The current one receives a well-deserved 5-star safety rating from NHTSA as well as the IIHS Top Safety Pick; safety equipment incorporated in Nissan Safety Shield 360 includes; lane departure warning, blind spot warning, and automated emergency braking.
10. Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer, one of the most emblematic family SUVs, also remains committed to the protection of its users in its 2025 model. With an IIHS top safety pick and a 5 star NHTSA crash test rating, this vehicle has got to be secure one. What you get here is Ford Co-Pilot360, which is a standard safety feature that has features like blind-spot alerting and assist with emergency braking and Cross-Traffic Braking.
Conclusion
To keep you and your family safe when driving, it’s critical to select the safest family SUVs with a third row. The SUV models mentioned above are among the top ten SUV models in terms of safety ratings and standard safety features. All of these cars are unique in their own right, and their main goal is to keep cars and families safe. Consider what’s best for your family, how much you want to spend, and—above all—stay safe when choosing a course of action. After reading these tips, you should be able to choose the family SUV model that will keep you safe while driving.
Thank you for reading this article with the list of the top 10 safest family SUVs that you can buy in 2025.
