Best Value Family Cars

11 August, 2026

Written by

To qualify for the family car category, SUVs had to be genuinely large rather than mid-sized and offer at least seven seats.

Little separated the top three in the segment, with the MG QS Excite just pipping the Kia Sorento S and Chery Tiggo 9 hybrid to take the honours.

The MG QS gained an almost unassailable headstart on its closest competitors thanks to its $46,990 drive-away price – nearly $13,000 cheaper than the second-placed Sorento. Not even its chunky $9742 five-year fuel bill, the highest among the top 10, could keep the MG QS from claiming the chequered flag.

The Sorento’s strong 58.3 per cent projected residual value helped it secure second, while a parsimonious 1.3L/100km fuel consumption figure gave the Chery Tiggo 9 third place.

This was another category where the abnormally high cost of diesel fuel skewed results, pushing the likes of the Ford Everest and Hyundai Staria further down the list. The petrol Toyota Kluger GX, on the other hand, could only manage fifth due to a $67,793 drive-away price.

Just three people movers made it into the family car top 10: the Kia Carnival S, Hyundai Staria 2.2 and the little-known Ford Tourneo Custom Active. All three suffered due to high servicing costs. The Tourneo also had to contend with the highest drive-away price ($75,893) and precipitous depreciation, finishing 10th.

Winners and finalists

Best Value Cars 2026

MG QS Excite

Category: Family Car

Drive-away price: $46,990
Depreciation: $22,790
Fuel/electricity: $9,742
Insurance: $9,655
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $1,992
Tyres: $1,036
Total: $50,115*

Drive-away price: $46,990
Depreciation: $22,790
Fuel/electricity: $9,742
Insurance: $9,655
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $1,992
Tyres: $1,036
Total: $50,115*

Best Value Cars 2026

MG QS Excite

Category: Family Car

Drive-away price: $46,990
Depreciation: $22,790
Fuel/electricity: $9,742
Insurance: $9,655
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $1,992
Tyres: $1,036
Total: $50,115*

Drive-away price: $46,990
Depreciation: $22,790
Fuel/electricity: $9,742
Insurance: $9,655
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $1,992
Tyres: $1,036
Total: $50,115*

Highly Commended

Best Value Cars 2026

Chery Tiggo 9 CSH Elite

Category: Family Car

Drive-away price: $58,008
Depreciation: $32,108
Fuel/electricity: $1,490
Insurance: $11,230
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $1,595
Tyres: $640
Total: $51,963*

Drive-away price: $58,008
Depreciation: $32,108
Fuel/electricity: $1,490
Insurance: $11,230
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $1,595
Tyres: $640
Total: $51,963*

Highly Commended

Best Value Cars 2026

Chery Tiggo 9 CSH Elite

Category: Family Car

Drive-away price: $58,008
Depreciation: $32,108
Fuel/electricity: $1,490
Insurance: $11,230
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $1,595
Tyres: $640
Total: $51,963*

Drive-away price: $58,008
Depreciation: $32,108
Fuel/electricity: $1,490
Insurance: $11,230
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $1,595
Tyres: $640
Total: $51,963*

Highly Commended

Best Value Cars 2026

Kia Sorento S

Category: Family Car

Drive-away price: $59,778
Depreciation: $27,678
Fuel/electricity: $7,466
Insurance: $8,224
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $2,662
Tyres: $1,348
Total: $52,278*

Drive-away price: $59,778
Depreciation: $27,678
Fuel/electricity: $7,466
Insurance: $8,224
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $2,662
Tyres: $1,348
Total: $52,278*

Highly Commended

Best Value Cars 2026

Kia Sorento S

Category: Family Car

Drive-away price: $59,778
Depreciation: $27,678
Fuel/electricity: $7,466
Insurance: $8,224
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $2,662
Tyres: $1,348
Total: $52,278*

Drive-away price: $59,778
Depreciation: $27,678
Fuel/electricity: $7,466
Insurance: $8,224
Rego + CTP (Years 2–5): $4,900
Servicing: $2,662
Tyres: $1,348
Total: $52,278*

*Costs over five years

Full results

Select a criterion to filter the chart:

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Rank	Vehicle	New price	On-road costs	Drive-away price	Depreciation	Fuel/electricity	Comprehensive insurance	Registration (Years 2–5)	CTP (Years 2–5)	Servicing	Tyre replacement set (same as OEM tyre fitted)	Total five-year ownership cost
1	MG QS Excite	$46,990	$0	$46,990	$22,790	$9,742	$9,655	$2,644	$2,256	$1,992	$1,036	$50,115
2	Chery Tiggo 9 CSH Elite	$52,990	$5,018	$58,008	$32,108	$1,490	$11,230	$2,644	$2,256	$1,595	$640	$51,963
3	Kia Sorento S	$54,675	$5,103	$59,778	$27,678	$7,466	$8,224	$2,644	$2,256	$2,662	$1,348	$52,278
4	Hyundai Santa Fe 7-seat 2WD	$54,400	$4,552	$58,952	$26,952	$9,561	$9,438	$2,644	$2,256	$2,660	$1,348	$54,859
5	Toyota Kluger GX Hybrid	$62,410	$5,383	$67,793	$34,893	$6,418	$8,111	$2,644	$2,256	$1,325	$1,444	$57,091
6	Ford Everest 4x4 Active	$58,990	$5,468	$64,458	$33,358	$8,834	$8,998	$2,644	$2,256	$1,596	$964	$58,650
7	Kia Carnival S	$54,560	$5,098	$59,658	$32,458	$8,089	$9,865	$2,644	$2,256	$2,863	$640	$58,815
8	Hyundai Staria 2.2	$54,300	$4,967	$59,267	$32,167	$8,959	$9,716	$2,644	$2,256	$2,659	$856	$59,257
9	Mazda CX-90 G50E Touring	$69,300	$5,513	$74,813	$37,913	$8,617	$9,898	$2,644	$2,256	$3,399	$1,700	$66,427
10	Ford Tourneo Custom Active	$68,990	$6,903	$75,893	$40,593	$9,208	$12,846	$2,644	$2,256	$3,695	$1,540	$72,782

How we crunch the numbers

Purchase price
The NSW drive-away price, not the manufacturer suggested retail price, reflects the actual cost for consumers. Redbook’s ‘drive-away’ calculator is used for consistency and promotional drive-away deals are included where relevant. Prices are correct as of June 30, 2026.

Depreciation
Data is sourced from AutoEdge and based on the vehicle’s estimated trade-in value after five years/60,000km.

Fuel costs
For combustion vehicles, the five year figure is calculated using the official combined fuel economy, NSW average fuel price (minimum RON for each car) and average annual driving distance. ABS data was used for annual distance figures, while pricing is based on NSW average fuel costs over the first six months of 2026.

Electricity costs
For electric vehicles, a blended model is used – 70 per cent home charging, 20 per cent public charging and 10 per cent solar. This creates a realistic national average of 32.5c/kW. The formula is calculated using combined energy consumption (kWh/100km) and weighted electricity cost over 55,500km.

Insurance
The comprehensive insurance premium from NRMA Insurance is based on a 30-year-old male living in Chatswood and using the car for personal use, with a clean driving history and $1000 excess.

Servicing and maintenance
Our servicing costs are the total spend for the first five services. These figures don’t include consumables like fi ters, which can change the price depending on your individual vehicle. LDV is the only brand without capped price servicing, with those figures based on dealer estimates.

Registration and CTP
The figures are based on NSW ownership over years 2-5, as these costs are already included in on-roads for the first year.

Total cost
The ownership cost is effectively everything you spend over five years, minus what the car is still worth if you were to sell it.

Tyres
One replacement set is included over five years. Tyroola provided pricing as of June 30, 2026, with replacement tyres being the same spec and brand as fitted from the factory.