Best Family Car Add-Ons That Are Worth the Money (And 3 Experts Say You Don’t Need)

With the average new car now costing more than $50,000 according to the pros at Kelley Blue Book, choosing the right features for your family matters more than ever. There are more safety features and add-ons available than you can imagine. Some seem necessary; others less so. And when it comes to luxury cars, the sky’s the limit: think air suspension that lowers the vehicle for easy loading and 24-speaker sound systems. 

But which features are truly worth it, and which can you skip? We talked to the experts–and test-drove a luxury SUV to find out. 

“One of the biggest mistakes you can make is assuming the most expensive SUV has everything you need,” says Luke Oswald, an automotive specialist at Wheels Away. His advice: “Spend your time looking at what’s going to suit your family, and most importantly, what it’s going to cost you.”

Here, a look at the best features in today’s luxury cars. 

Features you want

Parking-assistance technology 

The family-friendly SUVs are BIG—that’s one of their main draws. Kids have a lot of stuff, after all. And parking extras go a long way, since it’s not always easy to park a big car.  For that reason, Oswald says, “You may find it useful to invest in additional parking sensors and cameras. It can save you money in potential repair bills in the long run. If you end up hitting the bumper, your repair bill could end up costing you far more than you realize, especially if your lights or sensors become damaged.”

Bogdan Teodoru, whose site CarRuler.com measures cars against real garages and parking spaces, suggests looking for power-folding mirrors and a surround-view (360°) camera. “The reason is size. All 20 full-size SUVs on sale today fit in a standard 20-foot-deep garage, but not one leaves enough room to walk past the bumper. Long versions like the Cadillac Escalade ESV are almost 19 feet long. Height matters too: a Jeep Wagoneer clears a typical 6 ft 8 in parking-garage sign by just 0.3 inches, and a Mercedes G-Class doesn’t fit under it at all.”

He recommends checking the car against your own garage. “Of the 58 SUVs with a third row, only 34 fit a 20-foot garage with room to walk around them,” he says.

360-degree camera

“My top pick for an SUV add-on feature would be a 360-degree camera,” says auto blogger Rajeswari Menon, who writes for the auto app Way.com. “As a mother, I’ve done my share of navigating a huge SUV around school drop-offs and crowded mall parking lots. Having this camera in my car has helped with seeing curbs and pillars without twisting around in my seat. These usually work by using your front, rear and side mirror cameras, along with ultrasonic sensors, to give you a 3D view of everything around your car.” 

In the BMW X5, she says, it’s part of their Parking Assistance Package, which also includes Distance Control and Park Assistance. “At less than $1,000, this is definitely a bang for your buck.”

Rear climate control 

Whether you’re chauffeuring a toddler or teenager, comfort is key to making the drive more enjoyable for everyone. And cars with rear-climate controls, back-row air vents and sunshades are worth it, says Simon Grannville, founding partner of Nero Line, a European luxury services brand for supercars, yachts, private jets and villas. “A cold or sweaty kid in the back causes more trip disruption than the infotainment ever will.”

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In-car cameras 

“Some brands offer in-cabin cameras so the driver and front passenger can see what’s going on behind them. This is especially useful if you have a baby in a rear-facing carseat and want to check on them without disturbing them,” says David Undercoffler, Head of Consumer Insights at car-shopping site CarGurus. 

Road noise cancellation

“You can get an upgraded cabin sound package that includes active noise cancellation. This is especially helpful for families because you’ll be able to hear each other more easily when communicating from the front to the rear seat of a three-row SUV,” says  Melanie Musson, an auto industry expert with AutoInsurance.org.

Family-friendly extras

Beyond safety tech, which experts say should come first, there are a few simple luxuries that feel like necessities once you try them. “Second-row captain’s chairs, easy third-row access and rear-seat climate controls sound like small things until you have kids in car seats,” says Zander Cook, co-founder and chief revenue officer of auto fintech company Lease End. “A hands-free liftgate pays for itself the first time you’re holding a toddler and a bag of groceries. Pay for materials that survive spilled juice and crushed snacks, like quality leatherette. And look for USB-C ports in every row and good smartphone integration. Parents use those daily.”

Features you can skip 

Built-in rear screens

Kaplan calls this an easy skip. Many younger kids have their own tablets and teens have their own cell phones, so it’s a splurge you don’t need (plus, as any parent with more than one child knows, the fights over what to watch can make even a short ride feel endless). Menon agrees: “It’s not something I’d recommend. The features you should spend on are those that improve safety and your driving experience.” 

Panoramic roof 

“A panoramic roof looks good in the brochure, but a plain manual rear sunshade does more for a napping toddler than tinted glass does,” says Grannville. 

Power-folding rear seats 

Undercoffler advises against them. “Not only are they slower to move up or down than manually operated ones, but if your kids are like mine and they love to climb all over the inside of a car when it’s parked, power-folding seats can sometimes pose a safety hazard.” Musson agrees, “especially if your kids will need to climb to the third row multiple times a day. Mechanical levers are quick; power seats can take a while to move.”

Fancy wheels, lighting and tech

If you’re trying to make your money stretch, Cook has a few more skips: “Oversized wheel packages ride harder and cost more to replace. Pricey ambient-lighting and premium-audio bundles are ones families pay for and barely notice.” He also advises against gesture controls, which let you adjust the stereo and other settings with a wave of your hand. “Most people turn them off within weeks.”

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The bottom line 

Undercoffler, who knows what shoppers want, says, “Think about the situations your family encounters most often, then choose features that make those moments easier. Also, remember that at the dealership, the test drive is much more than just the drive. Sit with the vehicle parked and test out the features you’ll use the most often. Make sure you know how they work, where the controls are and whether they’ll actually make your life easier. Bring a stroller, car seats, anything else you’ll be using to make sure everything fits so there are no surprises when you get home.”

Test-driving the 2027 Infiniti QX80

Last month, I had the opportunity to drive the new Infiniti QX80—a high-end luxury vehicle with all the bells and whistles. What I learned: A long ride on congested highways is a lot more enjoyable in a luxury car, and features like the massaging, heated seats, lane-control technology and hands-free highway driving make all the difference. 

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From the moment I sat in the roomy interior of the sleek three-row SUV, I felt pampered. The car was full of luxe touches: leather seats, wood-toned interior trim and even a cooler box between the front seats for drinks and snacks. I’m used to driving large cars, but this one was even bigger than the family cars I’ve driven for years. Yet it felt surprisingly smooth and easy to handle. My 6-foot-one husband had plenty of leg room and the backseats were roomy enough for our tall teenagers. 

Taking turns behind the wheel, we tested out as many features as we could, from the 24-speaker Klipsch sound system to the wireless charging pad and USB-C ports wherever we turned. Steering assistance helped me stay in my lane, and a number of cameras made parking the large car easier than expected. (I even chanced parallel parking and slid right into the space!) Another fun feature was the Head Up Display, which projects your speed, speed limit and navigation directions on the windshield so I never had to take my eyes off the road. 

After a few days with the QX80, my husband and I agreed: We didn’t want to give it back. The heated auto-massage seats, the impressive sound system and luxury trim were a treat, but it was the practical stuff that won us over, from the display that kept my eyes on the road to the cameras that made parking painless. And as it turns out, the features I used most were the ones experts say are worth the spend. For a family that spends serious time in the car, the QX80 made every mile feel a little easier.

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