Buying a car that fits the needs of the whole family is a lot harder than buying a “personal” car. This is because the vehicle will most likely be used for a variety of purposes, from driving the kids to school to taking camping trips into the backcountry.

The first thing you need to do, before anything else, is to take a look at your budget. Then factor in the cost of the car, how much gas it will use, how often you will need to do maintenance and how expensive it will be. If your budget is small, this first step will most likely take some options out of the running.

Once you know how much you can spend, the next step is to look into the particular needs of your family. If you have small children, for example, you will need a car with the right size backseat, so you can strap the car seat or pack large toys. Have a dog? Make sure there’s enough room in the back to store a cage, in case you need to travel long distances. Look also into the types of activities your family is into. If you take lots of family trips, you would do better with a car that gives you the most mileages per gallon. If you often go into the countryside, a small car not fit for 4×4 driving will get you into trouble.

If at all possible, take a 24-hour test drive. If you have your eyes on a particular car that you have never driven before, you can try renting it for a day to see how your family “fits” into it.