(June 8, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Parents magazine and Edmunds.com today revealed their annual list of Best Family Cars. All fifteen of the cars on the list meet the demands of parents who have young kids, loads of gear to schlep, and tight budgets to balance.

In order to formulate the list, the car experts from both organizations scrutinized hundreds of vehicles focusing on safety and reliability as top priorities.

Each car was also judged on performance, interior, exterior, and family-friendly features.

The 2011 picks offer best-in-class fuel-efficiency, effortless handling, and features that make family trips more manageable, from pop-up-tables to easy-loading trucks to conveniently placed power outlets. As always, safety is also a major requirement. Every vehicle on the list comes standard with a full set of front, side, and side-curtain air bags, plus anti lock brakes and electronic stability control. In addition to test-driving, analyzing, and comparing prices and features, Parents and Edmunds.com consulted parents who own and drive these vehicles every day.

A total of seven cars are new to this year's list. Toyota, Honda and Ford each placed three vehicles on the list, tying for the most among all manufacturers.

According to Parents and Edmunds.com, the 15 Best Family Cars of 2011 are (* denotes new to the list for 2011):

Sedans

    Hyundai Sonata* (starts at $19,195)
    Honda Accord (starts at $21,180)
    Subaru Legacy (starts at $19,995)

Budget

    Ford Fiesta * (starts at $13,320)
    Honda Fit (starts at $15,100)
    Mazda 3* (starts at $15,400)

Crossovers

    Mazda 5 (starts at $18,510)
    Toyota RAV4 (starts at $21,925)
    Kia Sorento * (starts at $20,995)

High-Mileage

    Toyota Prius (starts at $22,800)
    VW Golf TDI* (starts at $22,810)
    Ford Fusion Hybrid (starts at $28,240)

Big Cars

    Toyota Sienna* (starts at $24,460)
    Honda Odyssey (starts at $27,800)
    Ford Explorer * (starts at $28,190)