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Minivans
| Cargo Capacity |
Extremely good. Often tremendously large even when the 3rd row is up and being used (Note – it is often the times when you have extra passengers that you also need extra cargo space – so having the ability to fit all the cargo BEHIND the third row is very advantageous) |
Cargo Safety
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Fair. While there is no barrier/screen available to divide the cargo from the passenger area, the cargo area is usually 2 feet lower than the floor of the vehicle, Additionally, it's usually possible to fit all of the cargo behind the 3rd row seats. Both of these mean that cargo is less likely to fly up and over into the passenger area, compared to SUV's and wagons, where the cargo area starts closer and higher to passengers.
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Seating Capacity
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7 or 8 seats depending on model
The third row seats are usually more comfortable for bigger kids and adults than those of 6-7-8 seater SUV’s. In minivans, the seat pan is usually longer and the seats sit higher off the floor. The center rear position of some minivans still lacks a shoulder belt and a head rest, making it not the safest place for anyone greater than 40 pounds (kids under 40 pounds riding in car seats do not need a shoulder belt or a head rest).
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Access to 3rd Row
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Varies according to center row seating arrangement. In general, though, access is usually much easier than in an SUV, since you can walk through a minivan but must crawl through an SUV. This is especially important if you have older/elderly passengers who will need to ride in the 3rd row.
--With 2 separate captain’s chairs in the middle row, access to the 3rd row is obtained by walking (or stooping) in front of the middle row seat and then between the two captain’s chairs. Note that if your minivan has doors on either side, you can access the third row from either side.
--With 2 separate captain’s chairs pushed next to each other, or a 2-passenger bench in the 2nd row, access to the third row is obtained from only one side of the vehicle (whichever side does not have a vehicle seating position in the 2nd row).
--With 3 separate captain’s chairs in the middle row you must tumble one of the captain’s chairs to access the third row. In order to tumble the seat, you cannot have a car seat installed in this position. Note that if you have a car seat installed in the center captain’s chair, it may not be possible to tumble the side captain’s chair as the car seat may overhang into the side seat’s territory. This is an issue in the Honda Odyssey (8-seater version) but not in the Toyota Sienna (8-seater version).
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LATCH in Center
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Despite being family vehicles, many minivans only have LATCH in 2 positions. Those that feature LATCH in the center of the 3rd row often have inconvenient LATCH anchor positions, where the anchors are placed more to one side. This means the 3rd row has one very small seat and one very large seat on either side. If you need to fit 3 car seats/boosters across the third row (like for carpool) it is often not possible to use the LATCH system in the center, because you can then only fit one car seat on the side, not two as you would have been able to do if the center seat was more “centered.” The 8-seater Toyota Sienna has the most LATCH positions.
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Fuel Efficiency
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Usually pretty good
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Back Row Roominess
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Captain’s chairs are usually very roomy. On the minivans currently offering an optional 8th seat (in the center row center position) the Toyota Sienna’s seat is a full-sized, whereas that in the Honda Odyssey is about ½ - 2/3 the size of a regular seat. This means it's less comfortable for adults and less accommodating for a car seat. The 3rd row in most minivans typically cannot accommodate three full-size car seats (but often can accommodate 3 narrow back-less boosters).
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Rollover Risk
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More risk than a car, but less risk than SUV's.
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Vehicles 
