The rise of SUVs has given buyers an increasing number of vehicle options with high hip points affording easy ingress and egress, ideal for older buyers who are no longer as limber as they used to be.
However, while higher-riding vehicles have become ubiquitous on the new-car market, technology is making new vehicles increasingly alienating.
Safety features such as overspeed alerts and lane-keep assist systems can chime incessantly and are often only able to be turned off via a touchscreen menu.
Likewise, many manufacturers are removing physical switchgear for key functions such as the air-conditioning, forcing drivers to dig through touchscreen menus or use clumsy voice assistants.
It’s annoying enough for many younger drivers, and for elderly drivers it can be especially frustrating.
That’s not to paint all older Australians with the same brush – there are plenty of tech-savvy seniors out there, plus ones that probably exercise more regularly than we do. Nevertheless, older folk are often more predisposed towards mobility issues, and may have ingrained preferences and habits.
The CarExpert Editorial team has come together to identify which vehicles are best for elderly buyers, considering factors such as ease of use, accessibility, and running costs.
Team members asked which vehicle they’d recommend for an elderly friend or relative, with a strict price cap of $50,000 before on-road costs but no requirement as to which powertrain it had to have. Here’s what the team chose.
James Wong, Marketplace Editor
Honda CR-V e:HEV X
When I think of what an older friend or relative needs, I think safety, cost-efficiency as well as ease of ingress/egress.
I reckon the Honda CR-V is one of the best all-rounder SUVs, for its boxy and practical interior which retains tactile buttons and switches; as well as an efficient hybrid drivetrain and engaging dynamics.
And, for $49,900 drive-away, the base e:HEV hybrid is great bang for buck against the competition. Throw in a five-year warranty and five services capped at $199, it really shapes as a smart and hassle-free buy.
My own parents loved their first-gen CR-V, and if they still had to cart their kids around (we’re all grown up and drive ourselves these days) I bet this would be at the top of their list.
But please don’t tell them I loosely referred to them as elderly…
MORE: Explore the Honda CR-V showroom
Ben Zachariah, Road Test Editor
Toyota Yaris Cross
With my 97-year-old grandmother finding it increasingly difficult to get in and out of the passenger seat of my mother’s Peugeot 308, in recent weeks Mum swapped into a Subaru XV – the previous name of the Crosstrek.
Grandee doesn’t have to climb up and into it, as is the case with some SUVs, but the raised ride height makes things a bit easier. The (almost wagon) five-door hatchback body also means there’s plenty of space for Grandee’s walker and her piano-moving equipment.
However, if she were still driving herself, my recommendation would be the Toyota Yaris Cross. In my review last month, I specifically mentioned that this vehicle would suit a lot of different types of buyers, including those with reduced mobility. It’s a good height, with clear and easy controls, and drives well for a car in this segment.
Toyota also just announced a range of accessories designed to help those with physical disabilities and the elderly, with the products designed to work with most of its models.
MORE: Explore the Toyota Yaris Cross showroom
Damion Smy, Deputy News Editor
Honda ZR-V e:HEV X
Lots of caveats apply because this comes down to personal preference, but if I had to spend around $50,000 on a car for my mum, I’d choose the clumsily named Honda ZR-V e:HEV X ($43,400 drive-away).
It’s easy to get in and out of, has plenty of cabin space given she rarely carries more than one passenger, yet doesn’t feel large or cumbersome to drive.
It’s also not overly reliant on a touchscreen, the controls are intuitive, it’s fuel-efficient and it comes with capped-price servicing. It would also be her first new automatic, making it a smart evolution rather than a tech-for-tech’s-sake revolution.
At well under $50,000, there’d even be enough left over for a set of woollen seat covers and the mandatory dashmat – standard issue in all of my mum’s cars.
MORE: Explore the Honda ZR-V showroom
Josh Nevett, Deputy Marketplace Editor
Toyota Corolla Cross GXL
I often swear to myself that I’ll keep driving low-slung, impractical sports cars until I’m old and grey, but most elderly drivers will be better served by something like the Toyota Corolla Cross.
It’s right-sized for accessibility and ease of driving, while the cabin features familiar physical controls that make for a gentle learning curve. Being a Toyota, you can also count on low running costs and strong safety credentials.
The base Corolla Cross GX is adequate, but spending a little extra for the GXL is worthwhile given it gets a larger, more readable infotainment screen, native satellite navigation, rain-sensing wipers, and surround-view cameras to help prevent parking bingles.
MORE: Explore the Toyota Corolla Cross showroom
Max Davies, Marketplace Journalist
Mazda CX-3 Akari
My immediate thought here was the Subaru Crosstrek. It’s made by a known brand with a reputation for safety, it sits at a comfortable height for those with limited mobility to clamber in, and it offers an unintimidating, traditional on-road experience.
But then I considered the not-so-flash portrait touchscreen that requires just a tad too much thought for even basic climate adjustments – even I find it cumbersome. That alone would make a new Crosstrek a difficult sell for someone who’d likely want their car to be as straightforward as possible.
Therefore, my recommendation is the Mazda CX-3. It’s just as familiar and is just as easy to get into, but the fact it’s getting on in years means it’s still quite old-school inside. The three-dial climate setup alone should feel incredibly easy compared to the Subaru, and there’s an undeniably basic setup throughout the interior in general.
It still has enough tech to feel modern, but doesn’t overwhelm you with settings or touchscreen-only controls.
Why the $39,190 before on-roads Akari, I hear you ask? Simple: it’s the only CX-3 to get a surround-view camera, which I’d expect to be very useful when pulling up to the shops or the RSL.
MORE: Explore the Mazda CX-3 showroom
William Stopford, News Editor
Honda HR-V e:HEV
You’re probably seeing a theme here: a lot of Japanese vehicles.
They’re not immune from the trend towards ditching physical switchgear – the new Mazda CX-5 being a case in point. But for the most part, they produce vehicles which mightn’t have the flashiest technology, but which have the most user-friendly cabins and the least intrusive safety systems.
Korean vehicles from Hyundai and Kia come close, but have their own foibles like nagging overspeed alert systems.
You really can’t go wrong with any of the Japanese hybrid SUVs, but I’ll call out the Honda HR-V in particular. It’s easy to get in and out of, comfortable once you’re in, and boasts user-friendly controls and driver assist systems that don’t aggravate.
It’s also refined and extremely fuel-efficient, while the cabin is quite practical apart from the frustrating lack of a centre-rear seat. However, this is likely to be less of an imposition on elderly buyers than young families.
MORE: Explore the Honda HR-V showroom
Sean Lander, Head of Video
Suzuki S-Cross
I wouldn’t let my elderly grandparents drive the TV remote, and the guys told me my suggestion of a 12-seater Toyota Coaster with a wheelchair lift didn’t count, so here I am settling on a Suzuki S-Cross – a vehicle that has been discontinued but which you can still find stock of.
Really, you could pick any Suzuki SUV – perhaps with the exception of the Jimny – and it would be fine in this category.
None of them make enough power to be a menace on the drive to the shops. The ride height is good for egress and ingress when you’re onto your second or third hip and the basic interior doesn’t have any fan-dangled technology that will irritate my grandmother who still doesn’t trust computers. Oh, and they still come with AM radio, so they can listen to Radio National all day long.
And at well under $40,000 for virtually every model, they are pretty cheap, reasonably reliable and you’re not going to be too sad when they inevitably hit all the bollards at the IGA carpark.