5 Most Popular Vehicles for Moms

DETROIT TheStreet) -- Let us say up front that this story concerns the kind of moms who still have kids at home, not the moms who have finished with that part of the job and only have to deal with the continuing requests for money, advice and emotional support.

Those younger moms probably don't even realize that once the kids have left the house, the work of being a mom continues unabated. Those moms probably think that if they only had a decent vehicle in which to put the little people, life would be at least semi-manageable.

As we approach Mother's Day weekend, we should consider the reality that the right vehicle can, in fact, vastly improve the logistics of motherhood. Within that context, TrueCar.com has selected the top five cars for moms, based on a nationwide survey of 200,000 mothers who bought new cars in 2011 and were polled by mail and Internet about their purchases.

What do women with children want?

"Women are value-oriented, and they are looking for vehicles that are functional, practical, and safe, with good fuel economy at a good price," said TrueCar.com analyst Kristen Andersson. "They want a car that's stylish but also one that can handle all of their family's needs."

The TrueCar list indicates that women like imports, particularly Honda (HMC) , which makes three of the top five vehicles. Numbers six through 10 are the Volkswagen Jetta, Nissan Rogue, Honda Accord, Honda Civic and Nissan Sentra.

Chrysler, as well as Toyota (TM) only appear on a list of the top five vehicles for women with three or more children. Those five are Honda Odyssey, Honda Pilot, Toyota Sienna, Nissan Altima and Chrysler Town & Country minivan.

"Female buyers gravitate towards import vehicles (because) they have more aggressive styling, are focused on safety and hit the value points that women look for," Andersson said.

In 2006, fuel efficiency was less of a priority. Then the top five vehicles for moms were Ford(F) Expedition, Ford Escape, Volvo XC90, Jeep Commander and Nissan Armada.