CHICAGO -

Cars.com gained the assistance of Joey Lawrence, star of ABC Family’s Melissa and Joey, and his family to help determine what they think is the best crossover vehicle that costs less than $30,000.

Nine models are in the running to be the winner of the “Family Crossover Shootout,” a campaign that also involves USA Today and Motorweek. The competition is set for Saturday and includes:

—2011 Chevrolet Equinox    

—2011 Dodge Journey          

—2011 Ford Escape

—2011 Honda CR-V

—2011 Hyundai Tucson                    

—2011 Kia Sportage

—2011 Nissan Rogue

—2011 Subaru Forester         

—2011 Toyota RAV4

The Lawrence family, in conjunction with the Cars.com editors, indicated they will rate the family-friendly features of each vehicle, including ease of loading car seats in and out, driving comfort, special features and styling.

After the day of testing, site editors explained they will tally up the results and reveal the winning vehicle on Feb. 1. Following the announcement, Cars.com and Lawrence said they will donate the winning vehicle to the Los Angeles Chapter of the March of Dimes Foundation, for which Lawrence is a California State Ambassador.

Lawrence is currently starring in the highly rated ABC Family comedy Melissa and Joey, co-starring Melissa Joan Hart. Cars.com mentioned Lawrence also starred with Hart in My Fake Fiance, which garnered the highest ever television movie ratings for the network. 

Lawrence is known for his starring role in the hit 1990s series Blossom and the third season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. The actor and his wife, Chandie Yawn-Nelson, have two daughters: Charleston (born in 2006) and Liberty Grace (born in March).

“The opinions of actual families are invaluable additions to the expert opinions of our editors,” explained Patrick Olsen, editor in chief of Cars.com.

“Joey Lawrence is more than just a television actor — he’s also a dad with two young daughters, and like many young families, he and his wife have the same concerns about styling, comfort and convenience that other young families do,” Olsen continued. “His opinions will be terrific supplements to our own.”