New to eBikes - where to start?

Hey everyone!

Just joined the forum and super excited about the world of eBikes! I'm completely new to this, but I'm really eyeing a cargo eBike as a potential car replacement for errands and school runs (about 5-10 miles round trip, mostly suburban streets with a few hills). For those of you who've gone down the cargo eBike route, what was the absolute first thing you considered or researched when starting out? Any specific features or brands that stood out for reliability and hauling capacity?