Family car
A family car rarely fails on room for people and almost always on room for everything else. Three child seats side by side, a pushchair across the boot, crates of drinks under the cover: those are the measurements that decide a car — not the number of seats in the brochure. An estate or a van is almost always the more sensible choice here than an equally priced SUV that is bigger outside and smaller inside.
What matters
- Measure rather than trust: take the pushchair to the viewing. A 500-litre boot is no use if the load lip is too high or the opening too narrow.
- Isofix in the second row is standard; in the middle seat it is rare. If you need three seats side by side, check that before anything else — and measure the width of the rear bench.
- Sliding doors are priceless with children in tight car parks and the main reason a van beats an SUV day to day. They are more expensive to repair, though.
- The third row almost always comes at the expense of the boot. You get both only in very large cars — check the load space with the third row up, not folded.
- Work out the insurance before buying. Two equally sized family cars often sit several groups apart — over the years you keep it, that adds up to more than the difference in purchase price.
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Common questions
- Estate or SUV for a family?
- For the same overall length the estate has more usable boot space, uses less fuel and costs less to run. The SUV offers easier access — which genuinely matters with child seats — and in most cases all-wheel drive. If you carry a lot of luggage, the estate wins; if you are lifting children in and out every day, often the SUV does.
- How many seats does a family really need?
- Five is enough for most. Seven seats pay off if more than five people travel regularly — not for one outing a year. A seven-seater permanently costs more space when parking and more fuel, and the third row is in the way the rest of the time.