The Best Cars For The Family In 2022

Family cars don’t need to be underpowered and ugly with the desirability of a bus. In previous decades, they might have been, but in this day and age families of all size can find cars that hit all the bases. The best family cars aren’t just spacious – they’re efficient, great to drive, reliable and safe.

Your first port of call when hunting for a new family car should be expert reviews of the models you’re considering – and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box, looking into cars that you may not have considered before. Often the best choice for you and your family comes from the left field.

Industry events like the Parkers New Car Awards 2021 can even give you a shortcut, outright recommending the best cars for your needs.

But remember that your own unique needs ought to influence your decision the most – so make sure you take a comprehensive test drive and think really clearly about what you actually use your car for day-to-day.

The best car for small families: Ford Puma 

The Ford Puma is absolutely perfect for smaller families. For starters, it’s quite a small car – and those compact dimensions mean it’s easy to park, great around the city and lightweight enough to provide great fuel economy.

But it’s also ideal for family life. You’ll find enough room in the rear seats for everything from bulky child seats to lanky teenagers. The environment up front is nice too – the Puma is closely related to the best-selling Fiesta, and shares its dashboard. That means simple, easy-to-understand controls and an infotainment touchscreen set right in your eyeline for safer operation.

The Puma’s boot is large with a massive underfloor storage compartment known as the ‘Megabox’ – perfect for keeping things out of sight or separating items in the boot. The feather in this car’s cap is how good it is to drive, with peppy engines and fantastic handling.

Also consider: BMW 1 Series, Skoda Kamiq

The best car for medium-sized families: SEAT Leon Estate 

Those who need some extra space couldn’t do much better than this hugely spacious estate car. Sure, SUVs are the flavour of the month but the sleek and handsome SEAT Leon Estate proves that you don’t need jacked-up suspension and body cladding to get a practical family hauler.

The highlight here is the Leon’s boot, which is significantly larger than even cars from several size classes above. It’ll cope just as well with the family kit and clobber as it will with taking a fridge to the tip or buying a whole bedroom’s worth of flat-pack furniture.

Better yet, the Leon Estate has a wide choice of engines, with smooth petrols and diesels joined by an excellent plug-in hybrid. This offers super-low running costs and thanks to its CO2 emissions makes for a really cost-effective company car. [https://www.gov.uk/tax-company-benefits/tax-on-company-cars]

Also consider: Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Karoq

The best car for large families: Kia Sorento 

Large families mean one thing – more seats. The Kia Sorento is a really excellent seven-seater SUV, with plenty of room for the kids to stretch out in all three rows. Fold those back seats down and the boot is massive, too, so this truly is a multi-purpose vehicle, just without the bland image of traditional MPVs.

That large but rather stylish body conceals a choice of three engines – regular diesel, hybrid or plug-in hybrid, so no matter your needs there’ll be a Sorento to suit.

And if you’re one of those people who likes to keep their cars for a long time, the big Kia has not just seven seats but seven years of warranty cover – one of the best policies in the motoring world and one that ought to ensure the Sorento remains a reliable family transporter for as long as possible.

Also consider: SEAT Tarraco, Land Rover Defender 110