Dacia Jogger review – the best-value seven-seater
The best family cars 2024
The 10 best family cars you can buy all offer space, comfort and plenty of technology
Buyers looking for the best family cars want plenty of practicality to keep up with the hustle and bustle of family life. It should have at least five seats with space for the parents and kids, and a good-sized boot to fit the weekly shop and perhaps a pushchair or a few suitcases for trips away. A reliable family car is vital, too, as the family’s trusty steed shouldn’t let you down when you need it.
Top 10 best 7-seater cars 2024
When it comes to family cars, the usual names such as Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus come to mind, but the fact is that while these have long been staple choices, the market has evolved with lots of different body styles such as family hatchbacks, mid-size SUVs and MPVs over the years. Don’t think you have to settle for something merely functional, either – there are many premium modern family cars that offer an air of upmarket appeal for parents that want to maintain their image.
Keep reading to discover our favourite family runarounds across the entirety of the new car market. However, if you’re looking for something a bit more specific, why not check out our lists of the best large family cars and the best electric family cars?
- Priced from £18,000
The Dacia Jogger is quite simply one of the best-value cars currently on the market, winning our 2024 Carbuyer Best Family Car award. It takes the Sandero’s simple, but effective recipe as a cheap runabout but adds much more room, with space for seven passengers. As a result, the best thing about the Jogger is that it offers MPV-like space for the price of a supermini, making it the logical choice for a growing family.
In 2023, Dacia even expanded the Jogger’s simple engine range with a hybrid version, meaning the Jogger is a surprising new rival to established hybrids such as the Toyota Corolla, albeit costing around £7,000 less. The hybrid offers an impressive 58.9mpg fuel economy figure and is best suited to high-mileage drivers, or those who spend lots of time in traffic where its engine can switch off temporarily.
Safety should be a top priority for any family car buyer, so the Jogger’s one-star score could look off-putting at first. However, the Jogger was tested in 2021 when it wasn’t available with the latest safety tech; Dacia has since updated its range with new safety features, including lane-keeping assist and a more sophisticated automatic emergency braking system, so its one-star score isn’t fully reflective of the car currently on sale.
- Priced from £27,000
If you don’t need space for seven, then the Skoda Octavia might just be the best family car on the market. Based on the tried-and-tested Volkswagen Golf platform, the Octavia is hugely practical, with class-leading cabin space and a vast boot – over 220 litres larger than the Golf’s. What’s more, you get loads of standard equipment in even the most affordable model, including a 13-inch infotainment touchscreen, dual-zone climate control and heated seats, meaning there’s not much need to upgrade to a pricier trim level.
Costing well under £30,000, the Skoda Octavia delivers great value-for-money. Running costs should be low, too, thanks to new mild hybrid tech for the petrol engine, while Skoda still offers a diesel model for those who cover long distances on the motorway – the latter will return up to 66mpg. The Octavia is further backed up by a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, a string of decent Driver Power owner’s survey results, and the option of an even more practical estate version.
- Priced from £26,000
The second-generation Hyundai Kona is a brilliant small family car because it’s the culmination of all of the feedback the brand received about the original model. It’s slightly larger than before and more practical as a result, making it more usable for a small family. Its looks may divide opinion, but there’s no denying it stands out among the crowd in this respect.
It feels more upmarket, too, with a modern, yet simple design on the inside, and it all feels well-built. While many car manufacturers have been ditching physical controls in favour of incorporating many features into a touchscreen, Hyundai has kept many of them, and everything feels easy to use as a result. You get a generous level of equipment, too, with all versions getting a 10.25-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and a 12.9-inch digital dash for the driver. There’s also front and rear parking sensors, a reverse camera, automatic lights and wipers and cruise control among other features.
- Priced from £42,000
Sitting at the pricier end of the family car market, the BMW 3 Series Touring adds some executive style to the estate car formula. The cabin is built to the high standard we’ve come to expect from the German brand, and is fitted with an impressive curved display panel. Importantly, rear passengers have lots of space, and the outer two seats have ISOFIX mounting points. The boot is bigger than that found in other premium estate cars, although it's a long way off the 640 litres of space you get in the cheaper Skoda Octavia Estate.
Not only does the 3 Series Touring tick all the family car boxes, it’s also great to drive. In typical BMW fashion, its steering is sharp and well-weighted, giving the driver plenty of confidence. Cars fitted with the adaptive suspension system offer an excellent breadth of ability, with Comfort mode filtering out bumps better than most rivals. There are fewer engines to choose from in 2024 than before – there are no diesels left at all – but the remaining petrol and plug-in hybrid options are both punchy and efficient.
- Priced from £37,000
Renault’s decision to reinvent the Scenic as a trendy SUV rather than a traditional MPV may seem counterintuitive at first, but the new model remains just as family friendly as before. For starters, it’s electric only, keeping running costs low for those who can charge at home. A 379-mile range is one of the best in its class, beating the likes of the Tesla Model Y and Skoda Enyaq. If you’ll mainly be sticking to local journeys, you can opt for a smaller battery and a reduced range of 260 miles, knocking around £3,500 off the Scenic’s price tag.
Inside the Scenic, passengers have loads of room. A flat floor gives rear seat occupants lots of space to stretch their legs, while the high roofline provides plenty of headroom. The boot is bigger than that found in the rival Hyundai Ioniq 5, too. Up front, visibility is good and the choice of recycled materials feel high-quality. The infotainment system is a real highlight, with Google Maps built in and a clever EV route planning that will factor in charging stops along a journey.
- Priced from £31,000
It may not be the most spacious car on this list, but the Toyota Corolla has strengths in other areas that make it worthy of a spot in our top 10 family cars. Its standout feature is the self-charging hybrid system; buyers can choose between 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre petrol hybrid engines, both of which return over 60mpg. It’s a system Toyota has been continually refining for the better part of three decades, so it’s smooth, fairly quick, and reliable. Toyota also offers one of the best warranties in the business, with up to 10 years/100,000 miles of cover if you keep up with regular maintenance at an authorised service centre.
The Corolla’s cabin isn’t as exciting as some of the newer cars on this list, but many buyers will appreciate the intuitive layout of the controls and the top-notch build quality. There are physical buttons and dials for the climate control – far more convenient than the touchscreen controls in some rivals – along with a 10.5-inch infotainment display. Front seat space is decent, but not as generous as the Skoda Octavia, while the back seats are fairly cramped. That shouldn’t be an issue for children, but if you plan to regularly carry adults in the back, you might be better off with the Skoda.
- Priced from £37,000
Skoda is renowned for offering great value for money, and the seven-seater Kodiaq is no different. Sitting as the largest model in the Czech brand’s lineup, the Skoda Kodiaq comes well-equipped as standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, tri-zone climate control, a 13-inch infotainment display, cruise control and a rear-view camera. With all seven seats in place, the Kodiaq offers 340 litres in the rear – not far off what you’d find in a Volkswagen Golf. Fold down the third row and this increases to a cavernous 910 litres.
For such a large car, the Kodiaq is surprisingly good to drive, too. The Kodiaq’s powertrain selection has grown for the second-generation car, including mild hybrid tech for the petrol engines, and a new plug-in hybrid with over 60 miles of electric-only range. Those who regularly drive on the motorway or tow will appreciate the diesel engines, available with four-wheel drive.
- Priced from £32,000
The Hyundai Tucson clinched our prestigious Best Family Car award, and for good reason; the striking family SUV offers plenty of space, a comfortable ride and an interior to rival that of more premium rivals. As standard, all Tucson models get a tablet-style 10.25-inch touchscreen as well as an eight-inch digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel – something you’d usually have to pay extra for on other cars.
Hyundai offers the Tucson with three different engine choices: petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid. We recommend opting for the middle-rung hybrid option as this is less expensive than the range-topping plug-in, but it offers plenty of punch when you put your foot down and returns around 50mpg.
- Priced from £30,000
The Kia Niro offers much of what we love about its larger sibling, the Kia Sportage, but in a much more versatile package. While most SUVs seem to blend in with one another, the Kia Niro has a bold design and an even bolder interior, thanks to its dual 10.25-inch screen setup. Despite being smaller than the Sportage, boot space is still strong; with up to 475 litres on offer, the Niro should be able to cover the luggage for most family trips.
What truly makes the Niro versatile, however, is its range of powertrains: Kia offers the compact SUV in self-charging hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully-electric form. This means there should be a model for whatever stage you are on with your eventual switch to electric power. No matter which you choose, expect rock-bottom running costs and peace of mind thanks to Kia’s near-unbeatable seven-year warranty.
- Priced from £30,000
Like the Skoda Octavia, the Audi A3 is based on the same underpinnings as the Volkswagen Golf, but it’s a more premium package than its VW counterpart. The A3 set the standard for premium hatchbacks when it first launched in the 90s, and now over 30 years on it’s more full of technology and higher quality than ever.
The standard A3 can be had with a choice of 1.5-litre petrol engines with either 114bhp or 148bhp in 30 and 35 TFSI versions respectively, while there’s also a 148bhp diesel 2.0-litre TDI model for buyers that cover more motorway miles. For the versatility of up to 39 miles of electric driving around town there’s also a plug-in hybrid model – unusual for most hatchbacks this size – badged 40 TFSI e. We think the most family-friendly version of the A3 is the Sportback hatchback, but it can also be had in a saloon body style for a more executive look.
Not quite ready to go electric but like the idea of low running costs? Check out our list of the top 10 best hybrid family cars
What makes the best family car?
The number one rule for a family car is that it must be practical. Whether it be prams, suitcases or bicycles, a good family car should have a boot large enough to swallow almost anything you throw at it. Given there is likely more than one person in the vehicle on a regular basis, there should be plenty of space in the cabin, too – all the cars here offer decent legroom and headroom to ensure those travelling in both the front and rear are comfortable.
Family cars should also offer great fuel economy, as it’s often the case that it will be the only vehicle for a household and will tally up plenty of miles. Therefore, all of our picks are offered with economical engines; some are even available with plug-in hybrid tech or even fully-electric powertrains for rock-bottom running costs.
The third pillar of a great family car is safety. It goes without saying that you want your family to be protected in the event of a collision, but the best family cars today also offer advanced safety and driving assistance tech that should go some way to prevent an accident. Euro NCAP is the most widely recognised independent body for testing car safety and uses a five-star scoring system. Our in-depth reviews will usually mention whether a car has been tested by Euro NCAP and if it comes with the latest safety technology.
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