Cars with sliding doors make access to the rear seats super easy – especially in tight car parks. Here are 10 of the best you’ll find
Like cargo trousers and getting an appliance for your birthday, cars with sliding doors are the ultimate nod to practicality. So why not embrace it fully and lean in to the flexibility and versatility that these boxy beauties bring?
They’re ideal in tight car parks and for the school run, where you need to get kids in and out with limited space to spare. Sliding doors are also handy if you’re transporting relatives with limited mobility – the doors are often bigger than normal, and sliding doors typically come on vehicles with a high roof.
So without further ado, let’s slide in to our picks of the best new and used cars.
Ford B-Max
By far the smallest car on this list, the Ford B-Max is a clever mini-MPV based on the Fiesta. It’s one of a glut of small MPVs that shone before SUVs took the limelight, but was the only one to manage to include sliding doors. You could walk straight through if you wanted, but more pertinent is how easy it is to get passengers in and out. The B-Max offers a staggering amount of space for a small car, but still has the low running costs of a Fiesta.
Ford Grand C-Max
Ford was big in the MPV game, and you could also get sliding doors on its next-size-up people carrier. The Grand C-Max is a seven-seat version of the C-Max, with a fresh door layout to make it as easy as possible to get people in and out of the middle and rear seat rows. Heavily based on the Ford Focus, the Grand C-Max is even fun to drive – and comfortable, too. Low running costs and cheap parts make it a great used family car.
Citroen Berlingo
The Citroen Berlingo is the ultimate function-over-form vehicle, and is the perfect family vehicle if you have lots of people and things to transport. It’s a savvy choice – one that doesn’t look very cool but gives you lots of satisfaction that almost nothing is too big to go in the boot. Get one in red and adopt a black-and-white cat called Jess, and you’ll be the talk of Greendale.
Not fully sold on the Berlingo’s styling? Besides the lights and bumpers, the Vauxhall Combo Life and Peugeot Rifter are all but identical. And all three come with the option of a zero-emission electric powertrain.
Volkswagen ID. Buzz
Even if you know nothing about cars, if you see a Volkswagen ID. Buzz drive by you’re guaranteed to make a little ‘ooh’ sound. Forget supercars with silly doors, this is a real attention-grabbing car. And achingly cool, too. The ID. Buzz is a fully electric reimagining of the classic VW Bus, with more space, power and features than that car ever had. You’ll pay for it, though – the ID. Buzz will set you back around £60,000 for a brand-new example.
Volkswagen Multivan
Similarly futuristic-looking and even more spacious than the Buzz, the Volkswagen Multivan replaces the Caravelle and is now based on the Golf hatchback. It’s better to drive than before, and comes with the option of a plug-in hybrid engine – as well as sensible diesel and thirsty petrol engines. There’s even a long version with a bigger boot. All are über practical, as you’d expect.
Toyota Proace Verso
Let’s not beat around the bush – this is a van, a big box on wheels that’s expressly designed for carrying things. It’s aimed at shuttle bus use primarily, but big families will find its huge interior space useful as well. There are nine seats in the Proace Verso – and the identical Citroen SpaceTourer, Peugeot Traveller and Vauxhall Vivaro Life – with six Isofix points. Thanks to the sliding doors, it’s super easy to install tired toddlers into the rearmost seats.
Mercedes V-Class
The V in V-Class might as well stand for VIP, as Mercedes’ luxury people carrier is typically used for chauffeuring celebrities, politicians and high-flying executives. It’s also a very practical runabout for well-heeled families, offering up to eight luxuriously trimmed seats that can be folded down and removed to your heart’s content. There’s also the Vito Tourer shuttle bus if you don’t mind a more utilitarian spec.
Ford Tourneo Connect
In the Ford Pro van range, the Transit Connect is the small one. But as a family car, the people-carrying Tourneo Connect is a whopper. It’s about the same size as a Berlingo and, like that car, offers a choice of five or seven seats, and a longer body if you need the maximum amount of space. Whether you pick the VW Caddy-based latest model (pictured) or the previous version, the Tourneo Connect is good value for the space you get.
SEAT Alhambra
The SEAT Alhambra might not have the cool SUV styling of its replacement, the Tarraco, but this boxy MPV is much better for actual real-life practicality. Its low floor height and sliding doors make it much easier to get kids in and out than the SUV. Sure, it might not have the sportiness we’re used to from SEATs, but it does have the sturdiness that comes from using the same parts as the Volkswagen Sharan.
Ford Tourneo Courier
Below the Ford Transit Connect, there’s an even smaller Ford van called the Transit Courier. And guess what, there’s a passenger version, too. The Tourneo Courier is essentially the replacement to the B-Max, and is again based on the Fiesta.
