These great-value family cars have the space you need without costing a fortune.
There are plenty of affordable options with loads of practicality and handy features to make driving with the kids in tow that much easier. We've chosen our favourite nearly new and used family cars, and listed them alphabetically.
We've focused on petrol and diesel cars here, but you might be surprised how cheap some electric family cars are – and how cheap they are to run.
1. Citroen C3 Aircross
The Citroen C3 Aircross is the shortest car on this list, but it packs a lot into its easy-to-park footprint. Its sliding rear bench is a fantastically thoughtful addition so, if you’ve got young kids with little legs, you can slide the rear seats forward to free up more boot space. Or, if you have lanky-legged teenagers, sliding the seats back gives them plenty of room – and you still get a boot that’s competitive with rivals.
Somewhat unusually, the C3 Aircross focuses on comfort rather than sportiness, which is absolutely ideal for a family car. You’re not going to be driving like a Formula 1 driver on your way to nursery, after all. It’s also funky inside and out, and economical too – the petrols can manage 45mpg or more and the diesel can return 60mpg on long journeys.
Shop used Citroen C3 Aircross cars for sale at Motorpoint
2. Dacia Jogger
The Dacia Jogger is something of an oddity. It occupies a space somewhere between a people carrier, a van and an SUV. You'll notice the vast cabin rises up slightly past the front seats, and extends a little further past the passenger compartment than a typical family car. As a result, there's gargantuan interior space despite the Jogger being shorter than most family SUVs.
Its party trick, however, is the fact Dacia's snuck a whole third row in, making the Jogger a seven-seater. And, while the sixth and seventh seat are best reserved for kids or short adults, it's a lot more flexible than most cars the Jogger's size. You can even remove the third row entirely, turning the boot into a space that'll rival a small van.
Shop used Dacia Jogger cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Dacia Jogger review
3. Ford Focus
Don't overlook the obvious choices in your hunt for a cheap family car – the Ford Focus used to be the most popular family hatch around, and it's still a great all-rounder with a lot to like. The Focus is known for being fun to drive, but it does the sensible stuff well, too: there's plenty of rear legroom for rapidly growing teenagers, a simple-to-use interior, a good-sized boot and must-have standard equipment such as cruise control and a heated windscreen.
Its 1.0-litre petrol engine is surprisingly powerful and gets the Focus up to speed with no fuss whatsoever. At the same time, running costs are kept in check with the promise of nearly 50mpg and relatively low insurance group rankings.
Shop used Ford Focus cars for sale or read our Ford Focus review
4. Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson are pretty much identical under the skin, so pick whichever you like the look of and you’ll get a solid-feeling and capable SUV. Kia’s warranty cover is a little better – a Sportage comes with the balance of a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty – and so is its equipment list. Impressively, even the nearly entry-level ‘2’ trim gets heated front and rear seats.
According to the numbers, the Tucson has a marginally bigger boot than the Sportage, but you’re not going to notice a difference when you’re trying to wrestle a bulky pushchair into the boot. Both cars have wide-opening doors that make it easy to extract sulky toddlers.
Shop used Kia Sportage cars for sale at Motorpoint
5. MG HS
The roomy HS is a great option if you have a tall family, or you need extra space. Its massive cabin is generous for tall adults in both rows, which also means lots of room to wrestle kids into their child seats. And forget bargain-basement MGs of old – this latest HS feels much more upmarket than before and includes a long standard equipment list.
Prices are still extremely competitive with the mainstream market, with the HS undercutting most key rivals while offering more space and features as standard. Entry-level petrol versions aren't exactly frugal but there's a choice of self-charging-hybrid and plug-in-hybrid engines that'll keep consumption to a minimum. You also get the remainder of MG's seven-year warranty.
If the HS is too big or too expensive for you, there's also the smaller MG ZS to consider.
Shop used MG HS cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our MG HS review
6. Nissan Qashqai
The Nissan Qashqai is the ubiquitous family SUV, and it’s popular for a number of reasons. It offers a comfortable ride that’s perfect for family transport and all the must-have equipment to make trips to the in-laws’ bearable. Given its popularity when new, the used Qashqai market is huge, and Qashqais in all specs and colours are widely available.
And affordable, too – expect to pay under £200 per month for a fairly low mileage car. Running costs aren’t extortionate, either, with over 40mpg possible for the petrol engines and 60mpg achievable if you pick the 1.5-litre diesel engine.
Shop used Nissan Qashqai cars for sale at Motorpoint, or check out the related Renault Kadjar
7. Renault Captur
With plenty of kerb appeal, plus a well-built and intuitive interior, the Renault Captur should appeal to head and heart. Being based on the Renault Clio gives you cheap running costs – the 90hp TCe petrol engine won't get you anywhere quickly, but no small SUV offers cheaper insurance costs than the Captur. Gentle driving will yield nearly 50mpg, too, which is a godsend with high fuel prices.
A sliding rear bench boosts versatility, while the Captur's raised seating position makes it easy to get yourself and your kids in and out.
Shop used Renault Captur cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Renault Captur review
8. SEAT Ateca
The SEAT Ateca is one third of a trio that includes the Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan. We reckon the Ateca deserves a look, however, thanks to its temptingly low pricing on the used market. It's common to find Atecas priced below equivalent Skoda or VW models, despite having a very similar set of standard equipment and almost exactly the same amount of family-friendly practicality.
Inside, the Ateca is a little dark and plasticky but everything feels tough enough to cope with the stresses of family life. You'll find climate and cruise control, plus an infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to make long journeys easier. We're also fans of the car's 1.0-litre TSI petrol engine, which punches noticeably above its weight when out on the road.
If you can get away with a smaller car than the Ateca, the SEAT Leon and SEAT Arona are widely available for not much money as well.
Shop used SEAT Ateca cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our SEAT Ateca review
9. Skoda Kamiq
The Skoda Kamiq is the Czech brand’s smallest and most affordable SUV, but it’s certainly not lacking the practicality and build quality that we’ve come to expect. The 400-litre boot is fractionally bigger than a VW Golf’s boot, and it’s easily big enough for a buggy and a couple of fully stocked changing bags. If your sprogs are older and bigger, they’ll have space to stretch out in the Kamiq’s impressively roomy rear seats.
The Kamiq has a composed, capable driving experience. You could almost call it sporty if it was a bit more engaging. Speed bumps are barely noticeable, there’s barely any body roll – snacks won’t fly side-to-side in fast corners – and it’s refined at motorway speeds.
Shop used Skoda Kamiq cars for sale at Motorpoint, or read our Skoda Kamiq review
10. Vauxhall Grandland
Put simply, the Vauxhall Grandland is a very sensible SUV. We mean that in the best possible way, because it’ll simply get you to where you need to go in a sophisticated and fuss-free way. It’s really spacious inside, it feels like it’ll last years of toddler tantrums and cries of ‘are we there yet?’, and the adults up front get plenty of gadgets to enjoy. We’re talking about the likes of cruise control, speed limit recognition, DAB radio – if you get to listen to something other than Frozen – and climate control.
Its engines are sensibly powered and sensibly frugal until, that is, you get to the range-topping plug-in hybrid. Called the Hybrid4, it packs a hot-hatch-beating 300hp and four-wheel drive for a very unsensible 0-62mph time of 5.9 seconds – that’s as quick as an old V8-engined Audi S4.
Shop used Vauxhall Grandland cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our used Vauxhall Grandland review
