SUVs are boring. Embrace the estate!
For years, the estate was the go-to body style for family buyers, until SUVs came along and cornered the market. You don't have to follow the crowd, however, thanks to these top-tier family estate cars:
- Skoda Octavia Estate
- BMW 3 Series Touring
- Volkswagen Passat
- Toyota Corolla Touring Sports
- Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
- Skoda Superb Estate
- Audi A6 Avant
- Subaru Outback
- Citroen C5 X
- Cupra Leon Estate
Skoda Octavia Estate
- Boot space – 640 litres
The Skoda Octavia takes the platform from the already sensible Volkswagen Golf and makes it more sensible-er. Its body is elongated into a super-practical estate shape, while the solid chassis and smooth engines from its VW cousin are carried straight over. As a result, you get masses of interior room, with space for tall adults in both rows and a family's worth of holiday luggage in the boot – even if you can't pack light. This Octavia feels like the most accomplished version so far on the roads, with a comfy ride and fuss-free handling.
Search used Skoda Octavia cars or read our Skoda Octavia review
BMW 3 Series Touring
- Boot space – 500 litres
The BMW 3 Series already means so many things to so many drivers. It feels premium, has excellent driving manners, and comes with a broad choice of punchy engines. In fact, the only thing it could improve is the cargo space, which is where the 3 Series Touring estate comes in. You get all the same sporty, engaging driving dynamics, plus the same upmarket interior packed with tech, along with a big boot that'll handle holiday gear or your four-legged friend. 3 Series Tourings also have a handy feature that lets you lift the rear windscreen separate from the full boot lid if, for example, you're just loading some small bags.
Take a look at used BMW 3 Series cars or read our BMW 3 Series review
Volkswagen Passat
- Boot space – 690 litres
The Volkswagen Passat might not be the automatic choice for families in the brand's lineup anymore, with the Tiguan stealing its sales. However, it's still one of the very best. Unlike its lifted SUV stablemates, the Passat rides low to the ground, giving it better handling and a smoother ride, not to mention better performance and efficiency from the same engines. There's little here to get your blood pumping, of course, but the Passat's serene driving experience and sheer versatility makes it a pleasure to own.
Browse used Volkswagen Passat cars or read our Volkswagen Passat review
Toyota Corolla Touring Sports
- Boot space – 596 litres
Compared to other cars on this list, the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports estate isn't the fastest, or the most luxurious, or the most desirable option. So what's it doing here? Well the Corolla excels at lots of boring, sensible stuff like ease-of-use, reliability and practicality. Its dashboard, for example, still contains plenty of physical buttons intuitively placed so many can be used without taking your eyes off the road. Then you have its self-charging-hybrid engines, which are smooth and responsive in traffic, while returning more than 50mpg without breaking a sweat.
Shop used Toyota Corolla cars or read our Toyota Corolla review
Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
- Boot space – 455 litres
Estates are usually serious and sensible, so it's rare for one of these long-roof family wagons to appeal to the heart as well as the head. However, that's exactly what the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake achieves. Its dramatically curved bodywork features a roofline that sweeps up and over the passenger compartment before diving down towards the rear bumper – all in one seemingly unbroken line. As you'd hope, the cabin is decked out in plush materials and includes Mercedes' latest and greatest Imax-like infotainment system.
Check out used Mercedes CLA cars or read our review of the outgoing Mercedes CLA
Skoda Superb Estate
- Boot space – 690 litres
We've already shown plenty of praise for the Octavia above but, believe it or not, the Skoda Superb Estate actually improves on the recipe. It's a little larger in every dimension, which means passengers get limo-like levels of legroom to stretch out. This Superb model shares its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Passat and, like that car, has the same cavernous 690-litre boot, so even the portliest of pooches can come along for the journey. The Czech car also has an ace up its sleeve over its German cousin – it's the only one of the pair offered with a diesel engine, making it ideal for high-mileage drivers.
Search used Skoda Superb cars or read our Skoda Superb review
Audi A6 Avant
- Boot space – 503 litres
Audi has a long history of practical estate cars through its Avant lineup. Most Audis that wear this badge already make great family cars but we reckon the A6 Avant might be the best of the bunch. It's bigger than the A4 Avant, which gives it an even greater sense of stability at speed as well as a little extra room for cabin occupants to truly luxuriate in. There's a frugal plug-in-hybrid version that's ideal for company car duties, while private owners might want to consider either the turbo petrol or diesel models depending on their annual mileage.
View used Audi A6 cars or read our review of the outgoing Audi A6
Subaru Outback
- Boot space – 561 litres
The Subaru Outback is something of an oddity in this market. So many buyers flock to SUVs with pretend off-road styling, but the Outback is an estate car with genuine off-road ability. That means you get a long, spacious body with lots of passenger and cargo space, along with a permanent all-wheel-drive system and tall ground clearance – all without the 4x4-aping looks most modern SUVs lean on. The tech and the drivetrain feel a little 'last-gen' compared to more up-to-date rivals, but Outback owners will probably be willing to live with that for the car's rugged versatility and excellent safety rating.
Check out used Subaru Outback cars or read our Subaru Outback review
Citroen C5 X
- Boot space – 545 litres
Like so many large Citroen models, the C5 X's sales never seemed to match the car's overall quality. As a result, you can no longer get this big part-estate-part-SUV brand new, so you'll be shopping from nearly new retailers (like Motorpoint!). It's worth hunting down, however, because the C5 X is spacious, attractively styled and impressively comfortable – refreshing when so many rivals are endlessly chasing sporty handling. Plus, it undercuts similarly sized German rivals by many thousands of pounds, so you can get a posh-feeling family hauler for much less money.
Find used Citroen C5 X cars or read our Citroen C5 X review
Cupra Leon Estate
- Boot space – 620 litres
The Cupra Leon Estate is another car that borrows the Volkswagen Golf's tried-and-tested underpinnings, but outfits them with dramatically different bodywork. In this case, the Cupra's sleek styling and beady headlights give it a much more eye-catching look than the Golf, with the sculpted sides helping to exaggerate the estate version's length. Handling is sporty and stable, and there's a choice of powerful turbo petrol engines if you'd like rapid performance to match the car's athletic impression.
See used Cupra Leon cars or read our Cupra Leon review
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Browse Motorpoint's massive choice of nearly new and used cars. This includes a wide selection of practical estate cars and SUVs.
