Estate cars for under £20,000 give you lots of space without breaking the bank.
There’s a lot of choice for your budget, too – do you go for a sensible Skoda or a marvellous Mercedes? Do you choose petrol, diesel, hybrid or even a fully electric powertrain?
We cover the best options to pick this year below, and all are available to buy as used cars from Motorpoint.
1. Skoda Octavia Estate
- Boot space: 640 litres
If you need a reliable and spacious estate, it’s hard to look past Skoda. The Czech brand still sells two estate cars, the Octavia and Superb, and the Octavia is the cheaper of the two. Don’t think it’s a poor relation, though: the boot is large enough to accommodate enough panic-bought toilet rolls for a whole village. Then there’s the refined driving experience and easy-to-use interior, and a host of ‘Simply Clever’ touches that are pleasingly useful.
Shop used Skoda Octavia Estate cars for sale or read our Skoda Octavia review
2. Suzuki Swace
- Boot space: 596 litres
The Suzuki Swace is simply a rebadged Toyota Corolla Touring Sports, but at a cheaper price. So you still get the legendary Toyota build quality and economical hybrid engine, just without paying the ‘Toyota tax’. Choosing your Swace is nice and easy: there’s only one engine option and just a couple of trim levels. The Swace is a car that’s easy going and easy to live with. Easy.
Shop used Suzuki Swace cars for sale or read our Suzuki Swace review
3. Ford Focus Estate
- Boot space: 575 litres
One option that should be right near the top of your shortlist is the Ford Focus Estate. Part of the fabric of UK roads since the late ‘90s, the long-roof Focus is an affordable yet multi-talented car with a lot of different trim and engine options. The 1.0 EcoBoost Hybrid engine is the best choice if you want to keep costs down, while the fiery ST high-performance model is also available if you’d much rather have fast acceleration to play with.
Shop used Ford Focus Estate cars for sale or read our Ford Focus review
4. Volvo V60
- Boot space: 519 litres
One of the more premium options on this list, the Volvo V60 impresses with a sophisticated interior and a comfy ride. The boot is still a good size and there’s plenty of rear-seat space, even if your passengers are as tall as a Swedish pine tree. With all that in mind, you’ll need to go for a slightly older or higher mileage V60 to stay south of £20,000. Thankfully, the V60 seems to be reliable in most cases.
Shop used Volvo V60 cars for sale
5. Kia ProCeed
- Boot space: 594 litres
We’ve picked the slightly costlier ProCeed over the Ceed SW (yes, there were two estate versions of the Ceed!) because we’re a sucker for its coupe-like styling. It’s very Mercedes CLA-like, but with the Kia benefits of a sensibly laid out interior and the balance of a seven-year warranty. The ProCeed is still very practical, with almost as much boot space as the Ceed SW with the parcel shelf in place. Obviously, the boxier Ceed SW will fit a lot more in when you need to load to the roof, but the ProCeed appeals to the heart and not just the head.
Shop used Kia ProCeed cars for sale or read our Kia ProCeed review
6. Peugeot 308 SW
- Boot space: 608 litres
Showing that style and practicality can go hand-in-hand, the Peugeot 308 SW is a top choice if you want an estate car that’s the talk of the… estate. The piercing headlights, intricate alloy wheels and claw-like motifs are matched by a techy interior that puts lots of controls in close proximity to the driver. Peugeot offers a full complement of engines to power your 308 SW – petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric. All have an automatic gearbox to take the strain out of urban driving.
Shop used Peugeot 308 SW cars for sale or read our Peugeot 308 review
7. SEAT Leon Estate
- Boot space: 620 litres
In Toy Story terms, the SEAT Leon is like Woody when Buzz Lightyear first turns up. Presented with something cooler and newer, a lot of would-be SEAT buyers now have a new favourite toy… one with a Cupra badge on it. You’ll find a lot more SEATs for under £20,000, though, and the SEAT is still fresh-looking and smart. Practical too, with plenty of rear-seat space and a boot big enough to swallow a minor galaxy. Economical petrol engines keep costs low, and the Leon is one of the best-driving cars on this list – if that’s important to you in a family estate car.
Shop used SEAT Leon Estate cars for sale or read our SEAT Leon review
8. Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
- Boot space: 505 litres
Okay, so the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake is more about style than outright practicality. We don’t think that’s a bad thing – just look at the swoopy roofline and the taut shape. And anyway, the Shooting Brake is much more practical than the CLA coupe, with noticeably more rear headroom and a larger boot opening that makes it a bit easier to load bulky items.
Shop used Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake cars for sale or read our Mercedes CLA review
9. Vauxhall Astra Tourer
- Boot space: 597 litres
Despite sharing the same parts as the 308 SW above, the Astra estate is often a bit cheaper than the Peugeot – which means you can get a newer car for your money. And you still get handsome styling, a well-equipped interior and a big boot. As with the 308, there are plenty of engine options, or an electric Astra that promises up to 260 miles between charges.
Shop used Vauxhall Astra Tourer cars for sale or read our Vauxhall Astra review
10. MG5
- Boot space: 479 litres
Even if you go out and find the most expensive MG5 you can, you’ll still have a lot of change from £20,000. Earlier pre-facelift cars are more like £12,000, and these still achieve the best part of 250 miles to a charge. Oh, yeah, the MG5 is fully electric, which means swift performance and rock-solid reliability. Considering it’s shorter than other cars on this list, the MG5 still fits a lot of space in, as well as a good spread of standard features.
Shop used MG5 cars for sale or read our MG5 review
Or, check out all used estate cars under £20,000 for sale at Motorpoint.
