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The top 10 best family cars to buy 2024

  • The Top 10 best new family cars for 2024
  • Includes hatchbacks, SUVs, estates and EVs
  • A wide range of budgets and lifestyles covered

Written by Graham King Updated: 18 November 2024

One of the most important decisions you’ll make for your family is which car to buy. There are so many things to consider – size, interior space, boot capacity, what features would be useful, safety, cost, and so on. Many families now get an SUV because they tick so many boxes, but there are plenty of other options when it comes to the best family cars.

We’re talking about hatchbacks, estates and people carriers, and there are all sorts of electric family cars, too. Point is, there’s a huge variety of family cars available covering a wide range of shapes, sizes, budgets and lifestyles. Some of them are great all-rounders, while some have fantastic unique selling points that could prove appealing to you.

Scroll down the page to see our list of the best family cars available to buy new in 2024. And if our choices don’t grab your fancy, check out the Parkers car reviews to help you find your next family car.

Top 10 best family cars 2024

Great value for money with a massive boot

Both the Skoda Octavia Estate and SEAT Leon Estate discussed below are based on Volkswagen’s MQB platform. So why is the Skoda tops? Because its boot is bigger, at 640 litres, and finance favours this car over its in-house rival.

The Octavia is packed full of Skoda’s Simply Clever features – storage drawers, a parking ticket holder, an ice scraper clipped onto the fuel filler flap and so on. It’s not the sharpest drive but is very comfortable and refined. Great value, too.

To find out more, read our full Skoda Octavia Estate review

Pros

  • An awful lot of car for the money
  • Huge interior and boot
  • Very competitive finance deals

Cons

  • Infotainment system can annoy
  • Some questionable interior plastics

Brilliant to drive, very efficient and stylish with it

We really rate the Honda Civic, so much so we named it both Medium Family Car of the Year for 2024 and overall Car of the Year in 2023. Yes, the Octavia noses ahead, but that's on pure value for money here. The Honda is perfect if you don't need an estate – its 410-litre boot is one of the bigger ones you’ll find in a midsize hatchback.

On top of that, the Civic’s hybrid powertrain delivers peppy performance and diesel-like fuel economy, it handles neatly and rides comfortably. There are three generously-equipped trim levels to choose, all of them quite reasonably priced. It’s a bit of a looker, too.

To find out more, read our full Honda Civic review

Pros

  • Great handling
  • Economical hybrid powertrain
  • High quality interior materials

Cons

  • Small model range
  • Poor fuel range

Spacious seven-seater bargain

This is one of the biggest bargains the car world has to offer right now. That’s because it has space for seven adults to travel in reasonable comfort, yet costs less than a Vauxhall Corsa. Remove the third-row seats (a little tricky to do) and there’s a generous 599 litres of boot. Drop the second-row seats down and it becomes a van.

Children will love the space and the near-panoramic view out. The ride is really comfy, it’s surprisingly fun to drive, even the base-spec model comes pretty well-equipped for the money and it costs little to run. A hint of SUV-ness in the Jogger’s styling ups its street cred.

To find out more, read our full Dacia Jogger review

Pros

  • Amazing value for money
  • Cavernous interior with room for seven
  • Comfortable ride

Cons

  • Limited engine range
  • Prices have been creeping up

Big estate with vast back seat space and boot

The latest Volkswagen Passat – now only available as an estate in the UK – has a truly staggering amount of back seat space. Legroom in particular is more generous than you’ll find in any similarly-priced SUV, indeed it’s up there with half-million-pound limousines. The boot’s vast as well, at 690 litres capacity (530 litres in plug-in hybrid models).

Add to the mix deeply comfortable seats, impressive tech and a quiet ride, and the Passat’s ideal for families that regularly travel very long distances. But the Passat does have a problem in the very closely related new Skoda Superb Estate. It’s just as spacious, slightly better value and available with diesel engines. But we’ve spent more time with the Passat, so it gets the nod.

To find out more, read our full Volkswagen Passat review

Pros

  • Limo-like rear legroom
  • 690-litre boot
  • Oh-so comfortable

Cons

  • It’s a very big car
  • No diesel engines in UK

Long-range electric car exuding cool

The Kia EV6 is one of the most stylish, exciting electric cars to come out in the last couple of years, so much so we named it our Best Large Family Car for 2024. It’s one that the whole family can enjoy, too. Space is very generous for a family of four, even five without too much of a squeeze, and the 490-litre boot will swallow a week’s holiday luggage.

It’s an easy car to travel long distances in. Every model has a WLTP range of at least 300 miles and high-speed charging capability. It’s great to drive, too, if a little firm-riding. The 577hp GT model is seriously fast, the others merely very swift.

To find out more, read our full Kia EV6 review

Pros

  • More than 300 miles of range
  • Zero local emissions
  • Stylish, roomy interior

Cons

  • More expensive than direct rivals
  • Interior layout isn’t entirely logical

Comfortable, reasonably priced non-conformist

The C5 X is a curious mash-up – part saloon, part estate, part SUV. Sounds confusing but what it is doesn’t matter as much as what it does, and that delivers on the non-negotiables of family motoring. It’s really spacious (limited rear headroom for six-footers notwithstanding), the boot’s big, the ride’s incredibly comfortable and running costs are low. It also comes very well-equipped and reasonably priced.

The 1.2-litre petrol engine is the best option, it’s efficient and quick enough. The plug-in hybrids are costly and not particularly smooth. It’s a really likeable car, the C5 X, that looks and feels different to the SUV norm. If Citroen has its way, cars like this will become the new norm.

To find out more, read our full Citroen C5 X review

Pros

  • Great value entry-level models
  • Hugely comfortable and refined
  • Unique styling

Cons

  • Unconvincing plug-in hybrid version
  • Limited rear headroom

Distinctive compact SUV ideal for small families

It may be the baby of the family, but the Skoda Kamiq is just as good a family car as the Czech brand’s bigger SUVs. Inside its compact body there’s space for four six-foot adults and it has more boot space than many midsize hatchbacks. You sit lower in the than in most other small SUVs, but the seats are still at a convenient height for lifting in children.

The Kamiq’s interior is very solidly made and there’s plenty of useful tech, even in the base model. It’s only available with petrol engines, which are impressively quiet and refined. It drives neatly and rides comfortably, too. Running costs are low and it doesn’t cost much to buy, either.

To find out more, read our full Skoda Kamiq review

Pros

  • Up-to-date tech
  • Comfortable ride
  • Big boot

Cons

  • Low seating position for an SUV
  • Automatic lacks responsiveness

Versatile MPV with tech focus and green credentials

When you need as much space for people and things as possible, you can’t do much better than a big, seven-seater SUV. And the Volkswagen Multivan is the best – it’s our reigning Seven-Seater of the Year. It has seven adult-size seats that can be configured in many different layouts. An ingenious console with cupholders and a fold-out table can move from front to back. Boot space is decent in the standard-length version, enormous in the longer body.

The Multivan is superbly quiet and comfortable to travel in, the view out is fantastic. It even handles neatly, despite its considerable size. The plug-in hybrid version boosts the car’s green cred. Just looking at it makes you want to adventure with it.

To find out more, read our full Volkswagen Multivan review

Pros

  • Massive, flexible interior
  • Plug-in hybrid available
  • Loads of options to choose from

Cons

  • Costs a lot more than rivals
  • Thirsty petrol engines

Compact EV that's spacious, good to drive and great value

The MG4 is so good we named it Parkers Car of the Year for 2024. It’s one of the smaller cars on this list but it stacks up very well as a family car, certainly when compared to other EVs in the same low price range. There’s plenty of space in the back for growing children and the boot capacity is similar to that of a Volkswagen Golf.

There’s loads of storage space dotted around the cabin and every model comes usefully well-equipped. It’s even rather pleasant to drive. Top of the range models have a WLTP range of more than 300 miles and cost a lot less than rivals that can go a similar distance between charges.

To find out more, read our full MG4 review

Pros

  • Low purchase and leasing costs
  • Competitive range
  • Surprisingly spacious

Cons

  • Interior feels a bit cheap
  • High rear windows

The electric family car par excellence

Even on this list, there are few family cars that nail their brief as squarely as the electric Skoda Enyaq. It has generous space for five and a big, 585-litre boot. The interior is full of useful storage compartments and it’ll withstand the worst punishment kids can exact. The standard-issue VW Group infotainment system is easier to use than in many of the Enyaq’s stablemates, too.

The entry-level Enyaq 60 offers 249 miles of range, big-battery Enyaq 85 models can go at least 300 miles on the WLTP cycle – a psychologically important boundary for many prospective EV buyers. Throw in very reasonable prices and you get the idea that owning and using the Enyaq is as hassle-free as possible. No wonder it was our 2022 Car of the Year.

To find out more, read our full Skoda Enyaq iV revie

Pros

  • Roomy, practical interior
  • Long range on big-battery version
  • Zero local emissions

Cons

  • Option packs are costly
  • Not particularly engaging to drive

Why we’ve chosen this Top 10

The Parkers team tests hundreds of cars every year and this list reflects their expert views. Some of them have families of their own and closely scrutinise the family car credentials of the models they test.

We’ve included a number of cars we highly recommended in the SUV, people carrier, hatchback and estate car sectors of the market. After all, a great family car can have any one of these bodystyles –  many lists of the best family cars found elsewhere just focus on one type of car.

Right now, SUVs are the most popular family cars. That’s because people like their style and height, which gives a great view out and makes it easier to lift small children in and out. Many also have features useful for active, outdoorsy families – multi-level boot floors, additional power outlets and so on. However, you’ll often find more passenger space in a people carrier and a bigger boot in an estate. SUVs aren’t the most economical of cars, either.

If passenger space is your main priority, it’s still hard to beat a people carrier (also known as an MPV). Especially ones like the Citroen Berlingo and Ford Tourneo which are based on vans designed to maximise interior space. Most have seven seats, some of the bigger ones can seat nine, in many cases the back seats can be configured in dozens of different layouts. You’ll find yourself sat as high up as SUV occupants in a lot of people carriers, as well. On the downside, they just don’t have the style and kudos of an SUV.

Many hatchbacks have more than enough passenger and boot space to suit most families’ needs. They also generally offer the best driving experience and fuel economy of all the types of family car. However, an estate might be a better option because of their extra boot space – no need to pack light for family holidays. There’s no real compromise in efficiency or handling, either.

If you take one thing from reading this list of the best family cars, try out as many different types of family car as you can before making a decision. You never know, you might find you prefer something you hadn’t considered before. Most importantly, get the car that works best for you and your family.