Best family cars to buy in 2021
Best family cars to buy in 2021
1. Skoda Octavia
The Skoda Octavia is a superb multifunctional car that delivers what families matter most: competitive pricing, space and practicality, useful onboard technology and a range of efficient petrol, diesel and hybrid engines mean the Octavia is a special car. Attractive package.
Rotate the hatch of the Skoda family and you’ll notice the sleek and clean design, while the interior quality is a huge plus point too, easily suited to more premium competitors. The 201bhp 1.4 TSI iV Hybrid model is the real winner; With the ability to travel up to 34 miles using electric power alone and CO2 emissions of only 21-27g/km, it offers low operating costs and huge tax savings for business users.
With a starting price of £21,000, the Octavia is great value, while the 600-liter boot and huge passenger space make you feel like you’re driving a class above car. We love its solid quality, combined with the comfort on offer and how easy it is to drive every day. It’s a truly masterful family car, and it fully deserves the 2021 Best Family Car award.
2. Volkswagen ID.3
If you’re looking for an all-electric family car, the Volkswagen ID.3 is a great place to start. The stylish hatchback was the first family to wear the ID badge, and Volkswagen hopes it will become an icon of cars along the lines of the original Beetle and Golf.
There should be no worries about range with the ID.3: the mid-spec 58kWh variant is capable of traveling up to 260 miles on a single charge, while the manufacturer claims the top-of-the-line 77kWh version is capable of 336 miles before needing Delivery -in.
There’s more interior space than the Golf, while the ID.3 is more practical with great visibility through the large screen and windows, along with a larger 385-liter boot. In addition, if you choose a high-spec car with a charging capacity of 100 kW, you will be able to charge the battery (from 10-80%) in about 30 minutes.
The ID brand is very important to VW, so you will find that a lot of development efforts have been put into the ID.3 hatchback. The end product is a very well designed family car, with desirable looks and great levels of comfort for everyone.
3. Toyota Corolla
Toyota revived the iconic Corolla palette in 2019 for the all-new family machine, but it chose to keep its approach with hybrids. This means that both engine options on the Corolla are powered by the battery and electric motor setup.
There is a 2.0 liter gasoline, but we will choose the 1.8 liter gasoline for its higher efficiency potential. The move to the new Toyota Global Architecture (TNGA) chassis means it’s surprisingly good to drive for a car that focuses on the environment; But the powertrain is not suitable for such use, so the 1.8 makes more sense.
The automatic transmission is less straightforward if you take a more relaxed approach, while the 1.8-liter engine and 120-horsepower electric motor provide enough performance. Keep the engine revs low, and the transmission will run the two power sources smoothly, so it’s comfortable. This is where the Corolla’s true appeal lies, and the TNGA’s comfortable chassis ride is also a big part of this.
It’s OK with interior room and a 361-liter luggage compartment, but nothing more. However, the achievable efficiency of more than 50 mpg is impressive, and the cabin is better than ever. The 8-inch touchscreen on standard-spec Icon cars features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so connectivity is greatly improved, while Toyota’s Safety Sense 2 package comes standard. Stick to the hatchback, though.
4. Skoda Superb
ŠKODA has mastered the art of understanding its customer base and is always at the forefront of the race to provide busy families with exactly the cars they need.
The Skoda Superb already offered plenty of space, comfort and refinement, but the manufacturer has now made the family limousine even more attractive with the addition of an iV plug-in hybrid version.
The Superb iV engine generates 215 horsepower and has the ability to run 34 miles all-electric with zero emissions. If you keep the battery charged, running costs should be very low, as Skoda claims to hit 228.5 mpg, with CO2 emissions as high as 28g/km.
The Superb offers as much legroom as some luxury cars, so there’s more than enough room for the family. The iV’s only downside is that trunk space is compromised by the location of the car’s battery, but there’s still 485 liters on hand which should be more than enough for most needs.
The large opening offers a well-judged balance between body control and comfort. So, with light but precise steering and a decent level of allied knob with a setup soft enough to absorb the typical patchwork condition of UK roads, the Skoda is a great multifunctional car.
Despite benefiting from a sharper design, the Superb remains as unassuming and unpretentious as ever – simply continuing to do its job in normally capable style. It includes great onboard technology and a digital dash that heightens the atmosphere, while the improved infotainment system is also a big plus point.
5. Hyundai Ioniq
There aren’t many cars for sale that offer hybrid, plug-in and all-electric powertrains, but the Hyundai Ioniq ticks all the boxes for flexibility in this regard.
All models offer plenty of practicality at an affordable price with plenty of standard equipment rolled out. There’s plenty of space, audio, infotainment and connectivity, great efficiency and plenty of overall appeal, and if efficiency on a budget is your main goal, the Ioniq is a great alternative to the Toyota Prius .
The 443-liter boot also puts the Ionic ahead of the Prius in terms of load space. This small feature is supported by a lithium-ion battery pack under the rear seat which allowed Hyundai engineers to maximize luggage space.
Customers looking for a first-class family car will be assured of the Ioniq’s full five-star rating from Euro NCAP, while positive feedback from owners in the 2020 Driver Satisfaction Survey showed that the Ioniq deservedly finished 9th out of 75 cars. .
6. Peugeot 508
Family cars don’t need to lack style, and the coupe-like Peugeot 508 attests to that – blending attractive design with powerful elegance. There’s a plug-in to rival the Skoda Superb as well, while all models offer decent comfort without too many compromises in levels of practicality.
With the current trend of SUVs, Peugeot is to be commended for producing the elegant and sporty 508 Fastback. It doesn’t offer the most space for a car of this class, but instead offers an impressive, attractive appearance and pleasant handling which should provide enthusiastic drivers with some pleasure from their family salon.
The sporty look continues inside, where you’ll find a lowered steering position and a curved dash, along with Peugeot’s ubiquitous small steering wheel and i-Cockpit electronic display.
Despite its sleek looks, the Peugeot 508 shouldn’t cost much to run, as the petrol and diesel versions offer reasonable economy and CO2 levels. However, this is where the 225 plug-in hybrid really shines—the PHEV can travel only 33 to 39 miles on electric power, with a combined fuel consumption of 235 mpg.
Combine this with a well-executed interior that not only looks good and finished, but also incorporates the latest technology, and Peugeot could be a winner in this competitive category.
7. Vauxhall Insignia
The Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport was the best family car of 2019, and this refined version includes a revised engine lineup, styling tweaks and new onboard technology.
Prices start at just over £24,000, while the 490-litre boot and large hatch offer plenty of practical features. The Vauxhall is impressively spacious and there’s a good level of technology on offer, while improved levels of safety package would be welcome. Driver assistance technology includes: AEB with collision alert and pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, and blind spot assist, as well as adaptive cruise control.
The Insignia keeps its stilts rather than switching to a platform from Vauxhall parent company Stellantis, which is good, because it’s very light and handles nicely in a large car. Steering is light and precise, while body control is good without sacrificing the Insignia’s relatively refined ride.
Vauxhall has moved on to using some PSA engines, though, and the range includes a 1.5-liter three-cylinder diesel, along with a compact turbocharged petrol.
8. Be Nero
Like many of the other entrants on this list, the Kia e-Niro is an Auto Express award winner, simply because it’s one of the best cars of its kind on sale, and it makes for a great family transportation.
It’s purely electric, so the Kia is available with either a 39 kWh or 64 kWh battery in the floor and a 134 hp or 201 hp electric motor up front. Despite being a family SUV, the electric vehicle’s instant performance means the e-Niro approaches the speed of a hot hatchback, with the most powerful version hitting 60 mph in 7.5 seconds. However, it is super smooth and without noise from the engine, the car is very well polished.
The battery also means it’s heavy, so while handling is fine, it’s not exactly agile, but comfortable, which is even more important when it comes to family cars. It’s also well-packed, so while the Niro hybrid and regular hybrid models lack boot space, the e-Niro boasts 451 liters, as well as a decent level of room inside.
The charging capacity is also great. Using the home charging box, it would take nine hours and 35 minutes to charge the larger 64 kWh battery and six hours 10 minutes to charge the 39 kWh variant. Charging to 80 percent using a 50 kW DC charger takes 75 minutes and 57 minutes, respectively.
9. Volkswagen Golf
For eight generations, the Volkswagen Golf has provided families with practical, high-quality, and affordable transportation. Nothing has changed, except that it is now much more sophisticated.
The Mk8 sits on the same MQB platform as its predecessor, but the engine range has been updated to include a new mild hybrid option, while the diesels are cleaner.
It’s the 128-horsepower 1.5-liter TSI of choice, because the mild-hybrid eTSI only comes as a seven-speed dual-clutch. The performance is more than enough and it is the most efficient option, so it should be the cheapest operation. There’s a 113 bhp and a 148 bhp 2.0 TDI for those who want a diesel.
The trim range consists of Life (entry level), Style (medium to high spec) and R-Line (sports). Life gets all the safety features you want in a family car, plus the Golf’s new 10-inch infotainment system with the latest connectivity. This is one area in which Volkswagen has taken a step. The cabin is smoother and the quality looks higher.
But there is not much more space than in the Mk7, while the trunk is of the same volume, being 380 liters. These are the only real flaws.
10. Citroen Berlingo XL
If you’re looking for plenty of space, few cars can beat the versatile Citroen Berlingo XL. While the seven-seater SUV has stolen sales in this segment as buyers’ tastes have changed, Citroen still packs a funky design and combines this with great ease of use.
The rear seats fold very down and flip forward to create a large, flat loading space, while the second row also folds individually for added flexibility.
In two-seat form, there’s 2,693 liters of space, dropping to 1,538 liters with the middle row in place, and a still-respectable 322 liters of luggage compartment in seven. Passenger headroom and legroom are good too, even for those in the back.
The Berlingo XL may have distant ties to a commercial vehicle, but it’s based on Peugeot-Citroen’s state-of-the-art EMP2 platform, so the ride is acceptable for a big bus. It’s soft, and feels, but especially when loaded, it handles rolling bumps well, even if they’re a little rough at times.
