Best family cars 2024: top choices for you and your children

The best family car is also one which could help you save money. That’s because the Toyota Corolla is a hybrid, which means it can run partly on electric power. It can’t go as far without petrol as plug-in hybrid cars, but on the plus side it doesn’t need to be plugged in to recharge its battery. It is incredibly efficient, too – in our real-world fuel tests, the Corolla averaged an impressive 50.5mpg. 

There’s plenty of room in the front of the Corolla, and while the Ford Focus and Peugeot 308 offer more room for your rear passengers, the Toyota has a softer ride than the former and better body control than the latter.

Entry-level Icon trim is our pick of the range, and comes with a long list of standard equipment, including adaptive cruise control, heated front seats and sat-nav.

“I think the Corolla’s new 10.5in touchscreen marks a massive improvement on the previous model’s.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

Read our in-depth Toyota Corolla review

The Honda Civic is a superb all-round family car , striking a wonderful balance between practicality, quality, efficiency and driving pleasure.

It feels refined and precise, thanks to a combination of good handling, a comfortable ride and excellent performance. In fact, during our testing we found it could sprint from 0-62mph in 6.8sec, which is quicker than its official figure – and faster than the Toyota Corolla can manage.

The hybrid set-up also allows it to drive using the electric motors alone at low speeds, and achieve impressive fuel economy figures (it returned 49.5mpg in our Real MPG test).

So much useful kit is included as standard that we recommend sticking with entry-level Sport trim.

“The Civic corners very neatly — in fact, I found it nearly as much fun to drive as some hot hatchbacks.” – Chris Haining, Sub-editor

Read our in-depth Honda Civic review

A former Family Car of the Year at our annual What Car? Car of the Year Awards, the Leon is a good buy for anyone looking for fun and practical family transport.

On the fun side, the steering is well-weighted and the suspension performs well on twisty roads. Plus, the 128bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine has plenty of punch, the driving position is highly adjustable to suit nearly any driver, there's plenty of leg and head room in the rear, and the boot is a good size.

The Leon comes well equipped as standard, but we’d recommend upgrading to FR trim, which adds an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, rain-sensing wipers and more.

“I found the Leon's soft-touch dash materials and some metal-effect trims really lift an otherwise sombre interior.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

Read our in-depth Seat Leon review

The current A3 Sportback isn't as posh inside as the 2013-2020 Audi A3 but it’s still plush and well built, as well as great to drive. The driving position is fantastic, and the car handles well without sacrificing comfort.

Engines are plentiful, with diesel, petrol and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) options available. Our favourite is the 40 TFSIe PHEV, which can officially travel 40 miles on electric power alone. Its low CO2 output keeps company car tax rates low, too.

We recommend Sport trim for the PHEV, because it comes with smaller wheels that offer both the comfiest ride and the longest electric-only range of the bunch, further reducing the benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax for company car drivers.

“I was told that the Lamborghini Huracán influenced the interior design, but it's a shame the quality isn’t as good as that of the BMW 1 Series.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

Read our in-depth Audi A3 review

If practicality is your priority, look no further than the Skoda Octavia. Taller people will be comfortable in the front and rear thanks to generous leg and head room, and the back seat is wide, which makes carrying three back-seat passengers easier than in many rivals.

The boot capacity is 600 litres, which is colossal for the class – even though the rival Mercedes A-Class comes with seats which split and fold in a more useful 40/20/40 configuration, rather than the Octavia's 60/40 split.

The Octavia’s comfort and frugality make it an excellent car for covering long distances. Even in more expensive trim levels, it's cheaper than many rivals, whether you're a cash buyer or use a PCP finance deal.

“Chrome-effect thumbwheel controls on the steering wheel look good but I found they felt a bit on the flimsy side when used.” – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

Read our in-depth Skoda Octavia review

The first fully electric car to feature on this list is also one of the cheapest around – the MG4.

Everything aside from the range-topping XPower model is powered by a single electric motor, with our recommended Standard Range models drawing power from a 50.8kWh battery. With an official range of up to 218 miles, the MG4 isn't the electric car with the longest range, but it is reasonably quick – covering the 0-62mph sprint in 7.7sec.

We've been impressed with how much kit comes as standard, especially on entry-level SE trim, which comes with everything from adaptive cruise control to rear parking sensors. 

The interior is pleasantly spacious, and your passengers will be more comfortable in the back of the MG than they would be in the rival Renault Megane E-Tech.

“There’s plenty of space for me up front, and wide-opening rear doors give good access for my mother, who has declared the back a comfortable place to be.” – Claire Evans, Consumer Editor

Read our in-depth MG4 review

The Scala represents one of the cheapest ways of getting behind the wheel of a great family car. It has a comfortable ride, precise steering and a highly adjustable driving position.

Head and leg room are impressive, whether you're in the front seats or the rear, and the boot is one of the biggest in the class. In fact, one of the only cars that can beat the Scala in those areas is the slightly more expensive Skoda Octavia.

Entry-level SE trim comes with all of the kit you’re likely to need, including cruise control, automatic lights and automatic wipers.

“There are a few squishy plastics and attractive trim pieces inside the Skoda Scala, but I think the overall quality is average for the class.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

Read our in-depth Skoda Scala review

If you like the sound of the Volkswagen ID 3 (also on this list) you’ll probably love the Born electric car. It's based on the same underpinnings but gets more angular styling and a more polished interior.

The suspension has been lowered and stiffened for sportier handling, making it sharper and more engaging to drive than its Volkswagen sibling. An e-Boost option temporarily increases the power output from 201bhp to 228bhp, but its impact feels minor from behind the wheel.

Overall, the Born improves on the ID 3, but the volume and climate-control buttons on the dashboard and steering wheel are too fiddly.

“I can honestly say that I don’t know of a model that better suits the stressful business of city centre driving.” – James Tute, Content Editor

Read our in-depth Cupra Born review

For those who want their next family car to be electric, the ID 3 might still be worth considering. It’s as practical as many petrol-powered models, and has roughly similar dimensions to the big-selling Volkswagen Golf.

Well-weighted steering and fantastic body control help make it genuinely fun to drive too – something that can’t be said of all its electric car rivals. Performance is good, with 148bhp or 201bhp motors available, and the larger of the two battery options gives you an official range of up to 347 miles.

Unfortunately, the ID 3 is let down by a cheap-feeling interior and a fiddly, laggy infotainment system.

“I think the ID Light at the base of the windscreen is a neat touch; it's an animated light strip helps with things like sat-nav guidance.” – Dan Jones, Reviewer

Read our in-depth Volkswagen ID 3 review

If you want a family car that’s great fun to drive, it’s hard to go wrong with the Focus. No matter how you spec it, Ford’s family car will offer a good balance of handling and comfort. The ride is firmer than in the Volkswagen Golf and other rivals, sure, but not to the point of being uncomfortable.

The entry-level 1.0 Ecoboost 125 petrol engine is our favourite, because it offers decent performance and fuel economy for a reasonable price. Similarly, we'd recommend sticking with entry-level Titanium trim, which comes with plenty of kit as standard. 

The reasonable price makes it an attractive cash buy, but its underwhelming interior and faster depreciation compared with some rivals stop it moving higher up our list.

“I like the optional B&O stereo, but it's a shame it robs bootspace. It puts a subwoofer under the floor that makes the boot shallower.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

Read our in-depth Ford Focus review

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