Best Family Cars
Weather your ideal family car is a small hatchback, people carrier or a 4×4 with room for the holiday luggage, there are several key factors to consider before making any purchases, which can affect the long term costs of the vehicle. Family cars are generally among the cheaper to insure, since they tend to focus more on space, practicality and safety rather than style and performance. To give you an insight into this area of the vehicle market, we’ve examined a few of the best rated family cars on the market today, with a focus on the on-going costs you can expect from them, such as insurance grouping, tax band and MPG. Remember though, many of these factors are influenced by you personally – your driving history and habits – so choosing what looks like a cheap car on paper is not always the way it turns out. It’s always important to investigate thoroughly, using insurance comparison websites to make sure you’re getting what you expect, and what’s going to suit you and your family’s needs.
The Ford Mondeo
Winner of WhatCar’s 2013 best family car award, the Ford Mondeo is spacious and refined as well as being a smooth and comfortable drive. The Mondeo scored well in almost all categories, including 5 star ratings for safety & security, space & practicality, and ride & handling, only seeming to fall back in the resale category, as its residual value isn’t particularly strong. Altogether though, the Mondeo is still considered among the best in family motoring across the board, with running and on-going costs looking just as good;- Starting price – £18,100
- Average MPG (for the cheapest Mondeo) – 41.5
- Insurance group – 15 to 32
- Tax band – F to K
The Hyundai i30
Taking the prize for Best family car from carbuyer.co.uk is the Hyundai i30, which smoked the competition with a 5/5 star rating. With its bold styling, sleek driveability and great value, the Hyundai is one of the best-rounded family hatchbacks on the market today. The i30 scored 4.0 or more in all categories, with its highest ratings coming in the comfort, practicality and running costs fields. Designed to directly compete in all areas with the Volkswagen Golf, the i30 is a serious family car contender, with some great stats to back it up;- Starting price – £13,995
- Average MPG – 47
- Insurance group – 6 to 13
- Tax band – A to G
The Skoda Superb
This car rolled away with WhatCar’s award for best family car under £18,000, and should be considered a close competitor to those above. Reviewers have been staggered by the spacious interior and smart design (for example, the boot can be opened like a hatchback or a saloon – neat!) of this modestly priced and aptly named family wagon. With great scores across the board, and particular praise for its space, practicality, safety and security, the Superb also boasts competitive running costs, which vary with the model you choose.- Starting price – £17,810
- Average MPG – 41.5
- Insurance group – 8 to 18
- Tax band – D to I