Looking for a spacious family car...

Looking for recommendations for a family car for a two-year old and a newborn. Petrol, good legroom and boot size, affordable and doesn't feel 'huge' to drive or difficult to park. Already checked out Skoda Octavia and Nissan Qashqai so any advice on these? We weren't looking to buy a brand new car but they both seem to have good scrappage deals...

Orla Greaney (Dublin)

Mar 2019 Filed under: choosing new car

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Expert answer

Hi Orla,

Get the Skoda. Trust me, as the father of two growing boys a Qashqai is just not big enough inside. The Octavia, on the other hand, has lots of rear legroom (crucial for people in rear-facing child seats or boosters) and a massive boot, especially if you go for the very practical Combi estate version. If you’re looking for other alternatives, stick within the mid-size estate market — they’re much more practical for families than a compact SUV, and usually cheaper too run too. Oh, and they’re not much bigger than the hatchbacks they’re based on, so parking etc. is still a doddle.

Good alternatives to the Skoda are the Ford Focus Estate, the Kia Ceed Sportswagon, the Hyundai i30 Tourer and the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports. Click on those links to read our reviews of each.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe