10 of the safest cars for families to lease

10 of the best – and safest – family cars on the market 

If you’re on the hunt for your next car lease, safety is likely going to be high on your priority list – especially if you’re shopping for a family vehicle. 

Cars have gone through huge improvements to their safety over the last few years, with new technologies like adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings and traction control becoming standardised alongside the old guard of safety features including airbags, ISOFix, and anti-lock brakes.  

Using Euro NCAP’s data, we’ve rounded up ten of the safest family lease car deals, so you can get behind a brand-new set of wheels without having to worry about the safety of your nearest and dearest every time you load up the car to go to the supermarket. 

Euro NCAP stands for the European New Car Assessment Programme.  

It gives you a good idea of which cars are classed as the safest year on year, with Euro NCAP putting vehicles through rigorous tests that represent real-life accident-based scenarios to understand their overall safety performance. 

Each car tested is awarded a score from zero to five stars, as well as separate percentage points for four additional categories: adult occupant, child occupant, vulnerable road users and safety assist. 

The higher the score, the safer the car is.  

And armed with that knowledge, you’ll have peace of mind when it comes to picking out your next lease car deal. 

Mercedes-Benz GLC 

Mercedes’ best-seller, the Mercedes-Benz GLC is one of the best premium family SUVs on the market. 

It’s also one of the safest family SUVs around, with Euro NCAP awarding it the full five-star score earlier this year. It scored particularly highly for adult occupant, with 92%, and it’s also very good at protecting children, with a child occupant score of 90%. 

But it’s not just safety where the GLC shines. 

It’s a phenomenal all-rounder, with a spacious interior, 629L boot and crisp infotainment screen that’ll keep you connected and entertained on the go, limiting arguments and maximising road trip fun.  

If you’re after a Mercedes lease for your next car, the Mercedes-Benz GLC is one of the best.

BMW X1 

If you’re looking for something with bags of space and the safety credentials to match for your next family car lease, the BMW X1 is worth some serious consideration. 

It’s one of the most spacious and practical cars in the class, with a roomy rear, 540L boot and plenty of storage options in the cabin. But the tech is just as good: the dashboard boasts a dual-screen layout that’s packed with features and can even receive over-the-air updates like your smartphone does. 

And when it comes to safety, the BMW X1 is up there with some of the safest on the market. 

Not only does it boast a full five-star Euro NCAP score, with an 89% child occupant protection score, but it’s packed full of driver aids including a reversing camera, parking sensors and automatic emergency braking as standard. 

If that’s not enough for you, it’s worth looking at the Driving Assistant Professional package, which adds lane-keeping assist, road-sign detection, blind-spot assist and a rear cross-traffic alert system into the mix, helping to keep you and your loved ones safer on the roads. 

CUPRA Born 

Fancy going electric? 

The CUPRA Born is one of the newer electric cars to hit our roads, but it’s got solid underpinnings because it’s based on the same platform as the popular Volkswagen ID.3 – but with a sporty flair. 

Available with either a 58kWh or a 77kWh battery, the Born promises a claimed range of between 259 and 340 miles, depending on which model you go for. Not bad stats for CUPRA’s first all-electric car. 

And the interior is just as good – surprisingly roomy for a hatchback, with plenty of storage inside for all life’s odds and ends – while the 385L boot is perfect for the weekly shop or a folded-up buggy. 

When it comes to safety, the CUPRA Born gets top marks with a five-star Euro NCAP score and a plethora of safety tech, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist monitoring, lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, driver fatigue monitor and traffic sign recognition. 

For a first foray into the EV world (or even if you’re old hat at the electric game), the CUPRA Born makes an excellent choice for your next electric car lease.

Honda Civic 

With the first Honda Civics gaining popularity thanks to the 1973 oil crisis, few family cars have been around as long. 

Its illustrious history is the reason it’s still one of the go-to family cars today: dependable, affordable and economical. Fuel efficiency remains one of the core values of the Honda Civic, making it the perfect choice if you’re after something wallet friendly. 

And every trim comes equipped with plenty of safety equipment: 11 airbags, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, traffic-sign recognition and blind-spot monitoring. 

But it’s not just safe. 

It’s hugely practical for a small family, with enough space for six carry-on cases in the boot, plenty of room for four adults and a crisp and clear infotainment screen. There’s a reason for the saying ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – and the Honda Civic certainly ain’t broke. 

Tesla Model Y 

A more premium electric option, the Tesla Model Y has quickly become a best-seller for the American brand since its launch last year.  

Looking like a beefed-up Model 3, the Tesla Model Y is a roomy SUV that makes for an excellent choice if you need something a bit more spacious for your growing family. There’s plenty of room for elbows and shoulders in the front, and space enough for three in the back without too many arguments. 

It’s been awarded the full five stars from Euro NCAP, which came as no real surprise given Tesla’s track record with safety features, and all Model Y’s come as standard with automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring, as well as extra luxuries like adaptive cruise control. 

There’s an emphasis on security too, with an additional measure called Sentry Mode. When enabled, it uses the car’s external cameras to start recording when the car is approached after it’s locked, saving this footage to a USB drive. 

If someone tries to break in, or drives into your Model Y when it’s parked, the cameras will record the incident. 

If you’re after something luxurious – but safe – the Tesla Model Y should definitely be on your shortlist. 

Volkswagen Golf 

The Volkswagen Golf has always managed to bridge the gap between mainstream family car and pricier premium alternative. 

It still holds up as one of the best family hatchbacks on the market, with its impressive practicality and excellent driving dynamics. The latest generations are packed with the latest technologies, including front and rear parking sensors, a 10in infotainment screen and built-in satnav.  

The Golf shines on the safety front too, with an impressive 87% score for child safety and overall top marks with a five-star Euro NCAP score.  

It’s packed with a whole host of safety features that help it achieve that score, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, driver fatigue monitor and traffic sign recognition. 

But the Golf isn’t just safe: it’s supremely versatile, with room in the boot for the weekly shop or a buggy, and plenty of space in the cabin for four adults or a small family and storage enough for all their bits and pieces. 

It’s excellent value for money for your next Volkswagen lease. 

Kia Sportage 

There’s no shortage of family SUVs to pick from, but the Kia Sportage stands out from the crowd with its dramatic styling and well-equipped trims. 

The interior is smart and spacious with plenty of leg and head room (even for those above 6ft), and there’s a generous amount of storage, with door pockets large enough for a bottle of water, a lidded centre cubby box, trays for your phone and keys and a good-sized glovebox. 

It’s a practical car for anyone looking for their next family lease. 

There’s plenty of trims to choose from, the boot is a competitive 591L to make luggage jenga on your next family holiday a breeze, and all versions come equipped with automatic LED headlights, auto wipers, a rear-view camera and parking sensors. 

It scores highly in the safety arena too, with a five-star Euro NCAP score and good scores for both child and adult safety, while Kia’s market-leading seven-year warranty provides extra peace of mind.  

If you’re after a compact SUV, you can’t go wrong with the Kia Sportage. 

Volkswagen Taigo 

Another excellent choice if you’re after a compact SUV, the Volkswagen Taigo is a practical and impressive family car. 

The interior is spacious, with plenty of room for two adults and three children, while the 440L boot is more than large enough for the weekly shop (or six carry-on cases, should you be heading off on holiday).  

The width of the Taigo is impressive too – you won’t be rubbing shoulders with the front-seat passenger, and there’s enough space for three adults in the back. 

And the Taigo scores top marks when it comes to keeping your family safe. 

Euro NCAP has awarded it the full five stars, and it scored highly for both child and adult occupant safety.  

All models come equipped with plenty of driver aids, including automatic emergency braking, lane-change side assist, hill-start assist and a driver fatigue alert system. 

For an affordable SUV lease, the Volkswagen Taigo is worth some serious consideration. 

Skoda Octavia 

Though the crossover SUV has become the king of the family car market, the Skoda Octavia estate is still an excellent choice if you want to keep more of your hard-earned cash in your pocket: cheaper to buy and run, more economical, and just as practical. 

It might not be the ‘fashionable’ choice – but it is the sensible one. 

The interior is spacious, with more than enough room for five adults to stretch out on long journeys, while there are plenty of clever touches dotted around, including flip-out hooks in the boot, storage for umbrellas in the front doors, an ice-scraper under the fuel filler cap and a USB-C port above the rear-view mirror for a dashcam.  

The boot is generous too. It can fit in nine carry-on suitcases under the parcel shelf, which is only two less than the cavernous (but more expensive) Skoda Superb.

And when it comes to safety, the Skoda Octavia boasts the full five-star score, with plenty of on-board safety tech including automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist and an e-Call system that notifies the emergency services if you’re involved in a collision.  

SEAT Ibiza 

The compact SEAT Ibiza has been one of the Spanish brand’s best-sellers since the mid-eighties, and it’s not hard to see why. 

Though it’s compact, it’s mighty, with six well-equipped trim levels and three petrol engines on offer. The Ibiza is an excellent option if you’re after a sporty hatchback, and it scores very highly on the safety front too. 

All versions of the Ibiza come with six airbags, tyre-pressure monitoring, a tiredness recognition system and automatic emergency braking, while the Xcellence Lux model also gets a system that recognises and displays road signs. Scoring the full five-stars, with an 83% score for child occupant safety, it’s a great car for a small family. 

It’s surprisingly practical too, with one of the biggest boots in its class (enough space for five carry-on suitcases or a mammoth weekly shop), and there’s a considerable amount of head and leg room in the rear. 

It’s an excellent option for your next small car lease.