7 of the best cars for dog owners

Need a new wagon for your pup?

Check out our top seven car lease deals for dog owners, perfect for both man and beast. 

As the saying goes, a dog is a man’s best friend. 

And we’d agree. There’s nothing that makes the Carparison office happier than when a four-legged friend comes to visit. 

But with your dog being such an integral part of your family, you’ll want to bear their needs in mind when it comes to selecting your next lease car. Not only do you want them to feel safe and secure on any journey, whether you’re heading down the road to the vet, off on a long walk over the moors or taking your furry pal on holiday, but the law itself is very clear when it comes to carting your pet around.

Rule 57 of the Highway Code states that you need to make sure that ‘dogs or other animals are suitably restrained’. For ease, putting your dog in the boot in a comfy crate filled with some of their familiar items is the best way to go.

Having your dog secured safely not only brings peace of mind, but it also means you’ll avoid potentially having to pay a hefty £5,000 fine.

We’ve rounded up seven of the best lease cars for dog owners to make life easier for you, comfier for them, and safer all around.

Volvo XC40

One of the best compact SUVs on the market, the Volvo XC40 with its 452L boot makes for a great car for owners of dogs big and small.

The load bay is a good square shape too, which will make fitting a cage into the back an absolute doddle. 

But the XC40 isn’t just a good car for your dog – which is just as well, because you’ll inevitably be spending more time in it than they will. The cabin is spacious and comfortable, with plenty of room for five adults to stretch out without clashing elbows. 

The tech on offer, even in the entry-level Core trim, is good, with every XC40 coming equipped with a 9in infotainment screen, DAB radio, Apple CarPlay, cruise control, keyless starts, dual-zone climate control, rear parking sensors and Volvo OnCall, which will alert the emergency services if you’re involved in a collision.

Whether you’re zipping around town or heading off on an adventure, the Volvo XC40 is flexible, comfortable and economical – especially if you opt for the plug-in hybrid version.

Ford Puma

A small, sporty SUV based on the Fiesta, the Ford Puma is good fun to drive, practical and surprisingly spacious. 

It’s economical too – good news if you’re often trekking across the English countryside in search of the best walks – with the sort of mild-hybrid technology you’d expect to find in a more expensive car, helping you to keep more of your cash in your pocket.

The Ford Puma is exceptionally practical for dog owners too.

Below the boot floor you’ll find a rubber-lined box – named the ‘MegaBox’ – where you can shove muddy wellies, wet coats and dirty harnesses to get them out of the way. When you get home, instead of having to spend hours wiping down the inside, all you have to do is open the plughole and sluice down the box.

It’s ideal for those wet winter walks, and just as useful for sandy gear in the summer.

And with a comfortable cabin, plenty of tech as standard, and a roomy backseat (with the ability to zip off the covers and give them a wash), the Ford Puma will slot effortlessly into family life. 

SKODA Superb

If your taste in dog leans more towards the ‘can’t work out if it’s actually a bear’ type (think Burmese Mountain Dog, English Sheepdog, Irish Wolfhound), then you’ll want the SKODA Superb and its cavernous 660L boot.

Seriously.

The proportions of the Superb are spaceship-like. It’s probably the most sensible car ever invented, and – being a SKODA – it’s great value for money, well-built, and has plenty of clever touches like an ice scraper in the fuel filler cap and an umbrella in the driver’s door.

It’s just as roomy in the cabin too, with leg, head and shoulder room to spare. Even if all your friends are rugby players, you’ll have absolutely no qualms trying to fit them all in.

The boot also has a handy touch-free opening option, which is excellent if you’ve been out splashing in muddy puddles and have to try and wrangle a wet dog into the boot without falling over.

But the Superb isn’t just practical. 

The face-lifted version is good-looking too, with a remodelled grille, new bumpers, LED headlights and some chrome trim for extra pizzazz. If you’re looking for a car that can actually do it all, the SKODA Superb should be top of the list for your next car lease. 

Tesla Model Y

If you’re after an electric car lease option, they don’t come much better for dog owners than the Tesla Model Y.

Not only does it have an enormous boot – plus extra storage in the front boot where the engine would have been – but it’s practical inside the cabin too, with plenty of space for five adults and all their clutter.

But the Tesla Model Y has a little party trick that makes it absolutely perfect for your next electric lease - it comes equipped with ‘Dog Mode’. This is a climate control setting that lets you keep the car’s interior temperature in a comfortable range while the vehicle is parked up.

And while leaving your dog in the car isn’t ideal, Dog Mode will give you peace of mind that your furry friend is okay.

You can even check on your dog through a cabin-mounted camera, and the 15in touchscreen on the dash will display a message to let well-meaning passers-by know the interior temperature is safe and you’ll be back soon.

The Tesla Model Y ticks the economical boxes too, with zero emissions driving, a claimed range of up to 331 miles, and whole life costs that work out cheaper than diesel or petrol engine equivalents. 

Dacia Duster

If you’re after a brand-new car that offers phenomenal value for money, the Dacia Duster is the car for you.

It’s especially good if your pooch has a habit of getting mud everywhere, and you don’t fancy splurging out on something more premium that’s only going to end up covered in dust and hair. There’s a certain hardiness to the Duster that offers reassurance it can handle whatever you – and your dog – throw at it.

And though, if you dig deep, you’ll be able to spy where Dacia have managed to save on their costs, it’s still a much better car than its price might imply at first glance.

The boot is a generous size too, with space for a dog crate for smaller animals and plenty of room for bigger dogs to have a nice lie down and a snooze.

If you’re someone who just wants the basics, opt for the entry-level trim with DAB radio, air con, roof bars and wind down windows, but if you like a few more creature comforts, the Journey trim has everything you need, including an 8in infotainment screen, parking cameras, active safety systems and 17in wheels.

For rugged style and cheap car leasing, look no further than the Dacia Duster. 

BMW X1

If you’re after something a little more premium, BMW’s smallest SUV is the car for you.

Though smaller in stature than the rest of the line-up, the BMW X1 still has a sizeable boot at 540L with the seats up, which for most dogs will give them plenty of space to have a stretch. If you’re eyeing up the (very good) electric variant, the BMW iX1 does lose a little space to the battery, but you’ll still get a good 490L. 

The cabin is roomy too, and the quality of the finish is – as expected – very good. It’s not just a box-ticking token model, but a well-thought-out and well-crafted compact SUV.

And with three trim levels on offer – Sport, xLine and M Sport – there’s sure to be an X1 that suits your budget and your lifestyle. Though even the entry-level model is very well equipped, with all BMW X1s coming with BMW’s new Curved Display unit.

This combines the digital dial display and infotainment system into one big display, though this does come with the loss of the iDrive rotary controller, the absence of which physical button aficionados might mourn. 

All things considered though, if you’re after a premium SUV lease car to cart your dog around in, you can’t go far wrong with the BMW X1.

Peugeot e-Rifter

If you need space, but you’re after an electric vehicle, then the Peugeot e-Rifter might be the car for you.

An underrated gem in the big car world, the e-Rifter’s style is a lot more rugged SUV than it is traditional MPV, especially when compared to rivals like the Citroen e-Berlingo. This gives it a wide-ranging appeal, and makes it perfect if you have a large dog – or you need to carry around more than one dog at a time.

There’ll be no doggy arguments in the spacious boot, and with up to seven seats on offer it’s also perfect if you need to cart around a lot of humans. Though this isn’t as fun as chauffeuring around your waggy-tailed pals, it is necessary.

And even those hitting six-foot won’t find their knees up around their ears in the rearmost seats.

Though all this space does have an impact on range, the claimed WLTP mileage is still a decent 172 miles, which makes the Peugeot e-Rifter the perfect option for anyone needing a versatile vehicle with more space than you could shake a stick at.