7 of the best large family cars

Seven of the best large cars for large families

Sometimes, only mammoth amounts of space will cut it.

While you might dream of racing through the picturesque English countryside in a convertible, the reality is likely to be far more sensible. If you have a large family, you need a large car.

The convenience of a seven-seater knows no bounds.

Not only can you cart about your children and their friends at a moments notice – you’ll be very popular when university moving day rolls around – but if you fold down the back two seats, you’ve got enough cargo space to rival a Boeing 747.

While they’re not always the most stylish of cars, they are the most practical.

We’ve lined up seven of the best large family cars, from the actually-stylish SEAT Tarraco to everyone’s favourite MPV, the Citroen Berlingo. All that remains is to pick which one you’d like for your next car leasing adventure. 

Volvo XC90

One of the best family SUVs on the market, the Volvo XC90 is an excellent all-rounder and ticks all the boxes.

Volvo have long been one of the front-runners in the SUV market after discovering that what people really wanted was the practicality of a people carrier, but without the school bus looks.

And that’s exactly what the XC90 does best. It was a runaway success when it was launched, and it has maintained that success through a 2014 rethink. It’s now better than ever, with a variety of engines on offer and a new modular platform that underpins many other Volvos.

Being a Volvo, it’s also exceedingly safe, with all the latest mod-cons and driver assistance aids to keep you and your family safer on the roads.

And with seven-seats, there’s plenty of room for everyone.

SKODA Kodiaq

One of the best family cars you can buy for the money, the SKODA Kodiaq is one of the most affordable seven-seaters on the market.

The back two seats are quite tiny, and suitable only for kids or short teenagers, but the more compact size (it’s the same length as the Octavia estate and shorter than the Superb) makes it much easier to manoeuvre around town and swing into a parking spot.

The boot is a decent size, and the interior of the car is spacious with plenty of cabin storage for all life’s odds and ends. 

If you want a big car, but you’re not a fan of an estate, the Kodiaq is a compelling choice.

And, complete with all SKODA’s extra little touches. it’s an SUV that’ll slot effortlessly into your family life.

Kia Sorento

Perhaps not your first thought when eyeing up your next big family car, but an excellent one nevertheless.

The Kia Sorento is a sensible, affordable SUV that is actually properly spacious.

The boot is massive with the rear two seats neatly slotted away into the floor, but if you have need of the extra seating, the middle seats slide forwards to give your rearmost passengers some welcomed knee room. 

The third row even gets their own set of USB sockets, cup-holders and air vents, so there will be no complaints as to who sits where.

It’s a big car, so it’s not going to zip about town like a Fiat 500, but it drives well, and if you have a large family, the extra space will be a welcome relief, with the boot large enough for the weekly shop even with all the seats up.

And with all the seats down?

You’ve essentially got yourself a van. Perfect for trips to the tip or Ikea. 

Citroen Berlingo

Before the SUV became the go-to for large families who needed bags of space, there was the humble MPV.

They’ve fallen out of fashion over recent years, but there’s still a case to be made for the Citroen Berlingo if you’re after a sensible, spacious family wagon.

Modelled using the actual Citroen Berlingo van as a starting point, it’s a practical and versatile vehicle, though it’s not much of a looker. But, as with everything in life, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

And the Berlingo has a lot on the inside that’s worth writing home about. 

It’s available in two body lengths: the shorter M version with five seats, or the large XL with seven. If you go for the bigger Berlingo, there’s plenty of room in the rear for heads and knees, while the boot in both sizes is cavernous.

If you’re after a mammoth vehicle, this could be the car lease for you.

Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric

Another MPV up for consideration, this one is electric.

Based on the very good Vauxhall Vivaro Electric van, the Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric might be a bit of a mouthful to say, but it makes for a very good large family car if you need the space, but also want to do your bit for the environment and benefit from reduced running costs.

With a claimed range of up to 143 miles, this is one that’s more suited for town driving.

But with a bit of forward planning, you should have absolutely no issues zipping up and down the motorway on a family getaway every now and then.

And with two lengths on offer, you can have enough seats for up to nine. Generally speaking, eight seats is the sweet spot for the Vivaro Life, but if you need that extra one, it’s there for the taking.

Add in enough luggage space to take a small school on holiday, and you’ve got yourself a family vehicle that can outdo nearly everything else on the market when it comes to carrying both people and stuff.

SEAT Tarraco

If you’ve looked at all the other choices and ruled them out on the basis that they don’t look ‘sporty’ enough, then hold tight: the SEAT Tarraco might just be the seven-seater of your dreams.

Unlike some of its other massive counterparts, the Tarraco is a stylish car, with LED lighting at the front and back, a bold nose and chunky styling.

But it’s still spacious enough on the inside for your family and their luggage. The third row isn’t quite as generous when it comes to knee space, but there’s still plenty of room for older kids.

The standard specification is very good, with even entry-level SE models offering metallic paint, an eight-inch touchscreen, auto lights and wipers, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, easy-fold rear seat system, rear parking sensors, and three Isofix points in the middle row. 

It’s robust, it’s stylish, and it has space to seat bums on seats – it’s an excellent option.

Nissan X-Trail

There are plenty of seven-seater SUVs to pick from, but not all of them offer the sort of hybrid technology that the Nissan X-Trail does.

Starting life in 2001 as a chunky sort of 4x4, at a time when soft-roaders like the Toyota RAV4 and the Land Rover Discovery Sport were all the rage, the X-Trail has gone through some poshing-up and smoothing-out in the intervening years.

The Nissan X-Trail of 2023 is a very different beast to the one it started out as. It’s just as practical as it’s always been, but some additional interior touches give it a more upmarket feel, and the range of engines and Nissan’s hybrid powertrain make it much more economical.

More of a fuel sipper than a fuel guzzler, the running costs of a seven-seater like the X-Trail will be welcome news to anyone trying to balance the books and save money where they can.