Best family cars for 2026: practical and spacious options rated

With hundreds of individual tests carried out on every car that comes through our lab, there's nobody better placed to recommend your next family car than Which?. Read on to find out which cars are the best for families, and what to consider when making your next purchase. 

Whether you'd prefer a spacious estate or a fully fledged seven-seater, or only need a car that will occasionally be used to carry the grandkids, there's something on our list for everybody. 

Want more options? See all our new and used car reviews

The best new family cars

Below, our experts have selected the best new cars for your family.

Which? members can log in to see the family cars we recommend. If you're not already a member, join Which? to unlock our best family cars and all of our independent, expert car reviews.

The best used family cars

Buying a used car can be a great way to save money, but you'll want to make sure that the vehicle you buy is going to run for a few years.

Fancy camping on top of your car? We've tested roof tents so you can pitch your tent wherever you park

What should I look for when buying a family car?

Our reviews will point out the finer practical details you need to know when picking your next family car.  

• Seat space: All our car reviews tell you the height of the tallest person who can comfortably sit in the front, and in the back. If you're seeing a car in person set the front seats to a setting that's comfortable to the tallest person who will be in the front. This will reveal just how much space those in the back will really have on a day-to-day basis. 
• Check door opening angle and aperture: Check how wide the rear doors open, and how big the aperture is. If either prove to be a bit on the narrow side, it could be a pain to get a bulky child car seat (or a squirming child) into the back. Also look at how the doors stay open; most will have two or three points at which the door is held open, while others are rock solid no matter the angle. This can make a big difference when loading kids into the car in a tight car park. Our reviews will mention where this is particularly good, or bad.
• Boot space. All our reviews tell you how much space the boot of a car really has. We ignore manufacturer claims and simply stack the car with foam blocks until we can't fit any more in. That's what we consider usable space to be. When viewing a car, make sure it has enough capacity to swallow a pushchair and several bags. Take some measurements of the bulkiest stuff you expect to lug around on a daily basis and measure the boot when you're at the dealership. 
• Is there a step? When folded down, some seats will fold down in line with the boot floor, creating a flat loading space. This makes it easy to load/slide in heavy objects. But if the car seat sits above the boot floor, that creates a step that makes it much harder to slide things in.
• 60:40 or 40:20:40? You'll likely come across these terms. Simply put, it describes how the rear seats fold. 60:40 split is the most common. This means that one seat will fold down individually, and then the middle and other rear seat fold down as a single block. Some cars offer 40:20:40 splits, which means that each seat drops down individually. Some cars also have an opening in the backrest of the middle seat to slide longer objects through. 
• Sliding and removing seats. Some people carriers offer greater flexibility in the form of rear seats that slide back and forth, allowing you to prioritise seat space or boot space as needed. Other cars enable you to remove the seats completely, creating the greatest amount of space and offering the greatest flexibility.

Preparing for a growing family

Our expert advice helps you make the best decisions for your loved ones

Visit our growing families hub

How do I know if my child seats will fit in the car?

Before you head to a car dealership, you’ll want to do a bit of background reading on the different types of car seat and how to fit them. We have separate, simple guides that explain everything you need to know:

• What is Isofix?
• Car seat weight groups and height groups explained
• How to fit a baby or child car seat
• Best baby and child car seats

If it's practical to do so, it's worth taking your seat and/or child to the dealership to make sure both fit before you commit. 

Want some more family-friendly options? See our guides to the best MPVs and the best large SUVs.

What's the safest family car? 

The good news is that a wide variety of cars score well for safety in crash tests. Which? helped to found, and continues to work closely with, Euro NCAP on crash and safety testing.

The safest car ultimately depends on your priorities. Our reviews show an overall Euro NCAP star rating for a car, but it's also worth visiting the Euro NCAP website to see individual scores for adult and child protection in a crash. If you're carrying smaller children in the car, you'll also want to read our reviews to see how easy it is to fit a child car seat in the front and rear seats. 

We test cars more thoroughly than anyone else

Every car we test goes through hundreds of lab tests and road assessments. These tests are performed in a controlled lab, so we can compare the results against different cars and scientifically determine which is better and why. This wealth of reliable information is used in conjunction with our extensive survey data.

Additionally, each year we ask tens of thousands of car owners who tell us how reliable their car is and how satisfied they are with it. We use this reliability data to inform reviews so you can buy with confidence.

Read more about how we test cars.