The term ‘family car’, let’s be honest, is a pretty broad one. Especially these days, with the rise of the ‘crossover’, it could be used in reference to all manner of vehicle shapes, encompassing the likes of SUVs, MPVs and saloons, as well as the small and medium-sized hatchbacks a lot of people have long associated the term with.
So, if you will be in the market for a new family car this year, you could be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed. That’s why, here at Car Finance Genie, we thought we’d pinpoint just five such vehicles among our favourites for families, and why you should consider each one.
Don’t forget that, whether you opt for any of the below vehicles or a completely different family car, Car Finance Genie offer specialist bad credit car finance options that may help to make your ideal new set of wheels more attainable than you think.
Ford Focus
For the first entry in our list, we decided to go with an evergreen favourite, the Ford Focus, which has been delighting families since the first iteration was launched in 1998.
The most recent, fourth-generation Focus broke cover in 2018, and retains previous models’ reputation as the most rewarding ‘driver’s car’ in its sector.
It’s still not perfect – What Car?, for instance, having said the interior quality isn’t as impressive as rivals such as the SEAT Leon or Mazda 3 – but with the magazine giving it an overall four-stars-out-of-five review, it’s still an appealing option.
Suzuki Vitara
There was a time when many of us might not have regarded the term ‘SUV’ as synonymous with ‘family car’, but of course, times change. If we were going to include one in this rundown, though, we felt it made sense to put the spotlight on an arguably underrated one: the latest Suzuki Vitara.
The Vitara is definitely from the more ‘traditional’ and rugged school of what an SUV is; it’s solidly built, and with four-wheel-drive available on some variants, it boasts genuine off-road ability. Crucially, it also offers the amount of interior space you would want from a good family car.
If you aren’t a ‘badge snob’ but are interested in an unfussy and fun-driving SUV, we would urge you to give this unassuming Suzuki some thought.
Volkswagen ID.3
The electric-car market seems to have ballooned out of nowhere in recent years, so it’s perfectly possible that as a would-be family-car buyer, you might not have yet owned one.
In that case – and if you’re wondering what the highest-rated fully electric family cars are in the UK as of 2022 – you could hardly choose a better place to start than the ID.3.
As the first car to be launched from Volkswagen’s ID. family of battery electric cars, the ID.3 is a stylish hatchback which attracted a 4.5-out-of-five review from Auto Express on account of such strengths as its smart looks, refinement and a “usable, real-world range”.
Skoda Superb
While we’re on the subject of Auto Express’s take on the family-car market, did you know that the Skoda Superb was the magazine’s “family car of the year” in 2020? That was around the time the third generation of this much-admired five-door hatchback and estate received a facelift.
It has long been well-known that the Czech Skoda marque is far from a joke these days, and the Superb has drawn warm reviews from the motoring press, who have saluted its combination of a premium feel and a very reasonable price tag.
Not only is the Superb a comfortable and relaxing drive, but its interior manages to be practical while still feeling upmarket – and that’s before we even get to the subject of its generous-sized boot.
Volvo V60
As we touched on earlier in this blog post, there are a lot of different car body styles and shapes that can be regarded as ‘family cars’ nowadays. And if it’s an estate you specifically have in mind, you no longer have to settle for some boxy, crude, deeply unglamorous thing.
That brings us neatly onto the Volvo V60. It ticks almost all the essential boxes for a medium-sized estate car – including a plush and well-equipped interior, enough room in the cabin for five people, and 529 litres of boot space – while also being genuinely stylish.
On the more negative side, though, if the driving experience is important for you in an estate, the BMW 3 Series is well worth looking at as an alternative.
There you go – just five vehicles that show, in 2022, a new family car doesn’t have to be ‘dull’, or represent a serious compromise to your preferences and lifestyle. So, why not browse our online vehicle stock today to see which of these cars – or other attractive models – could be available for you at a great price when you turn to the Car Finance Genie team for a competitive finance deal?
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