The best small family cars

The competition amongst car manufacturers in the small family car segment is tough as this is a segment of the market where you can catch both single or couples wanting a smaller round-around and families wanting a more economical family vehicle.

The Volkswagen Golf has always been amongst the more popular models and appeals to all ages and across gender barriers. Younger men tend to go for the sportier GTI version while older women favour a more frugal version. It’s always been hailed as a good performer that is fun to drive but the car is also seen as a bit conservative in its styling. But resale value is goods although it’s not the cheapest car to buy or to run; at least your investment is safe.

A more spacious alternative in the small hatchback class is the Skoda Octavia which also has the benefit of being cheap to buy and run. You should however try and avoid the cheaper models as they are somewhat spears on the equipment side. If you opt for the Greenline II model you get a car with sub 100g/km emission that averages 70 mpg. To test drive a new Skoda, Reading is one city you can visit a dealership.

Another environmentally friendly family car is the Toyota Prius which tend to feature on a lot of top five lists in this category. It might not look very exciting but emissions are well below 100 g/km of CO2 and you should be able to average 72 mpg.

A fourth offering is the Hyundai i30 which as all Hyundai’s come with a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty. It’s also the cheapest of the four and although not the most exciting car out there it comes with lots of extras.
So that’s four different offerings from four different manufacturers, all competing to get your business. And that’s always good news for the consumer.