Can someone just tell me what car to buy

[edgeware]

I am not particularly interested in cars, certainly not luxury cars, but I do want a new one. We currently have a Peugot 2008 and whilst it’s been great to drive and has never had a problem, I hate how low it is (I regularly bump my head when getting in). I also dislike that with two car seats in the back, you cannot fit anyone else in the back at all. Boot space isn’t great.

I want something altogether bigger and preferably also a hybrid. Does anyone know what would fit that description? Friends are happy with their Mitsubushi Outlander. Anyone have any big hybrids they are happy with?

Hybrid cars have the most valuable catalytic converters of all so if you live or regularly park in remote or highish crime areas it's worth knowing.
www.theguardian.com/money/2020/feb/01/catalytic-converter-thefts-hybrid-car-insurance-toyota-prius

Toyota Yaris Hybrid. Economical to run and great all round small car.

OP wants a big car, I don't think the Yaris is going to cut it

Not a hybrid but the Ford SMax is amazing. Not as big as the galaxy but 3 separate seats in the back which each move and recline separately and the third (fold down) row can seat 2 adults for short distances. The boot is huge. But it does feel big to drive.

Audi Q3. Perfect car.

Another one for the Honda CRV. Just faultless.

We have a Kuga hybrid (PHEV) and it's pretty good. Fine for the money, we didn't want to go OTT considering financials

Our friends' Tesla model Y is lovely! Would go for that if could spend more

Bmw x3 perfect family car.

@AnotherEmma we don't have a garage, so often buggy/pram, bags to go to the charity shop, assorted crap.... And then once those are in we can't fit anything else at all!

@Englishrosegarden thank you, yes definitely a LOT of that around here but when I researched it I thought it was only certain models where it's easy to steal and they are sorting it in newer models ?

When I hear BMW or Audi I just think ££££! Haven't checked at all though. We are in a high crime area for cars though so would be too worried about it being stolen...

I really appreciate all the advice people!

My neighbours have a Hyundai Kona, I haven’t been in it but they have 2 massive dogs so it must be spacious . It’s electric rather than hybrid, but there might be a hybrid version.

Slightly cheaper than the Volvo/Ford/VW options is a Nissan - I've got the Qashqai and I love it... I can just about fit a baby, toddler and teenager in the back.

You do have the X-trail as a bigger option as well which can either be 7 seats or big boot 😊

I have the Tucson and it’s ok.

I would look at Ford too reliable and up higher and great for families.

When buying my last car I narrowed it down to those brands that have convenient dealerships (for after sales service) then went I and talked to them about what I needed from a car.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the service I received (as a woman buying a car alone for the first time), they were all really helpful.

I ended up with a Ford Puma which I am delighted with. It drives like a small car but two 6ft plus sons are comfortable in the back and it has a huge boot. It's a hybrid.

Don't get a Mitsubishi Outlander though, that's a ridiculously big car!

I was looking at one the other day and was surprised that it wasn’t as big as I expected it to be. A bit taller but otherwise pretty much the same size as a Skoda Octavia estate parked next to it.

Interested in all these replies. I am in a similar position as we are looking to replace our 17 year old Zafira.

I don't think I'm quite ready to go full electric yet because I make regular long trips to somewhere where the infrastructure isn't yet good enough, so am looking at a plug in hybrid. I'm assuming that we will buy new simply because there don't seem to be many second hand plug ins around.

The only one I've looked at so far is the Hyundai Tucson, which I quite liked. Also on my long list is the Kia Sportage (very tempted by the 7 year warranty), the Ford Kuga, VW Touran, Peugeot 3008 and the Volvo XC40. If anyone has any experience of those (plug-in versions only), I'd be very interested.

One of the problems is finding out the info that doesn't appear in brochures. For example, I need a decent sized boot but am more interested in length than capacity because I often carry something that is quite long. I asked the Hyundai salesman about the Tucson and he spent about 5 minutes trying to find the info and failing. In the end we went out with a tape measure. Even that isn't necessarily reliable because the model he measured wasn't the plug in hybrid version and often their boots are slightly smaller than the petrol/diesel versions.

Ideally I will use boot length to narrow down the choice to about 3 and will then test drive those.