Car recommendations for new mum?

[Sarah239]

Hi, looking to hear recs for cars for mums getting out and about with new babies! I am clueless about cars but need a replacement pretty quickly as my 3 door is no longer cutting it with bub!

I currently have a 3 door Hyundai i20 which has served me very well for 10 years. My husband has a Ford Fiesta which he uses for work so we can't just share one car otherwise I'd be trapped at home all day!

My requirements:

• 5 door
• Good boot space
• Cruise control and Bluetooth connect to phone
• Affordable (used price <10-15K)
• Good safety rating
• Petrol
• Economical

Will buy used!

I generally drive for under an hour whenever I make trips (for this reason I was advised petrol over diesel). Was also advised I don't need a large engine. I do a mixture of city and 60/70mph driving.

Some cars I have been looking at are Ford Focus, Kia Ceed, Hyundai i30... I would probably go for the Focus but the boot space seems less good than competitors!

Keen to hear which cars have worked well for you! Thanks

Don't get an SUV.
What about Ford Focus estate or BMW 3 series estate or saloon.

I have a Kia Picanto which has been perfect for us so far. So easy to drive. Boot space probably a bit small though.

I had a Ford Focus when my son was younger. No issues, plenty space.
My son is now 3 and I drive a Mini Cooper 5 door. Again, plenty room even when packing for a weekend away. We don't tend to use his pram much anymore (icandy orange) but it fit in sideways.
I have friends with kids who drive all sorts - a Renault Capture, Ford Puma, Peugeot 3008, Ford Kuga, Audi A1, Jaguar XF for example.

I would say to avoid saloon style cars. My husband had the Jaguar and the boot doesn't open wide. As such, we had to 'slide' the pram in and was just impractical. Was much easier with the mini.

When I was looking last year the Skoda Octavia kept coming up as a highly recommended family car and it would be in your budget for a used car. Apparently the boot space is amazing.

My friend has it and loves it.

We didn’t get it in the end as we decided to get a hybrid and also it was slightly too large for our parking space in front of the house. But as we packed for our first family trip recently (2 of us and 1 baby) I did think that a really large boot would have come in handy!

I just bought a Honda Jazz and would recommend. It ticks all your boxes.

The boot isn't the biggest I've ever seen, but it's a very good size for such a small car. Fits my large buggy easily.

I'm not a car whizz but in terms of features, ours has the boot that opens and closes itself via the car key button (or waggling your foot under the car if you can get it to work!) I didn't really think about it at the time but it's the best when your hands are full with a baby and associated baby stuff!

Honda Jazz. It's a perfect little car. Very practical, reliable and cheap running.

Skoda Ovtavia, either stylr but the estate looks nicer and has a massive boot, more than enough space for all the stuff you'll have to cart around, with plenty to spare. I don't see the point on compromising on size with cars when the prices are comparable

Vauxhall grandland x or Nissan qashqai but with that budget would have to look second hand

I just bought a Mazda 2 and I love it. Boot may be a little small but look at the Mazda 3, it's basically the same but longer. They're built by Ford in the UK and it's similar to a Focus but with better technology inside than the comparable year/model of Ford.

Skoda Octavia. Huge space, lots of toys. We currently have a superb (bigger than the Octavia) but we will replace with an Octavia as plenty big enough.

I've got a Vauxhall Mokka! Brilliant for space and the car seat fits perfectly in the back 😊

We are in the same dilemma and have been looking at Kia Ceeds but to warn you, based on our research so far, there are very few petrol versions (loads of diesels - these don't work for us as we are in the ULEZ) and the ones that do come up seem to be £15-20k so seem to be rather pricey for what you get.

The more recent Hyundai i20 is a better package space-wise than your model, and it's five doors. If you've liked yours, you could do a lot worse than just get an upgrade.

Ive got a VW golf estate and can easily fit two
prams in the boot along with change bag for when i have my LO & nephew which is once a week.

If you're looking at Focus, as a parent to a baby I would also consider the Kuga. Same floor plan as a Focus ao feels similar to drive, doesn't feel like a big SUV. Has all Of the things you require and you will get a nice one for your budget. I had 3 when mine were little and found them reliable. The main advantage was the boot as it's quite big and you don't have the 'lip' to get things over as you do in the Focus. So you can just sort of slide things in and out like a pushchair. Shouldn't be much more to run than a Focus either.

I work in the motor industry and for reliability I would probably avoid Vauxhall, and most definitely avoid Nissan Qashqais.

You have a decent budget so have a look around and see what else you like. Maybe Seat, Skoda or VW? All reliable solid cars.

I’ve just got a 2019 focus
beautiful big car x

Our BMW I3 was great when DS was little

The back doors open outwards, so they can't get themselves out and bash other peoples doors, it was also helpful when getting him out of the car seat.

Boot space was spacious enough for the travel system and more.

We have a larger SUV for longer trips, though so if you need to travel a lot you might need something bigger

I bought a 2017 Fiat 500x for £9k in 2020, ex-motability scheme. See if there’s a dealer near you who sells these on? As they’re usually low mileage, 3 years old, and in good condition. I didn’t specifically go looking for it, I kept an eye on that dealer for something in my budget and suitable. Been happy with it the past two years.

Is his car 5 door?