A not-too-bad-for-the-planet estate or 4x4 or one of those inbetweeners - any ideas?

[Pollaidh]

Hi we need a bigger car (bigger than a peugeot 307) and we're looking at a nearly new estate or 4x4 or one of those inbetween cars like a peugeot 3008. Features needed:

• Fairly high ride/driving position
• Not too expensive to run/insure/tax etc and not too bad for the environment
• Good safety record, high NCAP rating
• Enough space to take baby, toddler stuff + holiday and large bags of sport/camping kit. Space for 2 kids, occasionally 3 in the back.
• Not too big - not one of those monsters as parking is tricky round here
• Budget not decided yet but anywhere between 10k and 20k I guess (for a car about 3 years old)
• We are not remotely snobby about car makes, but reliability is a must.

Can anyone suggest or recommend anything, and do you have any opinions on estate vs. crossover vs. 4x4 please? We don't necessarily need a 4x4, it's just that as I have post-accident PTSD I'd be much happier in a higher vehicle.

Thank you for your help!

Pollaidh, have you had a peruse of Mumsnet Cars' car reviews section, searching by category/car type? It might be an idea to make a beeline for cars with a four- or five-star rating as a starting point. You can choose to read our parent-friendly expert reviews or Mumsnetters own comments where they've left them. This will give you an idea of what new and nearly new cars are available, at the very least, but it should also tell you a lot more and make the task a bit less overwhelming.

volvo v70! loved ours to bits, only got rid because we needed a 7 seater.

Alexmumsnet - is there a way of searching for just 4x4 cars?

Thanks bundaberg and Alex. Will definitely check those out.