I'm contemplating which car to get to replace my trusty 2004 VW Touran, which is no longer practical for my lifestyle. The 4 DCs are nearly grown so I no longer need a 7-seater, it's usually just me in the car on my own or me plus one of the two DCs who are still at home.
We live in London and don't use the car much in town, maybe 2/3 journeys a week to pick up DC4 from after-school activities. But I drive to Oxfordshire every weekend (50 miles each way) so mainly need a car for motorway driving. Annual mileage is approx 8000 miles. I can't have anything too tiny as I need to be able to fit 6-ft+ DP and various DCs in car with me when necessary. And having spent a lot of time ferrying a lot of kids round in the Touran, I'd like something smart and fun to drive too.
Am attracted to a PHEV but many What Car reviews say smaller PHEVs are best suited to short trips with good access to charge points as on the motorway they revert to the petrol engine and fuel economy is not amazing. We would also have to have charging points installed in London and Oxfordshire.
The other option is a regular petrol-engine small car with good fuel economy and reasonably low emissions (I don't want a diesel due to the introduction of the ULEZ in London starting in April 2019). And if so, which one?!? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.