Good non-SUV car for 2 car seats

[Likesicecream]

We have baby #2 on the way and are finally going to get a car. We live in London zone 2/3 so are hoping for something small enough to drive/park easily in London but large enough to comfortably fit two (no more!) car seats without sacrificing too much front seat leg room or having too much difficulty wrangling kids into the car. I would rather avoid an SUV and DH would love a hybrid. Needs at least decent boot space too.

Any recommendations? We looked at the Toyota Corolla but the backseat just looked too cramped. Toyota Camry? Honda Accord? My base case is a sort of middle of the road brand but could go fancier if it makes a difference. I would love one that parks itself too :)

A golf. I had a mk5 years ago. It fit 2 kids, 2 adults, a double pram and an overweight Labrador in like a dream.

Thank you! This was my first inclination but the hybrid option doesn't seem great... we may have to live without that!

Well OP, we have had two kids in a VW polo, a Honda Civic and a Seat Leon. I definitely preferred the Civic. The boot space in the polo was pathetic! I wouldn't recommend it, but I had that car before I had kids!

One thing to consider is I've actually found it easier getting kids in and out of car seats in a three door car than a five door. Once they're older and can get in themselves it's not so much of an issue, but babies is definitely easier in a three door.

Ford Bmax. It has sliding rear doors so really easy with car seats as you need much less room on either side when parking.

I could fit 3 car seats in my Astra, god rest it’s soul.

Thank you all... that is interesting about 3 doors vs 5, food for thought!

If you are keeping rear facing until 4, you need to check the size of the car seat, they can be hard to get into smaller cars. There was no extended rear facing when I had lost

I have a Skoda fabia. I can fit two car seats and two adults in. Plus a pram and a weeks shopping in the boot! Lovely city car that still is nice enough on the open road. Cheap too.

My car seats are 25KG extended rear facing ones and we're 5ft9/6ft2 adults. So not small people!

On what planet are babies easier in a 3 door car?!

Honest to god. DP had a KA years ago, when I had that golf
Three doors are an utter ballache

If you are buying 2nd hand as they don't make them any more my Meriva (2010+ shape, you might see it referred to as a Meriva B) has 3 seats with proper seat belts at the back, but you can fold the middle seat completely out the way and move the back seats back and inwards so you have more space.

Also it has rear doors that are hinged at the back so they open really wide which is brilliant if you have children in carseats or people with mobility difficulties.

It isn't much wider/ longer than a Ford focus although I thinks it's higher but it also has plenty of room for shopping and a pram.

Volvo V40 5 door. Brilliant car.

Corolla Verso (don't worry about miles we've got a diesel Avensis on over 250000m!)
Golf Plus if you can find one.
Prius Plus if you can afford it, might make a lot of sense in London.

The Civic makes a lot of sense but I think you probably need to take a look at a few cars and try them out for size.

Three door car is much easier! The door opens wider and you can actually move the back of the seat in front so you can step into the car maneuver around the car seat. No twisting your back and climbing over the car seat to get baby strapped in. I will die on this hill.

When we tried to find a hybrid car with enough cabin and boot space, we struggled. The Kia Niro is good (great cabin space) but the boot isn't particularly big in the hybrid version. The battery takes up some space in the boot. The Kia eNiro (fully electric rather than hybrid) has more boot space because the battery can go under the bonnet (no petrol engine!)

There is the Mitsubishi Outlander but it's absolutely huge and was far too big for my liking. Not a practical car for city driving and not actually that fuel efficient either.

In the end we decided to go for a fuel efficient petrol car instead. We got a Skoda Octavia (huge boot) but if I was in London and had to do more parking in tight spaces, I'd go smaller. Skoda Scala probably.