How do you choose a family car that’s right for you? Share your experiences and questions for Autotrader expert - £100 voucher to be won!

[CeriMumsnet]

Whether you’re searching for your first family car, about to replace your current one, or you’ve recently upsized, one thing is clear: parenting brings a specific set of needs when it comes to cars.

We’d love to hear about your experiences of choosing a family car. What made you realise you needed a new one, and which features matter to you most? What advice would you give to parents currently searching for their perfect family car?

We're also pleased to announce that Autotrader's trusted car expert, Erin Baker, will be on hand to answer any questions you have around choosing a family car, from which make and model to choose, to whether now's the time to go electric, and everything in between - she promises there's no such thing as a stupid question!

Everyone who shares their experience or question by 12 February will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 VEX voucher.

About Erin
Mum of four Erin is Autotrader’s Editorial Director, and has spent most of her career as a motoring journalist on The Daily Telegraph. She also writes a monthly car column for Vogue, hosts She's Electric, and is a World Car of the Year judge. She has a motorbike licence, and used to have a race licence.

Hi Erin, you don't have to poke too far around in Mumsnet to realise that there is a significant constituency in the UK that are comprehensively struggling with the cost of living. Although we're still in denial, this is no longer a wealthy country. And, as with so many things in the UK, when it comes to transport the penalty for not being rich here is huge. Far too many people have little alternative to the car, and are being priced out.

When are any manufacturers besides Renault/Dacia and the Chinese going to wake up and realise that there are now two UK car markets operating almost completely independently of each other: the one that thinks cars costing considerably north of the average household income, replaced every three years, is normal (especially if someone else actually pays); and the one that actually looks and smells like an emerging market in the developing world. Why do we have loads of products aimed at one, but hardly anything else at the other?

To give an example, in South Africa - a right-hand drive market - the starting price for a Toyota Rumion or its twin the Suzuki Ertiga comes in around the £14k mark. I promise you Toyota is not losing money on these seven seat mid size MPVs, similar in size and concept to the Dacia Jogger (which, coincidentally, was roughly the same price at launch and has since shot up). To judge from the number of Joggers gradually appearing on UK roads, not to mention the huge numbers in much wealthier parts of Europe, there is clearly a demand for this type of product/price mix, but Toyota UK offers a rebadged Berlingo instead at more than DOUBLE the price. A seven seater from a European 'value' manufacturer like Skoda is the thick end of £40k.

Why are we denied all the affordable cars?

We prioritised reliability and safety most of all. We needed one big enough for 3 adults and 2 dcs, plus luggage. We weren't bothered about style or specific brands.

We are currently looking for a bigger car for our growing family. We are prioritising reliability and reputation. I’ve looked at lots of reviews. Space and comfort too. We like sliding doors as car parking spaces seem to be getting smaller these days.

Environmental impact. My children really care about this too - it's their future we are gambling with

Reliability is first - if my car won't start, then my day won't start, I need something which will start up rain or shine, cold or hot. Closely followed by boot space, and having 4 doors. My Peugeot 308 is 11 years old now and has not let me down once, on the look out for a newer version of the same.

When we could afford it, safety was paramount. We once bought a Volvo for this reason, but when funds were tight, we had to buy any car that worked and was cheap enough.

My car needs to be reliable and safe. I also like it to be black! 😅

Reliability and practicality. As a family of five with three children under ten we need a car that is spacious and yet practical. We look for sufficient space for luggage and the ability to hitch on a roof box or bike rack as required. Inside we prioritise safety and the ability to fit three car seats with practicality e.g. fold down tables for eating or drawing. The car has to be reliable as otherwise I won’t drive it. The thought of breaking down by myself with three children terrified me. Shape and colour are not a priority but an afterthought.

Exactly. A 3 year old Honda Jazz car costs upwards of £15k. Where on earth are people supposed to find that?

Reliability is key for me. We have been hugely burnt recently buying an older car for DD when she passed her driving test. Only had a small budget and thought we had found a good car, from someone known to us with full service history. |Ended up spending an absolute fortune trying to keep it on the road for a year. In hindsight, should have spent more on a newer car to start with.

I don't really care about looks. As long as it's not run down, it's reliable and affordable and has the space needed, then that's what matters most.

Please - what is the car in the photo / ad preceding this post?
Thanks

I'm not seeing any ads at the moment. Could you screenshot it and post it yourself?

Practicality was a big factor when last getting a car, closely followed by cost. Needed to have enough space to safely fit all the carseats we had at the time and still fit once DC had moved to next stage carseats.

We are in the middle of this process - trying to narrow down options has taken months (slow decision makers). Our Golf is coming up for 15 years old and it's so reliable, but starting to show its age now with various niggles (same as me!)

My priorities are safety and reliability. DH's priorities are boot space and leather seats. We both want something that will clear road humps better, and paint that doesn't show the dirt. We can't have a plug-in as nowhere to charge.

But as the want list grows so does the price! And then I start to think 'We only do about 3000 miles a year, is it even necessary?' The worst would be to finally handover so much money and get a lemon.

I’ve gone for safety as it has to trump everything, but I also want reliability, comfort and a decent boot. Our family includes 2 dogs, so a hatchback with too much of an angle on the back window is no good.

Tech matters too. When our teens were learning to drive, I had the little 1.1 with no tech whilst DH drove round with the fancy heated seats and sat nav. When I came to change my car I went for high spec and comfort. I think technology has improved hugely in recent years, but I’m not going back to a car that doesn’t have a proper winter pack and Apple car play.

I need something about 4 years old with a full service history, and a recent MOT- reliablilty is so important - my car is my independence, and I really don't want to risk any unexpected bills from repairs - and getting an interest free credit deal from my garage really helped with my budget.

A rear parking sensor - it's been a game changer for me who has very poor spacial awareness.

Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences of choosing a family car! Our Autotrader expert Erin is now going to log on to answer the questions that have come in so far.

Please keep your thoughts and questions coming - you have until Thursday 12th to be in with the chance of winning the prize draw. Good luck!

Hi @MyLastUsernameWasRubbish - love a properly real-world question like this one! I’m sure a lot of drivers want the answer here…Once you’ve got your shortlist of cars you quite fancy, Google the “wheelbase measurement” of them. The longer the better, because this translates into more leg space inside the car. Also, ask the seller if the rear seats slide independently forwards and back via a bar beneath the seat or lever on the side - some do, allowing you to slide the seat behind the driver’s seat further back than the other one. Jazzy, eh? Also, many electric cars designed to accommodate a battery have good rear leg space, like the Kia EV range and the VW ID range. Happy hunting. x

Hi @Quietvoiceplease, I hear you.When is the cost of a car NOT off-putting? I have yet to buy one and not work out how many holidays I could have had in a villa in the Maldives with one of those slides straight into the water for the same price. Sometimes even with a butler. The good news here is on two fronts: first, electric cars aged three years or more now tend to be as cheap as, or sometimes even cheaper than, their petrol counterparts, because new electric cars depreciate in value quite quickly at the moment, so the secondhand market over three years old is your friend. Second, expunge those battery thoughts from your mind this second. Batteries are covered by an eight-year warranty (unlike engines I might add), and all the data so far shows they lose 1-2 per cent performance a year, which means you're looking at a 10-year old electric car battery with 80-90 per cent performance still there. Don’t forget petrol engines lose power too….In terms of what to look for…. Don’t think you’ve got to go for the biggest battery with the longest range that you can afford. For many, a small car with small battery and small range is just fine, especially if you're just doing local trips, and it will charge more quickly too, and be better for the environment because it’s lighter…

Hello @WhatWouldCaitlinDo - here’s WhatErinWouldDo. I’ve got two teenage boys so I feel your legroom-related pain. Can I just check on “easy to use satnav” that you know that the satnav via the Maps app on your phone in Apple CarPlay is way better than any car’s system, and most cars have Apple CarPlay connectivity now? Moving on….I agree on reliability and fiddling with menus - bring back buttons! The Japanese and South Korean brands remain reliability queens so Honda, Toyota, Kia and Hyundai should be on your wishlist, and from that I’d strongly push you towards Kia which has a good combo of buttons and an easy-to-use screen. You can’t go wrong with the new Sorento (seven seats) which is an absolute bargain these days because Kia is trying to focus on its electric range, or a Sportage (five seats) although everyone has one of them so I find them a bit dull…the new Hyundai Santa Fe has Marmite styling but I’m a big fan. In terms of boot space, leg space and value, it’s got to be a Skoda Superb estate (I MUCH prefer estates to SUVs - same space but look and handle a zillion times better) with 4x4 drive. I’d say the Jaecoo 7 but their touchscreen is horribly fiddly (ditto BYD’s cars). And if you really want to use the car’s satnav, then you’ve got to go for a fairly new Renault (or Polestar or Volvo if budget is no option), because they all use Google for navigation, and have really easy touchscreens. I adore the new Scenic E-tech. Bonne chance!

Hi @InveterateWineDrinker I hear you. And I know I’m guilty of talking about electric cars and second cars for families as if money’s no sweat. Believe me, I’m one of the sweaters. Glad you mentioned the Jogger by the way - bloody great car. The thing is, monthly finance deals changed everyone’s perception of achievable cars - the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes suddenly moved from luxury brands to everyday accessible ones in the minds of many, because £800 a month sounds a lot less scary than £60,000. But a year into the finance deal, people feel the pain. The good news for drivers is that we now have about 70 car brands in the UK, compared with just 49 five years ago, fighting for your attention. The only way they can get your, and my, custom, is by dropping their prices, especially when they have to meet annually increasing zero-emissions targets from the Government. Chinese brands might be good value, but they can still afford to drop their prices a lot lower and make a profit, so expect ever-decreasing prices on electric cars in particular, especially as battery costs come down and down. But we need far more reviews of, and advice about, sub-£10k secondhand cars, for sure.

Hi @MerlinsBeard87 Well, sliding doors helps narrow the search considerably, because your choice is limited, but no poorer for it. I totally get your point on the doors, although it’s less that car park spaces are getting smaller and more that cars are getting wider as, erm, our waistbands do…But back to your search… you’ve basically got a shortlist of van-derived cars. Which doesn’t make them any less good, but does affect their design, which some people don’t like the look of, while others don’t mind. What about the Peugeot Rifter, Toyota Proace Verso, Volkswagen Caddy or, the most glam out of this little lot: the VW ID Buzz? This last one is electric but if it’s serious style and fun you’re after, she’s the baby. For reliability, it’s got to be the Toyota while for driving pleasure I’d go Peugeot. Hope that helps x

Hello @Britanniahouse Ah, I love a 308. What a beauty - no wonder you’ve held on for 11 years. This old tripe about French cars being unreliable is less relevant with every passing year. You’ll love the new version, but it would be worth looking at its 208 smaller sibling because, although slightly smaller, it’s just as good to drive in terms of performance and handling, and will be cheaper. I think it looks better, too! Also consider the current (been around a good few years now) Vauxhall Astra or Mokka, which both look great and come from the same family as your Peugeot (both brands are owned by Stellantis). If you’re willing to consider electric, you’ve got the stunning Renault 5 if your budget stretches that far.