Used 7-seater cars

There’s a wealth of choice out there if you’re looking to buy the best seven-seater car for your family. Whether it’s a cost-effective MPV or a luxurious SUV, there’s a great seven-seater to suit every taste and budget. You’ll need to consider how much you want to spend, both to buy the car and to run it, what kind of power you want – petrol, diesel, electric or hybrid – and how much interior space you need.

If you’re on a tight budget, some of the most cost-effective seven-seater cars are MPVs such as the Mazda5, Ford Grand C-Max and Citroen Grand C4 Picasso, but you should also consider SUV options such as the Nissan X-Trail, Peugeot 5008 and Land Rover Discovery Sport. Models that have been on the market for longer will be available with higher mileage and therefore should be a more-affordable purchase price.

If you’re regularly going to have more than five people in your car then a seven-seater is your best option. The two back seats in most seven-seaters fold away when not needed to leave a large boot and plenty of space for five people.

Many SUVs now offer a seven-seat option. These tend to be the larger models because it’s easier for designers to fit seven seats into a larger body, but there are more-compact SUV models with seven seats, such as the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace.

Some SUVs, such as the Skoda Kodiaq, are available in both five-seat and seven-seat versions, while in others, seven seats are standard.

Many seven-seaters will be a tight squeeze for seven adults because the third row of seats is often more comfortable for kids. However, there are a few MPV and SUV cars that will fit adults in the back. If you’re after an MPV, take a look at the Volkswagen Caravelle and Multivan, the Mercedes-Benz V-Class (and the EQV, which is the electric model), as well as the Citroen Berlingo and the Peugeot Rifter. Some of these MPVs come in configurations that allow more than seven passengers. Particularly spacious SUVs include the Volvo XC90, the Kia Sorento and the Mercedes GLS.

Lots of seven-seaters have big boots… as long as you don’t have all seven seats in place. Many models have third-row seats that fold down flat into the boot floor when they’re not in use. That’s great if you don’t need all the seats all the time, and you’ll get plenty of luggage space.

But if you have to use all seven seats all the time, then your choices of big-boot cars are more limited. Generally, the larger MPVs will be your best option because they’re more spacious inside than SUVs. That means cars like the Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Traveller, Ford Tourneo Connect and Toyota Proace Verso.

According to the independent safety testing organisation Euro NCAP, the safest cars capable of carrying seven people include the latest Volkswagen Multivan, the Genesis GV80, the Ford Tourneo Connect and Land Rover Defender, as well as the Kia Sorento, Seat Tarraco and the Mercedes GLE. All of these have full five-star ratings during the past three years, including very high ratings specifically for passenger safety.