Cars suitable for families

When it comes to choosing a family car it can be difficult to find the features that suit you best. How many seats do you need? Is the boot big enough? Can you fit your child seats in easily? These are all pertinent questions that you must consider before making your purchase.

Obviously, the car most suited to your family is likely to be one you are comfortable paying for and happy to use. Typically, bigger family cars are gas guzzlers, so its a good idea to check fuel usage and emmission measurements before you buy.

Many people carriers come with fitted TVs in the back of the driver and front passenger seats. These are great for keeping the kids entertained on long journeys, but often come with a substantial cost.

Popular family car models include the Citroen C4 Picasso, Vauxhall Zafira, Ford S-Max and Toyota Verso.

But how should you differentiate them, especially in such a cluttered market?

Think about the boot space. This is usually given in litres, so the bigger is usually the better. Seats in many MPVs are designed to fold down and create more room - so if you are off on holiday or need to transport something big, this is really useful. It's also great to have space when transporting the family pooch around for walks.
 

Always haggle and barter with the sales representatives, as they are told to budge on certain things like payments plans, reduced costs and extras for the vehicle. Try not to be too forceful - it can be hard to beat a salesman at their own game - so remain calm, talk about other prices and extras you have been offered elsewhere and try to get the best deal possible.

Other vehicles come with lots of handy extras, such as satellite navigation systems and on-board computers. Gadgets such as these can really help reduce stress, especially on long family journeys. In-built satellite navigation can alleviate a lot of stress from travel, as external modules often run out of battery, can be awkward to set up and act as a beacon for many opportunistic thieves.

Newer cars have Isofix points for you to fit child car seats with. Be aware of this when buying a used or older car, as your seat may not be compatible.