1. Nissan Qashqai

The Qashqai is now in its third generation since it was launched by the Japanese manufacturer back in 2007, and more than 3 million models have been sold in Europe since it was unveiled in 2007.

It offers plenty of leg and headroom in the front seats, and most passengers, except for the tallest ones, will have good legroom and sufficient headroom in the rear.

There are some useful cup-holders and a storage area in-between the front seats.  In addition, there are also deep door bins, a large glovebox and many other storage areas throughout.

You won’t have any issues fitting a pushchair into the 430-litre boot, which increases to a sizable 1585 litre space if you fold the rear seat bench down.  The luggage area is well-shaped and also features a flat loading lip and base, plus it benefits from a clever false floor that doubles as a boot divider.

2. Ford Focus

The current Ford Focus was launched in 2018 and is now in its fourth generation.  There’s a good reason why the Ford Focus has been around for over 20 years (that makes me feel old) and is one of the UK’s best-selling cars.  It provides a sophisticated driving experience, lots of comforts, style and safety features.

The interior of the Focus has lots of storage options and plenty of legroom for passengers.  Even six-footers sitting in the rear of the Ford Focus will feel particularly comfortable on long journeys.  There’s even space for a third adult in the middle of the rear seats, and they have ample room for their legs as there’s no big transmission tunnel on the floor.

Although a tad smaller than its competitors, the Ford Focus provides a boot size of 375 litres – which is more than enough room to accommodate a pushchair as well as your weekly food shop!  If you fold the rear seats down, it frees up a substantial 1,354 litres.

3. Kia Sportage

Parents don’t have to worry about lugging around changing bags, pushchairs, PE kits, instruments and school projects as the Kia Sportage has plenty of storage for it all – 491 litres, in fact.

The Sportage also has additional storage space with pockets on the backs of the front seats, a large cubby under the armrest and two cup-holders in the centre console – which is much welcome for Mum’s and Dad’s who need caffeine to help cope with their night’s sleep being interrupted by a little one.

The Kia Sportage also has a range of accessories to help make a families life a bit easier: from roof racks to luggage nets, this SUV has you covered.  You can also get integrated side steps which is an excellent safety addition for smaller travellers climbing aboard the vehicle.

4. Skoda Octavia Estate

The Octavia Estate is almost the equivalent of the European Champions League when it comes to interior and boot space – it often beats its competitors for passenger room and boot space. It offers excellent value for money if you want space and practicality.

There’s a huge amount of space for adults, no matter if they’re sitting in the front or back. You can easily fit three adults in the back without any complaints about the lack of space.

The Octavia’s 640-litre boot is among the largest you can buy in any estate car. It comes with plenty of practical touches, too, and if you fold the rear seats down, you get a whopping 1,700 litres of space – which is more than a BMW 5 Series Touring.

There are plenty of handy cubby spaces and pockets for storing bits and pieces. The front door bins provide ample space to store large bottles of water. In the rear, there are good-sized pockets on the back of both front seats, including a useful pouch to store smartphones.

5. Peugeot 3008

Although the SEAT Ateca and Nissan Qashqai have a slightly bigger interior than Peugeot’s 3008, the 3008 has a larger boot than either of those two vehicles.

Most of the 3008’s models have a roomy 520-litre boot which is more than enough room to store a buggy and your weekly shop or for several suitcases. And that’s before you fold the seats down to get 1580-litres of space.

The boot also has an adjustable floor so you can store things out of sight. If you opt for a Hybrid model, the boot space drops down to 395 litres because of accommodating batteries – this space increases to 1,357 if you fold the rear seats down.

The Peugeot 3008’s stylish interior is certainly spacious enough to accommodate a family of four. Front-seat passengers have room to stretch out, and there is also plenty of space on the back seat, with legroom galore, and it even features a practical central perch if you need to accommodate three people in the back.

6. SEAT Ateca

Most people will climb into the Ateca and find that there’s plenty of room in the front. Taller passengers in the front can slide the seats back to accommodate long legs, and the driver’s seat drops low enough to provide plenty of headroom. The rear space isn’t lacking either – tall adults won’t have their knees uncomfortably pressed up against the seat in front.

With the Ateca having a higher ceiling than a lot of its competitors, there’s plenty of headroom for adults sitting in the back. While there’s a high central floor tunnel for the middle passenger in the rear to straddle, the Ateca is still much better at fitting three passengers in the back.

The interior cabin has deep door pockets and cubby holes placed around the vehicle to help store items whilst on the move, including a sunglasses holder, which is by the rear-view mirror.

The Ateca’s boot space thrashes most of its competitors for luggage capacity. The front-wheel-drive models have 510-litres of storage, and if you fold down the rear seats, you get a staggering 1,910-litres of space. Four-wheel-drive models are fitted with a different driveshaft which impacts the boot space capacity, as it’s reduced to 485 litres – that still beats a lot of rivals.

7. Skoda Karoq

Skoda designed the Karoq is with families in mind, and as a result, there’s a fantastic amount of interior space in the front and rear to comfortably accommodate four people. If you do need to regularly accommodate three people in the rear, you should consider opting for at least the SE L trim, which comes with a VarioFlex seating system that adds a full-size centre rear seat.

The Karoq also boasts front door pockets capable of storing a 1.5-litre bottle of water, removable bins and some handy hooks in the boot space.

In the SE trim, if the VarioFlex is removed, the Karoq’s boot space measures 521 litres, which beats the Nissan Qashqai (430 litres) and the Renault Kadjar (472 litres). If the VarioFlex is fitted, the luggage space can be adjusted from 479 to 588 litres. With the rear seats folded down, you get a respectable 1,670 litres.

8. Hyundai i30 Tourer

There’s a good amount of passenger space in the i30 Tourer, and children and average-height adults can comfortably sit in both rows.

There is lots of storage in the front of the interior, with large door bins to accommodate a bottle of water, a lidded cubby between the seats on all but entry-level models and useful space at the base of the centre console to store your wallet and phone.  Rear storage includes door bins on both doors.

The Tourer has an excellent 602-litre luggage capacity which is a good square shape.  When you fold the rear seats down, the boot space increases to an impressive 1,650 litres, which beats rivals such as the Ford Focus Estate and the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer.

9. Mazda 6

The Mazda 6 offers a spacious cabin and has lots of useful storage bins and cubbies to store your bits and pieces while on the move.  The door pockets are spacious enough to carry large bottles of water without any problems.

This saloon model should be comfortable even for adults around six feet tall, and front occupants shouldn’t have any issues with leg or headroom.  Tall adults sitting in the rear seats shouldn’t have any complaints about the headroom either.

While the Mazda 6 doesn’t have a class-leading boot capacity of 480 litres, it does, however, have useful features such as a pair of handles in the boot for popping the rear seats down and a flat boot floor, which is handy when storing longer items.  Once the rear seats are folded down, the car carries a useful 1,632 litres of luggage, a figure which makes the storage one of the best in its class.

10. Skoda Superb

One of the very first things that buyers notice with the Skoda Superb is the incredible amount of interior space it offers.

Front-seated passengers are certainly well catered for with height-adjustable seats and plenty of legroom.  Three adults can easily be accommodated in the back and be treated with limousine levels of room and comfort.

Passengers within a Skoda Superb are provided with numerous storage options, which include an air-conditioned glovebox, cupholders in the centre console and a cubby area underneath the steering wheel.  The door bins in the front are large enough to store 500ml bottles of water.  Other handy storage features include a glasses holder by the rear-view mirror and storage for umbrellas (one is provided) on each of the front doors, in case your family gets caught out by the weather.

The latest model of the Skoda Superb improves on the luggage space with 625 litres, which is a 30-litre increase from its predecessor.  Fold the rear seats down, and you get a class-leading total of 1,760 litres, which is 323 litres more than a Ford Mondeo hatchback.  Whether you fold the rear seats down or not, you get more than enough boot space to fit store your luggage and pushchair for trips away.

What is also helpful for families is the huge and wide opening boot lid which allows you to easily load larger items.  If you’re overloaded with shopping when you get back to the car, simply wave your foot under the Superb’s rear bumper and hey presto, the boot opens.