Best 7-seater cars in 2025

The Kia Sorento is one of the best, most affordable seven-seater SUVs on the market. All versions are well-equipped, spacious, practical and get four-wheel drive as standard. The seven-year, 100,000-mile transferable warranty, also means it’ll be hassle-free to live with for a good while, even if you pick up a used model with some warranty left.

Aside from being one of the best cars in its class for space and convenience, all versions are comfortable and nicely designed. Even the most basic car in KX-1 trim gets 17-inch alloy wheels, touchscreen infotainment, DAB audio, rear parking sensors and all-wheel drive. 

The Sorento is available with a smooth 'self-charging' hybrid system using a 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine, and also as a plug-in hybrid, but there's also Kia's tried-and-tested 2.2 CRDi diesel. Due to its size, power, four-wheel drive and trailer stability system, the Sorento is popular with caravan owners, and it's the latter engine choice they'll prefer. Even if you don't tow, though, the Sorento is a great all-round large SUV. 

Kia's flagship electric seven-seater SUV is on the pricey side, but it's also a very accomplished machine that ticks just about every box you're likely to need a mark in. Large, very well-equipped and exceedingly comfortable, the Kia EV9 takes on premium opposition like the Mercedes-Benz EQB and Volvo EX90, and it makes a very compelling case for itself.

Even the base model has loads of features and technology, from driving assistance galore to heated- and ventilated seats on two of the three rows. Then there's the choice of battery, with either 313 miles or 348 miles available from a single charge, depending on which model you go for.

The interior is beautifully finished and has loads of space for seven. Or, if you go for the top-spec GT-Line S model, you can replace the three-person second row with two individual seats, which can rotate to face the third-row passengers, rather like an executive jet. And if that wasn't enough, Kia also offers an industry-leading seven-year warranty from new. There's very little not to like here.

Remember when seven-seater cars were predominantly MPVs? Dull-looking machines that said 'I've had children and my days of enjoyment are over' clearer than anything else you could buy? Well, the Land Rover Defender is certainly not one of those.

This is a car that says 'I've had children, but I still know how to have fun', or words to that effect, and it does that straight off the bat with its chunky, take-no-prisoners looks. It's not all about appearances though; clever electronics, a deep wading depth and huge suspension travel means the Defender is, according to Land Rover, the toughest off-roader it has ever built.

Quite aside from that, it's also an excellent family car. You can choose from five-, six-, seven- and eight-seater configurations, and whichever version you go for, you'll find a car with a hugely practical cabin that's loaded with handy storage spaces and has a big boot, especially when you're not using all the chairs. It's also comfortable, refined and comes with a range of punchy engines, while the quality and technology inside is on a different planet to the super-basic old Defender.  

BMW has a knack for making SUVs that are impressive to drive, and despite the X7's sheer size and heft, it's another success story. 

Although it's hardly agile (no 2.5-tonne SUV is), the way the BMW X7 manages to stay composed in the bends and yet feel like a proper luxury car over bumps shows off the brand's incredible depth of engineering. It's also available with four-wheel steering, which is perfect for navigating such a big car through city streets. 

The excellent 3.0-litre diesel version will be more than quick enough for most buyers. It has impressive pulling power despite not being the most powerful (or expensive) engine on offer. The base-level trim also has everything you need spec-wise, so you can use the cash you save to stump up for a few extras.

All of the seats behind the front ones can be raised or lowered, while the middle ones can electrically slide and recline. With all seven seats in place, the boot is big enough for a few shopping bags or a couple of carry-on cases, but in five-seat mode, the load area is immense. Turn your X7 into a two-seater, and there’s enough room - and totally flat floor - to carry a moderately sized sofa (along with the house it used to sit in).

We've been big fans of the Volkswagen ID.Buzz ever since it first arrived in the UK in 2022, and although we've been itching to include it on this list, we haven't been able to, and for one simple reason: despite its MPV shape, it was previously only available with five seats.

However, that's now been rectified by the arrival of the long-wheelbase (LWB) version, which adds even more interior space, along with those two extra pews. And yes, all of the seven chairs have decent space for an adult human being if they don't mind feeling a little bit snug, and depending how many chairs are in use, the boot ranges in size from decent to dazzling.

But obviously, the real appeal of the ID.Buzz lies in its sheer desirability. Its brilliantly retro-modern design inspired by Volkswagen's old Type 2 Bus of the 1950s means it looks the absolute business, while the bright colour schemes and plushly trimmed interior give it even more charm. It's good to drive, too, with a comfortable ride, surprisingly nimble handling and smooth, all-electric powertrains that deliver strong pace and very decent range figures.

The new Volvo EX90 takes the brilliant work done by the XC90 SUV over the last two decades, and reimagines the same formula for the impending all-electric future: and does so rather convincingly, may we say.

Yes, the XC90 continues on sale in a heavily revised plug-in hybrid form, but the all-electric EX90 really feels like an evolutionary step on. The powertrains deliver exceptional performance and refinement, while a comfortable ride and surprisingly tidy handling make the big electric Volvo a joy to drive in all situations. A generous range means you can go a fair old way before you need to recharge it, too.

Perhaps the thing you'll like most, though, it the sheer style it delivers. It looks good from the outside, while the inside has serious wow-factor, with gorgeous materials and effortlessly stylish design. The EX90 feels even roomier than the XC90, too, so seven adults sit comfortably, and there's room for a decent slice of luggage at the same time.

The first Skoda Kodiaq was always one of our favourite family cars due to its impressive mix of abilities, and happily, the latest version builds on those even further to provide even more appeal. 

First of all, it looks better, with a less frumpy design, but at the same time, it's not too flashy. The second-generation car is also slightly bigger, which means even more interior space. Okay, so the third-row seats (where fitted, as the Kodiaq can also be had as a five-seater) are probably still best left to children, but things are less cramped than before. The (already large) boot has increased slightly in capacity, too, making the Kodiaq even more practical and even more versatile.

The interior also presents you with a nicely finished and substantially built environment, and all versions come generously equipped as standard. What's more, the Kodiaq comes with Skoda's trademark 'Simply Clever' features, which are little design touches aimed at making everyday family life that little bit easier. And they really work. 

If you're not hugely fussed about style and are happy to sacrifice a little bit of driving refinement, there are a number of van-based MPVs on the market that can carry seven (sometimes more) for less outlay than a lot of the seven-seater SUVs listed here. One of those is the Volkswagen Caddy, which is nicer to drive than the average van-derived MPV, as it's actually based on Volkswagen Group's MQB platform which underpins many of its cars including the Golf.

The Caddy is available in two length sizes, a short-wheelbase one and a longer-wheelbase one called the Maxi. Both are available with seven seats. Then you choose between the entry-level trim (simply called 'Caddy'), which is a little on the basic side, or the more salubrious Life version.

The you choice on the size of your car makes a lot of difference to how much luggage space you have available. The SWB Caddy only has 191 litres behind the third row of seats, although you can fold these or take them out of the vehicle entirely when not needed, and the same is true of the second row. Remove both, and you have a whopping 2,556 litres of space to play with. In the Caddy Maxi, doing the same opens up a cavernous 3,105-litre cargo area, and even with all seats in place, there's an impressive 446 litres available. 

If you're tempted by the Caddy, it's worth also looking at the Ford Tourneo Connect, which is essentially the same car but with different badging and styling. 

The Dacia Jogger is an antidote to the increasingly expensive world we live in. While your energy bills may be rocketing, fuel prices increasing and the weekly food shop now costing well into three figures, the Dacia Jogger is a brand new seven-seater you can buy for a little over £18,000, less than an entry-level Vauxhall Corsa.

It might be, dare we say it, cheap, but it's jam-packed with value. As basically an estate version of the Dacia Sandero, the Jogger is a potential rival for all manner of cars from the Skoda Octavia Estate to the Vauxhall Astra Estate. But the Dacia is actually a refreshingly simple car, with three trims to choose from and a choice of engines: an efficient petrol unit or a more powerful, automatic hybrid that promises up to 57.7mpg.

Sure, it's not particularly plush inside, but it is spacious and it covers the basics, with features like air-conditioning and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto all available. It's more of a five-seat car with two seats added on at the back than a genuine, full-time seven seater, so if you need all five rear seats on an everyday basis then it might not be the best choice. But at this price, it's very hard to criticise too much.

Offering a huge interior space, bags of tech and a 7-seat layout, the Peugeot 5008 is a great choice for those who want style without sacrificing practicality. All versions get three rows of seats as standard, and the third row can be folded away into the floor to provide a van-like load space. Although the third row of seats are best used by children, small adults could fit in there for emergency journeys. 

The 5008 looks great from the outside, and the attractively designed and plushly trimmed interior feels very well put together, while the 5008 is also well equipped, even at the lower end of the range. The clever i-Toggle controls on the dashboard also look good, and make the infotainment system a little easier to use.

If we're honest, the 5008's driving experience has taken a small step backwards compared with its predecessor, with a slightly lumpier ride and less agile handling. It's really good in most other respects, though, and you have all-electric, plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid versions to choose from.