Best cheap family cars in 2025

The Dacia Duster has always been great at offering practicality, value and even a modicum of off-road chops, and with the arrival of the latest version, it's even quite stylish. The chunky looks of the new Duster make for arguably the most desirable car we've ever seen from Dacia, and yet, the price is still very reasonable. 

The starting point is around £22,000, and even if you plump for a fancier trim level, you won't be spending all that much. It's also more practical than before, with the boot space going up from 445 litres to 517 litres. Just bear in mind that the Hybrid models have a bit less, as does the bi-fuel LPG model to accommodate the extra fuel tank. 

If you're after something even cheaper, there are big savings to be had on late examples of the outgoing car if you don't mind the slightly frumpier looks and smaller boot. Otherwise, it's still a very strong choice as a cheap family car.

Need to carry more than five people? Dacia has you covered there too. The Dacia Jogger is, by a country mile, the cheapest new seven-seater around, with a starting price comfortably under £20,000. 

It might not be quite as good-looking as the Duster (frankly, it's a bit awkward from some angles), but it's hugely practical, and not just because of that third row of seats. Take those out when they're not needed, which is a simple process, and there's nearly 700 litres of boot space on offer. Drop the second row down as well, and a 1,807-litre load area opens up.

It feels basic inside but still covers all the essentials including the presence of a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. We're not huge fans of the three-cylinder 1.0-litre engine, though, and the four-cylinder hybrid version is quite a bit more expensive. 

The Fiat Tipo is a family car that was unapologetically cheap and cheerful as a new car, and now it's only available as a used car, it looks even cheaper. And if you are looking for a family car that can be had for peanuts and has lots of useable space, then the Tipo should be high up on your shortlist of family cars. 

The interior of the Tipo won’t win any beauty contests, with its varying layers of grey and black plastics. But the inside of the Tipo is comfortable and practical. The seats are firm and supportive, and you’ll have no trouble fitting a pair of large child seats in the back. You also get a useful 440-litre boot. 

Like other cars at this price point, the Fiat Tipo is designed to provide a smooth and relaxing driving experience. That means you get soft suspension and light steering. The handling isn’t what we’d call engaging, but it is safe, predictable and particularly good on rough roads. 

The Skoda Scala is a family car that we rate highly. It’s easy to drive, well-equipped and practical. The Scala is also good to drive and offered with an impressive range of efficient and refined engines that are usually found in much more expensive cars within the Volkswagen Group range.  

Priced keenly, the Skoda Scala undercuts its chief rivals by a considerable distance. Admittedly, it’s not as much fun to drive as some, but the Scala has most family car bases covered with good comfort, tidy handling and low fuel costs that peaks at 60mpg for the (now defunct) diesels and 50mpg for the petrols. 

The Scala is a spacious and practical car. The boot is wide and has 467 litres of loadspace. The interior is also filled with lots of useful cup holders and pockets for carrying odds and ends. Head- and legroom are plentiful, too, with the Scala’s rear seats providing a similar amount of kneeroom to the larger and more expensive Skoda Octavia.

The Hyundai i30 is one of those family cars that slots into the ‘safe and steady’ category. Is it exciting or dynamic? Not really. But will it provide you with years of safe, comfortable and frugal motoring for not much money? Most certainly. 

The i30 is sold with an unlimited-mileage five-year warranty. You also get a good choice of petrol engines with low fuel costs. With the older ones, the 1.0-litre petrol will return around 50mpg, while the 1.4-litre petrol will provide around 45mpg when paired with Hyundai’s excellent automatic gearbox. The 1.6-litre diesel will provide up to 60mpg. The later 1.5 mild-hybrid petrols return around 48mpg.

The cloth seats in the i30 are among the very best in the class for leg- and back support, and the interior is designed to cover long distances in comfort. You also get a useful 395-litre boot, which is more usable than some of its rivals thanks to its square shape and low-loading lip. 

The personification of hassle-free family motoring, the Kia Ceed is excellent value for money. All versions are easy to use and backed by Kia’s huge (and fully transferable) seven-year warranty. If you want a family runaround that will give you zero headaches, the Ceed will be the car for you.

All versions get 16-inch alloy wheels, touchscreen infotainment (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) and a handy reversing camera. The standard safety kit is also high, with a semi-autonomous braking system automatically applying the brakes to prevent low-speed accidents. 

The Ceed has historically shared its engines with the Hyundai i30, which means you get a wide choice of efficient and refined petrol and diesels. The ride quality is also impressive, with even cars on large 18-inch wheels providing a smooth and comfortable driving experience.

Granted, a brand new Toyota Corolla isn't particularly cheap, partly due to the fact it's now only available with a sophisticated self-charging hybrid powertrain. However, the latest iteration of the car has been around for several years now, and used versions can be had for a lot less (they start at around £13,000 in the heycar classifieds). And, what with Toyota's immaculate reliability record and a warranty that could last up to ten years or 100,000 miles (provided the car is serviced annually within the main dealer network), you should have no qualms whatsoever about buying a pre-owned one.

It's a great car in a variety of other ways, too. It looks great, is comfortable and confident to drive, and the hybrid powertrains deliver strong real-world fuel economy. The interior is pleasantly finished, solidly built and well equipped, meanwhile. Yes, the rear seats are a little tight on space, but kids will be fine, and if you go for the Touring Sports estate version instead of the hatchback, you get more rear space and a bigger boot.

The SEAT Leon is a brilliant family car. Fun to drive, spacious, comfortable and affordable to run, it puts a big tick in all of the family car boxes. We rate it very highly. 

Get behind the wheel of the latest Leon and it’ll take you precisely one minute to understand why car buyers hold this family-friendly SEAT in such high regard. The cabin has lots of high-quality materials and there is lots of head- and legroom across both rows of seats. 

The Leon is engaging to drive and offered with a huge choice of efficient or powerful petrol and diesel engines, and also a plug-in hybrid. It is also well-equipped as standard, which means you don’t have to worry about expensive extras to get the best out of it. 

The Vauxhall Astra has long been a dull but dependable family hatchback. But with the arrival of the 'Astra L' in 2021, it became quite desirable, with an angular new look to set it apart from the 'jelly mould' aesthetic of the previous version. 

Launched after the creation of the Stellantis group of brands, the latest Astra shares a lot in common with the Peugeot 308, which is no bad thing. You can also have it with a variety of powertrains, including conventional petrol engines (but no longer a diesel), a plug-in hybrid and an Astra Electric. 

That last one doesn't really qualify as 'cheap', though, and the range in general isn't quite the bargain it once was. With that in mind, it could still be worth your while looking for a late example of the previous-generation Astra. 

Citroen has built itself a reputation for selling quirky but affordable family SUV crossovers that deliver excellent value and comfort. The C3 Aircross has long been one of the best examples of Citroen’s success, and the latest version is better than ever.

We love the chunky new look, and for the second-generation C3 Aircross, there are two very important changes. For one thing, it's available as an all-electric e-C3 Aircross for the first time, and for another, it'll be possible to spec a third row of seats, finally giving the Dacia Jogger a firm rival in the cheap seven-seater stakes. 

It's built from familiar parts, sharing a lot with the new Vauxhall Frontera, but it has a greater focus on comfort thanks to the use of special hydraulic bump stops in the suspension.