Best small MPVs in 2025

Hardcore fans of the brand might have scoffed when the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, but they're best off ignored, as this is the best small SUV you can buy right now. The 2er AT has a premium feeling inside that's befitting of the badge on the bonnet, is great to drive and good to look at. Well, maybe not the last one - those kidney grilles are rather conspicuous. 

The 2 Series Active Tourer shares its platform and some of its engines with the MINI range, and they're all strong. The 1.5-litre inline-three in the 220i will tick all the boxes for most, but there's also a powerful inline-four in the 223i, and even a plug-in hybrid giving an electric-only range of nearly 50 miles. There's no longer a diesel option, though. 

There's also no longer a seven-seater Active Tourer, although the previous-generation version was never a big seller. For most, the five-seater is more than practical enough, packing a lot of space into a small package. 

The Ford Tourneo Connect is another van-based people carrier. But what better van to base a car on than the award-winning Transit Connect? It looks surprisingly classy for a start, comes with a wide range of engines and - most impressive of all - has a huge amount of interior space.

Even without dropping the rear bench, these things can eat 1,213 litres of cargo. If you do, there's a whopping 2,556-litre load space. These figures drop quite a bit if you spec the seven-seater version, so if you do need the extra seats, we'd recommend upgrading to the Grand Tourneo Connect, but that isn't really what you'd call a 'compact MPV'. 

While we're on the subject of choice, it's also worth pointing out that the Volkswagen Caddy is now a rebadged version of the Tourneo Connect. At the moment, the Caddy range has a much lower starting point of £28,345 thanks to the presence of a more basic entry-level model, while the Tourneo Connect can be had from £33,820 and up.

Buyers looking for outright practicality from an MPV should consider one of the many van-based people carriers on the market. Like the Citroen Berlingo. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it… what’s better for carrying a lot of people and their belongings than a van with some extra seats, side windows and a few car-like comforts? The Berlingo has been doing this very well for years.

The latest model arrived in 2018, available in two sizes: the Berlingo M and Berlingo XL. Buyers also get the choice of diesel and petrol powertrains, plus there's the all-electric e-Berlingo. 

Even if you don't go for the XL, you won't be wanting for space. The Berlingo M has a 775-litre boot, and with the second row folded, there's a cavernous 3,500-litre cargo area to load up with stuff. 

The Volkswagen Touran is based on the same platform as the Volkswagen Golf, yet it’s larger than the more affordable Golf SV. It’s a versatile people carrier, using a flexible seating system which lets you slide forward and fold each seat individually. All of the seats fold into the floor to offer a flat 1857-litre load space, which means the Touran is more practical than the likes of the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer.

We always used to rate the 2.0 TDI engine as the pick of the bunch, but unfortunately, it's no longer available. The only engine fitted to the Touran is a 1.5-litre inline-four petrol, but it's a punchy unit and isn't all that far off the old diesel when it comes to fuel economy. 

The range starts with the Touran Match, which is well equipped considering it's an entry-level model.

The Mercedes-Benz B-Class small MPV is very similar to the excellent new A-Class, albeit with a greater amount of space and that desirable high seating position.

Because of its target audience (and A-Class ancestry), it’s loaded with useful technology. We particularly like its clever augmented-reality navigation system and built-in ‘Hey Mercedes’ personal assistant. It’s also great to drive, with efficient petrol and diesel engines on offer.

The range is easy to wrap your head around, with only two trim levels to choose from - Sport and AMG Line. Unlike a lot of the other options here, you can still have one with a diesel engine.

If a Citroen Berlingo ticks all the boxes for you, a Peugeot Rifter should also be on your shortlist. It’s essentially the same MPV - not quite as quirky in appearance as the Berlingo, but with the same incredible levels of practicality.

You get Peugeot’s now-trademark compact steering wheel, while the sliding rear doors help with access to the rear. There’s a huge boot, with a large opening and no lip of note (perfect for hoisting in bulky objects or encouraging your dog to jump in).

The catch is you can't have one with a petrol or diesel engine. The combustion variants were discontinued a few years ago, and now you can only buy one as an all-electric E-Rifter. 

The Volkswagen Golf is the answer to a lot of car buying dilemmas, but did you know you can also get a more practical version badged the Volkswagen Golf SV?

It’s almost as good to drive as the standard car, while a raised seating position aids access and helps visibility. Of course, one of its most desirable features is the extra space in the back - adults will be comfortable in the rear seats, while the boot can carry an extra 210 litres of luggage compared to the Golf hatchback. That’s a significant amount if you’re looking for a practical family car.

Volkswagen's discontinued the Golf SV with the arrival of the Mark 8 Golf, but there are plenty of used examples out there. Around £13,500 will get you a three-year-old model with a 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine and six-speed manual gearbox. Standard features include an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, manual air conditioning and a myriad of driver assistance features (including a radar-controlled emergency braking system).

Vauxhall no longer sells the Vauxhall Zafira MPV, so if you want a Griffin-badged people carrier, you’ll need to look at the Vauxhall Combo Life. It’s born from Vauxhall’s partnership with Citroen and Peugeot, meaning it’s very similar to the Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Rifter.

Like its peers, it’s available as a standard model or a long-wheelbase seven-seater badged the XL. Both models come with three Isofix points on the second row so you can fit three full-size car seats. The sliding side doors help make getting in and out easy. Both offer a whopping amount of boot space, too, even with the seats up: 597 and 850 litres for the standard and XL models respectively.

Just like the Rifter, the Combo Life is no longer available with a petrol or diesel engine, with the Combo Life Electric being the only version available.

These days, the Renault Scenic name is used for - surprise surprise - an SUV. The previous-generation version was somewhere in between compact SUV and MPV, although Renault classified it as the latter. 

With the 2016-on, fourth-generation version of the car took it in a slightly plusher direction (early Scenics felt rather cheap), but it remained as practical as ever, with a 572-litre boot and wide-opening rear doors to make ingress and egress for second-row occupants nice and easy. 

There are used Renault Scenics starting from just £8,500 on heycar, making these small MPVs seriously affordable. And if you like the look of it but want more practicality, there's always the seven-seater version, the Renault Grand Scenic, to consider.

With a clever seating system and unusual rear-opening doors to improve access to the back seats, the Vauxhall Meriva designers have put plenty of effort into making this a top-notch family car. And they've been largely successful – there's loads of space inside and the versatility of the seats works really well. You can fold them flat into the floor in a variety of different ways, which also frees up some 1500 litres of boot space for runs to to the tip or Swedish furniture shops.

There are myriad storage spaces around the cabin, and the FlexRail system between the front seats lets you slide various different modules backwards and forwards, such as armrests and cupholders.

The Meriva isn't perfect – the rear-opening back doors don't give you as much practicality as the sliding doors in a Ford B-Max – and it's not brilliant to drive. But the Meriva gives you a decent amount of family usefulness for not a huge amount of money.