Best estate cars to buy 2025

They might be less popular than they once were, but the best estate cars are still hugely spacious family-focused models that offer plenty of practicality. These cars are often very good to drive, too, and there’s now plenty of choice when it comes to fuel, with petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric estates all up for grabs.

Our expert road testers have driven all of the estate cars that you can buy in the UK, and have carefully evaluated every crucial factor including space, fuel efficiency, on-board technology, comfort and the purchase price.

Whether you want carrying capacity, style, dog-friendliness, towing ability, performance or simply a great all-rounder, you’ll find an ideal choice among the top 10 best estate cars you can buy right here.

Compare the best estate cars

Scroll down for more information on each of the best estate cars, or simply click the links in the table above

1. Skoda Superb Estate 

• Prices from £37,000

The Skoda Superb Estate offers sharp styling, enormous practicality and enough tech to easily compete with a number of its executive car rivals, yet it costs thousands less.

The main selling point of the Skoda Superb is its unrivalled practicality. The boot provides a cavernous 690-litre load area (increasing to 1,920 litres with the seats down), and these are figures that few rivals come close to matching. It’s a very similar story for passengers, too, as there’s enough head and leg room in both the front and rear for even the very tallest of occupants to stretch out and relax.

This kind of space makes the Superb feel surprisingly luxurious, and this is also reflected in the level of quality and kit on offer. Plenty of the Skoda’s cabin materials would be perfectly at home in a much pricier Audi model, but the brand’s ‘Simply Clever’ touches (including the famous door-mounted umbrella) only add to the appeal. 

Buyers have the choice of petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid power, and every powertrain provides enough shove for stress-free motorway runs. Naturally, the Superb’s luxurious ambitions are backed up by a smooth ride and plenty of sound-deadening. 

If there's one criticism, it’s that the sheer size of the Superb Estate made it a bit tricky to park during our testing. Aside from that tiny gripe, though, this car has been the obvious candidate for our Estate Car of the Year award in 2024 and 2025.

“To our eyes, the Skoda Superb's sculpted bodywork could easily pass for something with an Audi or Mercedes badge on it, yet it still allows the big Skoda to fly largely under the radar. The designers and engineers have also refined the aerodynamics, whittling the drag coefficient down to just 0.23Cd for the hatchback and 0.25Cd for the estate version. This means it cuts through the air better, helping improve fuel efficiency and emissions.” - Ellis Hyde, news reporter

Latest Skoda Superb Estate deals

2. Toyota Corolla Touring Sports 

• Prices from £32,000

A thorough midlife update saw a suite of improvements made to the already-impressive Toyota Corolla Touring Sports, and they make for an excellent all-round package.

The Touring Sports is one of the smaller estate cars on this list, but it still offers plenty of room for two adults in the front and space enough for all but the tallest of people in the back. The boot capacity varies depending on your chosen engine size – 596 litres for the 1.8 or 581 litres for the 2.0 – but the load area is well laid out with a low load lip.

One of the Corolla’s biggest weaknesses used to be its infotainment system, which was dated and sluggish compared to several of its rivals. Thankfully, Toyota addressed this by installing an upgraded system with a larger 10.25-inch screen as part of the facelift. The new system is more responsive, simpler to use and features improved graphics. The interior design is still very much a case of function over form, but everything feels solidly put together.

As with many other modern Toyotas, the latest Corolla is available exclusively in hybrid form. There are two petrol hybrid powertrain options; a 1.8- or 2.0-litre, and both can achieve over 60mpg with very little effort. Yet with 138 and 193bhp respectively, they also offer decent performance. 

The Corolla is a tad deceptive in its reputation and appearance, too, as its generally sensible ethos and conventional bodywork hide a surprisingly enjoyable driving experience. Our road testers were particularly impressed with the Toyota’s handling and steering, and we reckon it’s more fun to drive than the Volkswagen Golf Estate. 

“The TNGA underpinnings feel sophisticated, as it allows for a great balance between ride comfort and body control. The steering is precise and well weighted, with the Toyota turning into corners well and providing reassuring grip.” - Ellis Hyde, news reporter

Latest Toyota Corolla Touring Sports deals

3. Volkswagen Passat

• Prices from £40,000

The latest Volkswagen Passat isn’t the most groundbreaking car out there, but it is a well built, smart and attractive estate car that should meet most buyers’ requirements with ease.

There is one area where the Passat does stand out though; practicality. Being based on the Skoda Superb Estate means the VW manages to outshine most of the competition when it comes to its 690-litre boot. On top of all this luggage capacity, there’s also a huge amount of space for every occupant. 

Much like its sister car, the Passat’s overall quality has taken a big step upwards and it now feels like a fully-fledged executive estate. Sadly, though, this car doesn’t have physical controls like the Skoda, and touchscreen sub-menus can quickly become frustrating. Aside from this drawback, though, it’s still a very pleasant place to be and there’s plenty of useful kit thrown in as standard.

There’s also no diesel power to be found here, but you do get the choice of petrol or plug-in hybrid models. The latter option offers more than 80 miles of pure-electric range on the WLTP combined cycle, and this can result in some serious savings on running costs. No Passat is about to set the world on fire with its performance or driver engagement, but we did find it just as comfortable and refined on long trips as its Skoda sibling.

“The steering remains well-weighted and accurate, and while there’s not much feel, it makes the Passat easy to place on the road. Indeed, it’s very easy to judge the car’s extremities on the move, largely thanks to the excellent visibility.” - Jordan Katsianis, senior staff writer

Latest Volkswagen Passat deals

4. BMW 5 Series Touring

• Prices from £54,500

The BMW 5 Series offers genuine sporting credentials and an ability to chew up motorway miles with ease. It’s the same story with the more practical Touring variant.

While it’s already spacious in saloon form, the BMW 5 Series Touring gets a very useful 570-litre boot when you choose the Touring estate, one that’s easy to fill up thanks to a low loading lip. The amount of passenger space is on par with the luxurious BMW 7 Series, too. In other words, there’s plenty of it.

Being a BMW, the 5 Series Touring is certainly one of the more engaging cars to appear on this list. The Bavarian brand’s efforts mean that the Touring doesn’t feel as large as it actually is on the road, and this combined with direct steering makes this large estate car feel surprisingly agile in corners. If you’re in a rush, the most powerful variants can cover the 0-62mph dash in under four seconds.

When it comes to power, there’s the choice of petrol or plug-in hybrid, or you can opt for the fully electric BMW i5 Touring. The latter is the best choice for company car drivers because it attracts the lowest Benefit-in-Kind tax rate, not to mention further savings on running costs. The least powerful, petrol-powered 520i is the cheapest 5 Series to buy, but it still offers enough performance to live up to its badge.

“The standard 5 Series, and in particular the Touring, has the almost unique ability to be all things to all people. I’ve been using its huge boot on longer journeys and trips to the tip, while the reliable 50-mile electric range means I’m seeing fuel economy figures that’d surprise even the most determined diesel drivers.” - Richard Ingram, deputy editor

Latest BMW 5 Series Touring deals

5. Mercedes E-Class Estate

• Prices from £58,000

The Mercedes E-Class Estate is as chock-full of plush materials and fancy technology as you’d probably expect.

There’s plenty of bells and whistles, but these do take up their fair share of space. This means the E-Class Estate’s cabin does feel a bit more compact compared to some of its rivals, and this may be a bit surprising when considering the Merc’s overall size. 

It’s still a very pleasant place to sit, it’s just that space for bigger passengers to stretch out is rather limited for an executive estate car. Luggage space depends on your chosen powertrain, and the petrol and diesel variants are the most capacious with 615 litres of boot space. 

Step inside the E-Class and the dashboard will probably be the first thing that catches your eye. A 14.4-inch central screen and two 12.3-inch displays make up Mercedes’ Superscreen set-up. It’s not quite as information-packed as the even more impressive Hyperscreen option, but there’s still plenty of data to get your head around. 

The techfest continues underneath the bonnet, too, where you have the choice of the aforementioned petrol and diesel, a petrol plug-in hybrid or even a diesel plug-in hybrid, which is a very rare sight on today’s market. The latter claims up to 565mpg on the WLTP combine cycle, but in typical PHEV fashion you’ll struggle to achieve this in the real world. Much like its larger sibling, the Mercedes S-Class, the E-class is exquisitely comfortable and refined, but this relaxation does come at the cost of driving fun. 

“The Mercedes E-Class Estate is a large car, so it will never be as relaxing to drive as a smaller city car through narrow streets. However, it’s incredibly quiet at low speeds, especially in hybrid models that can drive using near-silent electric power without waking the engine.” - James Disdale, Auto Express contributor

6. BMW 3 Series Touring 

• Prices from £43,200

Much like the larger 5 Series, the BMW 3 Series Touring offers practicality and sportiness in equal measure.

In order to keep up the fight against Audi and Mercedes, BMW’s engineers paid closer attention to rear cabin space in the latest generation 3-Series, so it’s now much more convincing as a family car. Of course, front passengers can get nicely settled, too, and there’s plenty of adjustment to help them find the ideal seating position. At the back resides a 500-litre boot which isn’t the biggest in the class, but this should still prove plentiful for an impromptu week away.

Although some rivals have the Touring beaten on load capacity, very few of them deliver the same driving experience that the BMW boasts. The price for genuine sporting credentials is a slightly firmer ride than the likes of the Mercedes C-Class, but the BMW is still pleasingly refined in the majority of situations — only when it’s fully laden can the worst road surfaces manage to upset the ride.

Inside, the BMW’s cabin is beautifully built, and more recent models feature the brand’s iDrive 8 infotainment software, which centres around a curved pair of display panels on the dashboard. As well as being a touchscreen, the 14.9-inch infotainment screen can be operated by a traditional rotary dial, making it one of the more intuitive systems on the market. 

“The 3 Series lives up to the driver appeal expected of the model with excellent poise and agility. But like its rivals, it does suffer from having slightly lifeless steering that doesn’t offer keen drivers a huge amount of feedback. Despite this, the 3 Series is still a drivers’ car with excellent grip and composure.” - Shane Wilkinson, senior content editor

Latest BMW 3 Series Touring deals

7. Mercedes C-Class Estate 

• Prices from £47,000

With its space-age interior, a wide range of powertrains and slick road manners, the Mercedes C-Class Estate is among the best of its kind. 

With a 490-litre boot, the Mercedes C-Class has a fairly compact boot compared to many of the other models on this list. However, the cabin is by far one of the most luxurious you’ll find in a car within this price bracket, with enough space for four adults to sit with room to spare. There are some useful storage solutions to be found, too, and we even managed to store a small bag in the large centre armrest.

Traditionally, the BMW 3 Series has edged out the C-Class for outright driving enjoyment, and this trend continues with the latest generation of each. However, while the BMW is more agile through a series of bends, the Mercedes has an appeal of its own with a supple, cosseting ride and a relaxed demeanour. Opting for PHEV power also brings up to 67 miles of silent, pure electric driving.

The C-Class’s cabin feels strikingly modern, too, with an enormous portrait touchscreen that rises up from the centre console and runs the firm's MBUX software. Swathes of ambient lighting and intricate detailing help to bring the Mercedes more up to par with the refreshed BMW 3 Series. 

“The C-Class Estate driving experience matches the saloon, which is to say it rides beautifully and has just enough dynamism to entertain.” - Alastair Crooks, senior news reporter

8. Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer

• Prices from £52,500

The electric executive car market is a tough one for carmakers to crack, but the Volkswagen ID.7 brings an estate option into the mix.

With 565 litres of boot space, the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer falls short of the combustion-powered VW Passat’s 690 litres, but it does still have a luggage-lugging edge over the Tesla Model 3, BYD Seal and Hyundai Ioniq 6 — all of which are exclusively available in hatchback or saloon forms. The ID.7 has solid family car credentials, too, with ISOFIX points in the front and back, even for the rear middle seat.

For those who cover long distances on a regular basis, the ID.7 comes with the choice of a 77kWh or 86kWh battery pack, returning up to 373 and 424 miles of claimed range respectively. This means even the smaller battery provides more than enough for just about every daily need. When you do run out of juice, you can top up the ID.7 Tourer from 10 to 80 per cent in around 28 minutes, thanks to its 175kW peak DC charging rate.

As is typical with executive EVs, there’s no shortage of tech to be found within the ID.7 Tourer. We’re pleased to report that VW has made efforts to improve the functionality of its touchscreen tech, but the brand’s reluctance to include physical buttons is still a bit of a bugbear. The materials used here are also a step up from VW’s other electric offerings. 

“Given that the ID.7 Tourer is designed to cover long distances, you’ll be pleased to find it can happily cope with town driving. Even taking into account its not inconsiderable length of nearly five metres, the ID.7 Tourer is quite easy to pilot at low speeds, with smooth brakes, light steering and a responsive accelerator.” - Max Adams, online reviews editor

Latest Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer deals

9. Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric

• Prices from £35,500

The Vauxhall Astra estate has been with us for decades but now, for the first time, you can have a fully electric one. 

The Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Electric offers the same distinctive appearance as its combustion-powered counterpart, but with the added bonus of zero emissions and lower running costs. Unfortunately, the battery pack does impede on boot space. The EV has 513 litres compared to the combustion car’s 597 but we feel that this is still plenty for regular use, and the running cost savings should more than make up for what is a fairly small sacrifice.

Underneath resides a 54kWh pack that returns up to 256 miles on the WLTP combined cycle. We weren’t quite able to replicate this figure during testing, but the Vauxhall still returned a respectable 235 miles after being subjected to a mixture of driving styles and roads. Unlike some EVs, the electric Astra isn’t exactly a speed machine with up to 154bhp and 270Nm of torque on tap, but there’s still enough shove and refinement for easy motorway cruising. 

The Astra is no longer a particularly cheap car to buy, but the upside is that even the entry-level models now feel a bit more upmarket inside. Contributing towards this appeal is a decent helping of standard kit including alloy wheels, automatic LED lighting, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and cruise control. 

“The Astra isn’t especially fun to drive, but even in estate form it feels keener than a Volkswagen ID.3 through the corners, and is more tied down, neutral and grippy than the slightly unruly MG5.” - Alex Ingram, chief reviewer

Latest Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer deals

10. Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo

• Prices from £97,000

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo definitely sits at the higher end of the estate car pricing scale, but you do get what you pay for.  

Combining the sporty powertrain of the Porsche Taycan with a 446-litre boot, the Cross Turismo is just as capable on the track as it is on a weekly supermarket trip. Be careful if you want to seat five people, though, as the fifth seat is an optional extra.

It should come as little surprise (this is a Porsche after all) that the Taycan Cross Turismo is easily one of the best estate cars for driver enjoyment. In fact, some variants even offer supercar-like performance; the Turbo S’s dual motors produce a whopping 764bhp and 1,100Nm of torque – enough for a 0-62mph time of just 2.5 seconds if you use launch control. If you go a bit easier on the throttle, every Taycan Cross Turismo gets over 300 miles of range on the official WLTP tests. 

This Porsche’s high price is reflected inside, too, where there’s plenty of kit to be found, not to mention excellent build quality. The cabin might be a bit too minimalist for some, though, as the vast majority of functions are operated via the 10.9-inch central touchscreen. 

“The Porsche Taycan has been built from the ground up to be a high-performance electric car. This means it’s brilliant to drive, which is all the more remarkable when you consider that this is a four-door coupe weighing over two tonnes.” - Jordan Katsianis, senior staff writer.

Latest Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo deals

How to choose the best estate car

Here are some of the key questions you should ask yourself when choosing an estate car to help you get the best model for your needs...

How much luggage space do you need?

Don’t assume all estates are born equal. Luggage capacity ranges from the relatively small Mercedes E-Class Estate PHEV with 460 litres, to the colossal Skoda Superb with 690 litres – naturally these numbers change significantly with the seats folded.

How much towing capacity do you need?

Towing capacity can vary greatly from estate to estate as well. The Skoda Superb is among the best performing estates with a maximum braked towing capacity of up to 2,200kg. Should you require slightly less grunt, the BMW 3 Series Touring offers decent towing capabilities too.

How often will you be using the car?

If you are covering a lot of miles, you may well want to consider a diesel or even a hybrid. Improvements in battery technology and charging infrastructure mean many electric cars are suited to regular long-distance journeys, too. EVs also offer the best tax incentives for company car drivers.

How many seats do you need?

If it’s any more than five, you’ll need to look elsewhere, because the days of the seven-seat estate are no more. 

What about optional extras?

Due to the fact that estate cars appeal to both private and business users, they quite often have extensive options lists. Parking sensors and blind-spot monitoring systems are incredibly useful, while cruise control, heated and cooled seats, and automatic tailgates all help make life a little easier. If you plan on using your estate for towing, check out the manufacturer’s towing hitch options. 

Best estate car deals

Skoda Superb

New in-stock Skoda SuperbCash £33,488Avg. savings £2,890

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Toyota Corolla

New in-stock Toyota CorollaCash £28,726Avg. savings £2,345

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Volkswagen Passat

New in-stock Volkswagen PassatCash £37,248Avg. savings £3,161

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