The most comfortable cars on sale - wafty motoring for all budgets
If comfort is high on your agenda, we have just the right new cars for you, regardless of your budget
Manufacturers spend a lot of time harping on about sportiness and sharp handling, but how many people actually want that? Outside of the niche world of performance cars, we reckon most buyers are more interested in how comfortable their car is rather than how resistant it is to understeer and body roll. The most comfortable cars are among the most satisfying to use on the market.
Thankfully, there are plenty of options around for those who want to be cosseted rather than thrilled behind the wheel. And yes, some of these are expensive luxury cars, but don’t go thinking you have to spend a lot of money to waft around in comfort.
Along with some posh, pricey motors, our list of the most comfortable new cars on sale includes a group of smaller, cheaper options and a selection of mid-size, mid-budget comfy cars.
But what actually makes for a comfortable car? The biggest factor is the suspension setup. Damping and spring rates can be set to provide more softness at the cost of increased body roll, while the pricier choices here include trick, adaptive air suspension, which in theory lets you have the best of both worlds.
Supportive seating helps a lot, too, as does refinement, where soundproofing comes into play. Luxury cars will often have double glazing to further isolate you from the outside world. Some compromises in that regard have to be made at the cheaper end of the spectrum, but all of these cars are at the top of their respective classes where comfort is concerned. Today’s electric powertrains help, too, quietening the cabin further.
Most comfortable small cars
Comfort can be hard to achieve in compact, low-cost cars but these models do a fantastic job that puts many larger vehicles to shame.
Citroen C3
- £19,870 - £24,695
Although the cars are made from the same box of bits shared with other Stellantis brands including Peugeot and Vauxhall, Citroens are generally more comfortable. A key part of that is Citroen’s hydraulic bump stops, which other Stellantis brands aren’t allowed to use. They’re best thought of as cushions, and there are two on each corner - one for compression and one for rebound.
Even the cheap Citroen C3 gets these, making a noticeable difference to its ride comfort. Another important factor is Citroen’s Advanced Comfort seats, which feature special high-density foam to make your glutes that bit happier on a longer journey.
Something has to give when you’re potentially spending less than £20,000 on a car, and that’s refinement - you can hear quite a lot of wind noise at cruising speeds in the C3. The three-cylinder engine in the petrol and hybrid models makes a bit of a racket when pushed, too, although you can solve this by opting for the electric Citroen e-C3.
Cupra Raval
- £26,995 - £36,310
What we like about the Cupra Raval is that it is actually fun to drive, but this doesn’t come at the expense of comfort. It does help, though, if the car’s adaptive dampers are fitted. This system gives 15 levels of suspension firmness to choose from, so if you are in the mood for some entertainment behind the wheel, you can stiffen the car up, or conversely, slacken the shocks right off if you want to be soothed.
The car can jostle you around a little in town when you’re going over potholes and speed bumps, but a lot of this is down to the Raval’s short wheelbase - most cars of this size are similarly compromised.
Assisting the car’s relaxing ethos further is that, like a lot of cars here, it’s electric only. It makes an amazing amount of difference to have a smooth, quiet electric powertrain instead of a conventional engine and gearbox, particularly at the cheaper end of the market where powertrains don’t tend to be that refined.
Renault 4
- £23,445 - £29,445
Although the Renault 4 lacks the outright cool-factor of the slightly cheaper Renault 5, the former is the clear winner in terms of comfort. It has taller suspension and fatter tyre sidewalls, which make for a noticeable ride comfort improvement, particularly at lower speeds where the 5 can feel a bit choppy on poorer road surfaces.
There’s also different front seat padding compared to the 5, reducing the chance of a numb bum. Things aren’t quite so good for those in the back, where thigh support is a bit lacking, as is space for feet under the front seats.
As this is another electric car, there’s a sense of smoothness and quiet which you don’t get with petrol vehicles at this price. They tend to be fitted with three-cylinder engines that vibrate a lot and make a bit of a racket when pushed. The R4 does pass quite a bit of wind noise into the cabin at cruising speeds, but that’s common at this price point, as evidenced by the same issue being present in the Citroen C3 we were talking about earlier.
Volvo EX30
- £33,060 - £45,860
If you want a small yet premium-feeling comfort-focused car, look no further than the Volvo EX30.
There is a slightly firm edge to the ride, not helped by the fitting of 20-inch wheels as standard on some versions. You definitely want to stick with models rolling on the 18s if comfort is a priority.
The suspension generally strikes a good balance, though, resisting excessive body roll while providing a decent level of ride comfort, particularly at higher speeds. Speaking of which, while cruising on a motorway you really notice how quiet the EX30 is, with wind and road noise kept to a low level.
The seats are superbly comfortable, and, yes, there’s a smooth and quiet electric powertrain to factor in. The P8 version with its 3.6-second 0-62mph time might not feel so relaxing at full tilt, mind.
Most comfortable family cars
In the mid-size and large car segments there are some brilliantly comfortable cars with space for the whole family.
Audi A6 e-tron
- £62,590 - £82,815
Although in some countries you can spec an Audi A6 e-tron with air suspension, in the UK only the S6 e-tron has the privilege. We’re not sure that matters, because the steel-sprung A6 e-tron still has a very well-judged ride that deftly balances comfort with composure. Even on versions of the car with 21-inch wheels, we’ve been really impressed with the A6 e-tron’s ride.
A plush interior should help further lower your blood pressure, and it’s good to see four-way lubar adjustment for the seats included as standard. Things aren’t so great for rear-seat passengers, where a high floor hampers long-distance comfort.
The A6’s wide tyres do generate more road noise than we’d like, but refinement is great on the whole. You won’t be hearing much wind noise, and there’s no engine noise to worry about because the A6 e-tron is a fully electric car.
Citroen C5 Aircross
- £29,530 - £43,465
Much like the smaller C3, the Citroen C5 Aircross gets the brand's trick hydraulic bump stops and Advanced Comfort seats. As a more expensive car, though, there’s inevitably a greater degree of sophistication to the suspension plus superior refinement.
The C5 Aircross has a deliberately soft setup, and while that does mean it rolls noticeably more than a lot of competitors when cornered swiftly - including some Stellantis products made from much of the same components - most will happily pay that price for its amazing ability to soak up imperfections in the road surface.
It goes beyond simply having comfy seats and soft suspension, though. The bright and colourful interior of the C5 Aircross puts you at ease, and although there are lots of cheaper plastics dotted around, they’re hidden much better here than in the related and considerably more dreary Vauxhall Grandland.
The only blot on the comfort report card of the C5 Aircross is that the three-cylinder engine used in some versions. It has to be worked quite hard to make decent progress, and in doing so it makes a bit of a racket. The four-cylinder plug-in hybrid is an improvement, especially because there’s up to 53 miles of quiet electric-only running to enjoy, and the fully-electric Citroen e-C5 Aircross is inevitably better still.
Latest Citroen C5 Aircross deals
Mercedes GLC Electric
- £55,495 - £73,350
The Mercedes GLC Electric mid-size SUV is another step in the right direction for Mercedes’s EV range, which didn’t get off to the best of starts thanks to mediocre offerings like the Mercedes EQE. The GLC EV also scores very well in terms of comfort.
Versions on the standard steel springs offer a good balance of being comfortable without inducing too much body roll, but as you might expect, GLC EVs fitted with Mercedes’ Airmatic air suspension system are especially impressive. They use a system called ‘Car-to-X’, which communicates with other Mercedes vehicles on the road ahead to glean information like speed bumps or even dodgy expansion joints - especially handy for those nasty concrete bits of the M25, then.
With this data, the suspension is set up to deal with what’s on the way as best as it can. Strong refinement helps the GLC Electric’s cause further, as does its nature as a smooth, quiet EV. The screen-festooned dashboard might detract from the chilled ambience for some, though.
Latest Mercedes GLC Electric deals
Skoda Superb
- £37,080 - £50,625
For four generations, the Skoda Superb has proved time and time again that it is indeed superb in nature as well as name. It’s generally the practicality that ends up getting shouted about the loudest, which is understandable when even the hatchback has a whopping 645 litres of boot space, and the rear legroom is, erm, superb.
The comfort side of the Superb needs more recognition, though. You can have it with fancy adaptive dampers which, as on the Cupra Raval mentioned earlier, have a sliding scale that lets you decide how firm the car is. But even on the standard setup, the Superb has a brilliantly cossetting ride.
It’s also fantastically refined, with wind and road noise suppressed to a low level. The four-cylinder petrol engines are reasonably smooth (the diesel inevitably a bit less so), and there’s the option of a plug-in hybrid whose large battery allows for up to 84 miles of relaxing electric-only driving.
Most comfortable luxury cars
When we arrive in the luxury car space development budgets are less restricted and buyers are happy to pay through the nose for a magic carpet ride quality. The most comfortable cars here really are the best of the best.
Rolls-Royce Phantom
- £500,000+ with options
“At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.” That was the line quoted from The Motor’s review of the Silver Cloud in the late 1950s in perhaps Rolls-Royce’s most famous advert. There is more than a dash of hyperbole to that, but the current Rolls-Royce Phantom really is very quiet.
The latest version boasts a huge increase in sound-deadening materials compared to the previous-generation model, while the bespoke tyres use foam inserts to reduce road noise. You won’t hear much from the silky smooth 6.6-litre V12, either.
There’s air suspension, as should be expected, but also clever tech to go with it, including the ‘Flagbearer’ system, which scans the road ahead at speeds of up to 60mph and prepares the suspension to deal with what’s coming as necessary. There are also ‘mass dampers’ in the tops of the front wishbones to help iron out milder shocks.
You do, of course, have to pay handsomely for all this. By the time customised touches are taken into account (and Rolls customers love those), a Phantom will typically cost more than £500,000. But if money is no object, it doesn’t get any more comfortable than this.
Range Rover
- £107,530 - £149,710
With each generation, the Range Rover has been getting more and more luxurious. And yes, comfortable. The spec can have a bearing on this - for the ultimate luxury experience, you want to avoid the larger wheels and go for one with laminated side glass.
There's also a comfort pack including things like electric window blinds and an on-board refrigerator. What's more relaxing than knowing a chilled beverage is available at a moment's notice?
Sophisticated air suspension helps filter out lumps and bumps from underneath the car, while also giving the possibility of propping the body up to make it supremely capable off-road, making the Range Rover the most versatile comfortable car around.
It’s especially relaxing in its plug-in hybrid form when running in electric-only mode, and eventually, the long-awaited Range Rover Electric will be available for those wanting the most cosseting experience possible.
Mercedes S-Class
- £103,450 - £226,795
While the Rolls might be the ultimate luxury car for those with deep enough pockets, the Mercedes S-Class runs it a close second for a fraction of the price. It’s a lot more subtle than a Phantom, as well.
Like the Mercedes GLC Electric detailed earlier, there’s an air suspension system (albeit fitted as standard here), using data from other Mercedes vehicles to best prepare the setup for whatever pothole or speedbump-related nastiness might be up ahead.
What the GLC EV doesn’t have is the option of a Rear Comfort Package Plus. It’s expensive, but it does give you the full business class experience with electrically reclining rear seats. Ideally, you’ll be behind the front passenger seat, which slides forward and folds down accordingly to give you room to really stretch out while nestling your weary head in the sumptuously soft headrest pillow.
The range of smooth six-cylinder engines do a great job of fading away into the background, while also providing plentiful performance if called for.
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