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Compare the best used family cars

High quality used cars for families from rated and reviewed dealers

Rated 4.6/5 from 49,181 reviews

Best used family cars of 2024

A good second-hand family car needs to be practical, cheap-to-run and safe. Carwow has put together a list of the ten best used family cars available right now to help you pick the perfect new model.

We’ve selected a variety of cars to suit different situations. Whether you need a city runaround or a big SUV for lugging the family to the south of France, we’ll have the right car for you.

Volkswagen Polo

1. Volkswagen Polo

8/10
Volkswagen Polo review
Audi A6

2. Audi A6

9/10
Audi A6 review
Battery range up to 32 miles
Skoda Karoq

3. Skoda Karoq

9/10
Skoda Karoq review
Ford Focus

4. Ford Focus

7/10
Ford Focus review
Skoda Octavia Estate

5. Skoda Octavia Estate

8/10
Skoda Octavia Estate review
Battery range up to 47 miles
Volvo V60

6. Volvo V60

8/10
Volvo V60 review
Battery range up to 31 miles
SEAT Tarraco

7. SEAT Tarraco

8/10
SEAT Tarraco review
Nissan Leaf

8. Nissan Leaf

8/10
Nissan Leaf review
Battery range up to 239 miles
Mercedes A-Class

9. Mercedes A-Class

8/10
Mercedes A-Class review
Battery range up to 40 miles
Citroen C3 Aircross

10. Citroen C3 Aircross

8/10
Citroen C3 Aircross review

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Advice about used family cars

Used family cars FAQs

Reliability is of crucial importance when choosing a second-hand car, especially as many will be out of manufacturer warranty. But rather than single out specific models or brands (though the Honda Jazz and Toyota Corolla have strong reputations for dependability), the best advice we can give is to make sure that any used car you look at has a strong service record, and gives the impression of being well looked after. Tyres can be a real help with regard to this latter point, as a matching set of four tyres from a decent brand and with a good amount of tread left in them is a strong indicator that a car's previous owner took good care of it.

This is a tricky one to answer, as no two families are alike, and needs and priorities will vary from person to person. Having said that, the Skoda Octavia Estate ticks a heck of a lot of boxes, being spacious, affordable and nice to drive.

Again, this is tricky to pin down and essentially comes down to preference and opinion, but the Volkswagen Polo has a lot going for it.

As discussed above, a car's history is of crucial importance, so do be sure to go through service records carefully. Check all features in the car work, as it's far easier (for example) getting a heated-seat element fixed prior to sale, or choosing a different car, as opposed to going through the hassle of a post-purchase repair.

When buying a used family car, ignore models with no service history, while crash-damaged 'Cat' (cars deemed a Cat C, Cat D, Cat S or Cat N, written off by insurers and subsequently repaired) should also be treated with caution, and ideally avoided unless you really know what to look for.