What are the best cars to fit the whole family?

09:12 17 July 2009

The Volkswagen Touran has been voted the best all-round family car on the market - by mums.

The seven-seater VW people carrier scored the highest marks among its owners in a comprehensive study of 33 popular vehicles.

It came top in six out of 10 categories including practicality, comfort on long journeys, space for buggies, ease getting kids in and out and value for money.

Other cars rated highly by mums include the Volvo XC90, which appeared in seven of the 10 categories, and the Toyota Avensis, which also appeared in the top fives a total of seven times.

Kathryn Crawford, spokeswoman for TheBabyWebsite.com which conducted the poll of 3,500 mums, said: "As a mum I know how important it is to have a car which is practical and reliable.

"Gone are the days where we buy cars for the sexy appearance, speed and agility.  As a mum I was much more concerned that the car was big enough and practical enough for me to ferry the children around without hassle.

"I wanted the children to have enough leg room in the back of the car to stop them from whinging on long journeys.

"I wanted to be able to throw a pushchair into the boot without having to break it down into ten pieces first.

"And I wanted to be able to do a food shop to feed the five thousand, and fit it all in the boot alongside the buggy and travel bags, without having to put bags in foot-wells and on seats.

"It sounds like the Touran gets the mums vote for all this and more."

As well as practicality, mums were also asked to consider attractiveness, getting children in and out, leg room, spaciousness, drive and value for money.

The Mercedes-Benz topped the list for being the most attractive car to drive, while the Toyota Avensis was deemed the best 'drive' overall, closely followed by the Saab 9-3.

One of the cheapest cars in the list of 33 – the Skoda Octavia – was considered particularly good for its space and comfort. The Octavia came third in the list of best value for money – a new model costs as little as £11,540.

Nine out of 10 Volkswagen Touran drivers would definitely buy the same car again - while 86% say they bought the car specifically to suit the needs of their growing family.

However, 80% of mums admit they would choose a sexier car if they didn't have children.

Check out the results in full:

Top five: Comfort on long journeys

1. Volkswagen Touran
2. Volvo XC90
3. Land Rover Discovery
4. Skoda Octavia
5. Nissan X Trail

Top five: Fitting a buggy in the boot

1. Volkswagen Touran
2. Vauxhall Zafira
3. Volvo XC90
4. Skoda Octavia
5. Ford Mondeo

Top five: Ease of loading shopping

1. Volkswagen Touran
2. Land Rover Discovery
3. Nissan X-Trail
4. Toyota Avensis
5. Vauxhall Zafira

Top five: Practicality

1. Volkswagen Touran
2. Toyota Avensis
3. Vauxhall Zafira
4. Skoda Octavia
5. Saab 9-3

Top five: Getting children in and out

1. Volkswagen Touran
2. Volvo XC90
3. Vauxhall Zafira
4. Toyota Avensis
5. Land Rover Discovery

Top five: Attractiveness

1. Mercedes-Benz
2. Volvo XC90
3. Saab 9-3
4. Land Rover Discovery
5. Volkswagen Golf

Top five: Drive

1. Toyota Avensis
2. Saab 9-3
3. Mercedes-Benz
4. Volkswagen Touran
5. Volkswagen Golf

Top five: Legroom in the back

1. Land Rover Discovery
2. Volkswagen Touran
3. Volvo CX90
4. Vauxhall Signum
5. Toyota Avensis

Top five: Spaciousness

1. Land Rover Discovery
2. Volkswagen Touran
3. Volvo XC90
4. Toyota Avensis
5. Nissan X-Trail

Top five: Value for money

1. Volkswagen Touran
2. Toyota Avensis
3. Skoda Octavia
4. Volvo XC90
5. Mitsubishi Carisma