Best five mid-sized family cars to buy in 2025
The core of the car market
Years ago, if you wanted a family car in the UK, your choices were refreshingly simple: depending on how much brand loyalty you had, you either chose a Ford Sierra or a Vauxhall Cavalier.
But this market sector has ballooned out of all recognition over the years, to the point that there’s now a baffling array of crossovers, SUVs, hatchbacks, estates and MPVs (although fewer of the latter, as they’re slowly killed off by SUVs) available that would serve as suitable family chariots.
Thankfully, to help you cut through the noise, we’ve collected some of our favourites together here, offering you a mix of body types, propulsion systems and budgetary requirements so that we’re hopefully covering all bases.
Here, then, are five of the best mid-sized family cars for 2025 and beyond.
BMW X1 and iX1
From £36,200
As cars grow bigger and bigger over the years, they also become more expensive. And so, the BMW X3, which for years was the German premium firm’s most affordable and compact SUV, is now a near-50-grand machine even in its most basic specification.
Conversely, when the X1 first appeared in 2009, it felt like an afterthought — made from cobbled-together bits of other BMWs and way too cramped to be of much use to anyone. However, the current model is larger and grander, and as a result it’s perfect for families.
The interior of the X1 is of really high quality, with a great infotainment interface and plenty of cutting-edge tech, while a range of smooth turbocharged petrol and diesel engines are offered, as well as a plug-in hybrid for those wanting a blend of both internal combustion and electric power.
The regular X1 range starts from a very reasonable £36,200 but there’s also a pure-electric iX1 model that can do up to 293 miles on a single charge; it’s pricier up front but could save you money in the long run, if charging up at home. It’s quiet, easy to drive and ultra-smooth, too. And if you want some serious pace, BMW can provide plenty of punch with the 296bhp X1 M35i xDrive.
Ford Explorer
From £45,875
Ford took a shortcut to get the new Explorer to market by borrowing the Volkswagen ID.4 underpinnings, but it has undoubtedly improved the product, mainly by fitting a much better infotainment system in the front which slides up and down, revealing a hidden, lockable cubby hole behind it.
Indeed, the practicality of the Explorer is excellent, thanks also to a huge central storage compartment called the MegaConsole, which is every which way configurable and can hold up to 17 litres of paraphernalia. Passenger space in the rear of the Ford is also superb, while the boot is a decent 470 litres.
As an electric vehicle only, the Explorer is smooth and quiet to drive, and Ford has also improved the way it rides and handles compared to the VW source material. With a range of up to 354 miles, it’s also one of the longer-legged EVs on the market and should allow even the most adventurous of families to go off exploring, without having to experience any range anxiety. A pricetag of more than £45,000 may seem steep for a Ford to many, though finance deals and company car schemes can take away some of the sting.
Read our review of the new Ford Explorer
Hyundai Tucson
From £32,000
With its striking styling, superb interior and excellent driving manners, the Tucson SUV is the embodiment of just how far Hyundai has come over the decades. This isn’t just a car making up the numbers in its segment — it’s arguably the class-leader.
A huge radiator grille studded with parametric headlights is a signature look for the Tucson, but a mild update and tech overhaul in 2024 made the Hyundai SUV even more compelling than it was previously. And if you pay attention on the UK road network, you’ll notice the current Tucson is an incredibly popular car.
The powertrain choice is extensively hybridised, meaning good fuel economy. All versions use a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine but you can then opt to team that with mild-hybrid, full-hybrid or plug-in-hybrid technologies to give your Tucson the sort of efficiency that even diesels would be proud of.
With loads of space inside the passenger compartment, Hyundai’s typically overly-generous levels of kit on every specification of the car, and of course the company’s five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, the brilliant Tucson is almost a no-brainer choice of family vehicle — there’s lots to like about it, and precious little to complain about.
Mini Countryman
From £29,335
If you can get past the fact that the latest Mini Countryman is not what anyone would describe as “mini”, what you have here is one of the most stylish, well-made and sharply-handling crossovers of its type, and a car that makes for a really cool vehicle for younger families.
The Countryman is only 4.4 metres long, which in fact isn’t gigantic for its segment, but as you walk up to it you realise it has a huge amount of presence. Thankfully, it’s neatly styled, with the usual Mini options of contrast roofs and interesting graphics packages bringing a degree of personalisation to the looks.
But the benefit of the sheer size of the Countryman is that this is the first modern, 21st-century Mini that feels like it has been properly packaged. Rear passenger space, for instance, is good, while the boot is a decent size and shape, and has a practical load-lip configuration that makes it easy to lug stuff into and out of the Countryman’s cargo bay.
Engines in the regular Countryman range are an array of excellent turbocharged petrols, with even the base spec mustering up a robust 168bhp, and if you fancy it there’s a pure-electric version called the Countryman SE as well. It’s quite a chunk dearer but it’ll do more than 250 miles to a charge (officially; expect less in the real world), and it has enough power to run 0-62mph in 5.6 seconds — perfect if you’re a thrill-seeking family.
Read our review of the electric Mini Countryman here
Skoda Octavia
From £26,775
For those of you who don’t want an SUV or crossover as your family carrier, there is still one truly excellent car-shaped option — Skoda’s fourth-generation Octavia.
Facelifted for 2024 with sharp-looking new LED headlights and a much better infotainment system within, the Octavia is based on the Volkswagen Golf but has a larger body so it’s brilliant at serving as a family car.
You can have it as a hatch and the interior plus boot space is vast enough but go for the Estate model and there’s a veritable cave tacked onto the rear of the passenger compartment.
Power comes from some super-smooth Volkswagen Group turbocharged engines, there’s loads of equipment on all versions of the Octavia, and it drives in a highly cultured, comfortable fashion that makes it effortless as a day-to-day car. Even better, it starts from less than £27,000, and even the high-performance, 261bhp vRS model isn’t that expensive.
Read our review of the Skoda Octavia
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