Whether you aim for the ruggedness and romance of the Cornish coast, the serenity of the Scottish Highlands or the bright lights, ice cream and candyfloss of Blackpool, it’s great to have a comfortable car to get you and the family there.
From the award winning Dacia Jogger to the more practical Skoda Superb Estate, here is the Sterling guide to 10 of the most comfortable cars for a family road trip.
1. Dacia Jogger
At under £20,000 for entry models the seven-seat Dacia Jogger, the 2023 Auto Express Family Car of the Year, is a vehicle that should be near the top of every mum and dad’s wish list. Its practicality, SUV style, hatchback running costs and estate-car space makes this an excellent choice for a family trip. It’s also a great drive and there’s now a hybrid version available which helps keep running costs down even further.
2. Range Rover (any Range Rover)
Come on, even the Royal Family are partial to Range Rovers and they know a thing or two about luxury motoring. Built for comfort, speed and, occasionally, off-road high jinks, everyone loves a Range Rover. The ride is refined, seating armchair-like, and engine noise minimal as you take your elevated position and enjoy the trip and the view from this extremely comfortable car. You can get all your essentials in the rear and it’s great for towing too so hook up the horsebox, trailer or caravan.
3. Mercedes-Benz GL
Staying upmarket the Mercedes-Benz GL is like Dr Who’s Tardis, bigger inside than it looks from the outside. It has three rows of seats so it can take a large or extended family with ease and there’s heaps of space for luggage too. And the even better news is, that if you suffer a backseat driver, they will never imagine how fast you are going because of the whispering power train.
4. Skoda Superb Estate
People stopped making jokes about Skodas years ago. The Superb is, just like it says on the label, superb. It’s a very comfortable car, particularly roomy in the back, excellent for long-legged teenagers and the gadgets they seem attached to. The boot is cavernous too – more than 600 litres of space so there will be no need to leave any holiday must-haves (hair driver, sports gear, kettle, hot water bottles etc etc) behind.
5. Kia Sorento
The fourth generation Kia Sorento is a seven-seat, all-wheel drive SUV that comes with a choice of powertrains; a basic diesel, a hybrid or plug-in hybrid. An incredibly roomy SUV, the boot is huge in a five-person set-up – the rear two seats fold neatly into the floor – and the middle seats adjust when you need to give second-row passengers little extra leg room. The Sorento will set you back around £48,000 but many consider the famous Kia seven-year/100k mile warranty is worth its weight in gold.
6. Renault Kadjar
The Renault Kadjar boasts refinement, comfort and economy in spades. It’s great on a motorway but performs just as well on the urban cycle, meaning you can lead the way no matter where you are heading. It will seat five pretty comfortably and the interior is uncluttered – meaning there’s plenty of space for stuff needed to keep the children quiet on route to your destination.
7. Subaru Crosstrek XV
Subaru describes the Crosstrek XV as “bold, sporty, confident. Compact, capable, reliable” and who are we to disagree? Impressive performance and lots of safety enhancements make the driving easy in this very comfortable car. The self-charging hybrid crossover lets you drive longer and waste less time filling up with fuel. It’s spacious too, taking five adults with ease and all the luggage they will need in a generous boot.
8. Volvo S90 Saloon
The Volvo S90 Saloon is not a flash hunk of metal. It was designed to be a calming, relaxed road cruiser able to get the driver, passengers and heaps of luggage where they need to be in a refreshed, recharged and rather relaxed state. Less is more in the spacey and rather minimalist interior. This is a comfortable car aimed at executives but it is just as capable as a family runaround and would be great for a long and leisurely road trip.
9. Peugeot 408
The Peugeot 408 is almost three cars in one having the look of a coupé, the passenger and luggage space of an estate and the handling of an SUV. The entry-level Peugeot 408 is the Puretech 130, a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 129bhp which can show a clean pair of heels to many similarly-sized cars on the road. If you want something even quicker there are also two plug-in hybrids – the Hybrid 180 and the Hybrid 225 – each with a 1.6-litre petrol engine plus an electric motor.
10. VW Passat Estate
Passats have been on the road for almost 50 years and from the start the focus seemed to be on comfort rather than handling but modern models handle remarkably well despite their prodigious size. Of course, those external dimensions convert to acres of space and comfort inside the car making the Passat Estate a top contender for a lengthy road trip this year and next, because when the Germans build a family estate, they build it to last.
Comfortable cars and affordable insurance
However many miles you plan to drive, wherever your trip takes you and whatever you plan to travel in, make sure to take Sterling breakdown insurance with you. It costs from as little as £46.80 a year. Read this blog to discover the true cost of not having breakdown cover.
Sterling also has a range of insurance packages for every sort of car, van and campervan with prices starting from £125 a year. The best insurance rates are only available over the phone: 0344 381 9990 or request a callback at a time better suited to you.
