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THERE ARE SEVERAL aspects to consider when choosing a new car for a growing family, but interior space and boot capacity are among the most important. Will there be enough room for a large buggy and some carrier bags?
You also want to ensure that it’s as safe as possible for transporting your precious cargo. That means weighing up the protection levels it offers for passengers in the event of an accident.
And of course it needs to be practical, especially if you’re getting small children in and out each day. Taller SUVs can be more convenient when getting those little ones strapped in, saving you from bending over but so too can larger MPVs with sliding rear doors.
So let’s look at some models on the new and premium used market that are worthy of your consideration. For each one, we’ve also listed three key stats for families: Boot space, ISOFIX points for child seats, and Euro NCAP safety score for adult and child occupants.
Previously known as the C4 Picasso, this Citroen is one of the most family-friendly cars out there and comes in five and seven-seat forms. The latter is badged as the Grand C4 and this is now the only version sold new. It’s a comfortable car to drive, with excellent outward visibility and plenty of storage dotted throughout the cabin, including a cavernous centre console.
View Citroen C4 SpaceTourers on the market now>
The rear seats are individual items with each offering ISOFIX mounting points. The backs of the front seats contain pop-down tables and built-in lights too.
Only available as a diesel, it can be frugal on long journeys and has ample performance. The automatic commands a premium, but is worth having over the manual.
Why this car stands out: Three individual rear seats offer improved versatility.
The SEAT Alhambra was discontinued in 2020, but there are still plenty of lightly used models on the market.
Aside from being a seven-seater, the SEAT Alhambra also has the benefit of sliding rear doors. Being able to fully open these in tight car parks can be a great help – allowing the kids to jump in and out, or giving you space to strap in a child seat.
View SEAT Alhambras on the market now>
Only available with a 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine, the Alhambra is well-suited to hauling heavier loads and should prove to be economical over longer distances, great for those weekends away.
Why this car stands out: A hugely versatile and practical family car, great for longer journeys too.
Let’s say you want to go for an electric car. The Kia e-Niro is one of the best-equipped and most spacious in its segment, boasting a 64kWh battery capable of up to 455 kilometres per charge. However, 300 kilometres is more realistic with more motorway driving.
View Kia e-Niros on the market now>
It falls into the mid-size crossover class, and with 451 litres of boot space, it’s useful at swallowing up items and larger than its nearest rivals.
If you can charge at home, you can reap all the rewards of EV ownership, including having the car pre-heated inside in the morning before you get in. It’s also much smoother and quieter to drive, great if the little one is having a snooze in the back.
Why this car stands out: One of the best EVs for range, comes with good standard specification and a lengthy warranty.
There are few other cars in this segment that offers as much interior space as the Skoda Octavia. It comfortably trumps the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf in that regard. A generous cabin design adds to a spacious feeling, with a decent room between the front seats if you need to reach into the back.
View Skoda Octavias on the market now>
Both of the outer rear seats feature ISOFIX points, and the boot space is excellent – it measures up to 600 litres in the latest model. For even more space, you could consider the estate version known as a Combi.
You get a wide choice of engines with the current Octavia, including a plug-in hybrid. With the previous model that was on sale up until 2020, diesel was the most popular engine, but buyers shouldn’t overlook the smaller 1.0-litre petrol if you’re mostly sticking to shorter urban driving.
Why this car stands out: One of the most spacious cars in its segment.
The Captur has been one of the most popular crossovers in Ireland since it went on sale. Its combination of different colour combinations, style, raised crossover height and affordability made it a hit with car buyers. A revamped model debuted in 2020, bringing more of an SUV look to the car and a vastly improved interior, with better quality materials throughout.
View Renault Capturs on the market now>
Its 455-litre boot (536 litres in the more recent version) is more than you’ll find in a typical hatchback and the taller body has benefits for access and interior space. The Renault drives nicely, and the 1.2-litre engine is peppy, though the 0.9-litre petrol (yes, you read that right) delivers decent performance and isn’t that costly to tax. These cars represent good value for money, and there are plenty to choose from in the used market.
Why this car stands out: Generous levels of interior space despite a compact footprint.
That’s our round-up of five different cars that could suit your needs with a baby on the way. There is lots of choice out there, from SUVs and crossovers to estates and hatchbacks. Along with the safety and budgetary aspects, it’s also worth considering how you’ll be using this car in the future and factor that into your purchase decision so that you might not have to change again in a couple of years.
Which of these great family cars would you choose?
DoneDeal hosts the widest selection of cars for sale in Ireland, with 60,000 on sale today. The vast majority of those are from over 1,000 trusted local car dealerships that offer certainty in your purchase through warranties and history checks. To check out DoneDeal’s range of cars from all of Ireland’s trusted car dealerships, see here.
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Apparently two thirds of “child” immigrants turn out to not be children when challenged.
The people who really suffer here are the genuine child immigrants.
@Damocles: A perusal of the Continental newspapers over recent weekd will show that these children have been responsible for some horrific rapes including gang-rapes.
@MackPilon: One can find anything when perusing Brietbart alright.
@Guy Incognito: Normally I ignore trolling but in your case i will make an exception “A perusal of the Continental newspapers over recent weeks” You are aware that they have newspapers on the Continent ?
@MackPilon: ‘A perusal of the Continental newspapers over recent weeks’ is no substitute for a reliable link.
I believe what the report said was two thirds of those who had their age challenged were found not to be children. Not two thirds of all child refugees.
@Brendan O’Brien:Gawd another one, try Google as there are too many links for thejournal to handle
@MackPilon: You claim that children trying to get into Britain have been involved in rapes on the Continent. You need to support that in some way; otherwise it will appear that you are trying to smear child refugees in general.
Damocles. This isn’t anything new. Do a Google on athletics cross country competitions in some African countries and there isn’t a hope some of the lads competing under age are actually underage. They are clearly fully grown adults.
It’s a very minor issue that is being used to fuel a general anti-refugee, anti-immigrant mindset and the agenda of the far right.
A minor issue? Good grief. You can be sure that if you put incorrect information on your landing card in New York or Sydney you’d be pulled up on it immediately. I think the phrase you are looking for is anti illegal immigrant rather than anti immigrant. And fraudulently entering a country by giving incorrect information whether by accident or on purpose is quite serious.
Brendan O Brien: I’m against mass immigration and 100% against refugees coming to europe, but am not far right or even just right lol!
@Ian O Connell: The left are obsessed with the idea that the evil capitalists create racism, and borders, to divide and rule the working class. So anyone paying what they deem to be an inappropriate amount of attention to something like abuses of the asylum system must be on the side of the capitalists – therefore far right. I won’t even begin to pick apart how detached from reality they are.
Far be it for me to praise the Daily Mail but they ran a similar article yesterday with actual photos. Some of these “children” were grown men!
@Martin Flood: I wouldn’t put much trust in the Daily Mail when it comes to this stuff, their record of xenophobia is mind boggling and they peddle this stuff to their followers and have done for generations. Paper never refused ink could have been coined to describe them alone.
Whatever your views of these children, or not children, or whatever, the Daily Mail is the probably the most disgraceful publication on the planet.
Joe Arthur: or probably not.
There’s others that go by the description of “sacred books” that are far more vile than the DM.
@Martin Flood: I occasionally read the Daily Mail and it feels like a cross between a creche, a zoo and a care home. You just need a big bag of salt to take regular pinches from. Good fun though unless you’re on the receiving end of their “journalism”.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: Ah here lads, youse could have warned me about all the diddys before I went to see what the fuss was about the Mail
@Joe Arthur Hardly any more Joe, especially the Irish edition of the Mail, which on social issues is quite liberal. This issue is also a problem in schools, where some migrant ‘children’ register for a school place to secure children’s allowance. Free for all open border globalism is causing a lot of problems
I have seen some of these child migrants on the BBC, some are clearly in their middle 20′s but claim to be 14 or 15.
Got to hand it to them, they have some balls………….
Sure we all did that in the days of trying to get into Hollywood nights!!!
Well, lie about your age for a chance of living like the luckty ones or go back to hell… Not the bravest decision ever. Sensible more than anything.
The onus of proof should be on the person making an asylum claim, including compliance with testing, whatever the method used to satisfy doubts.
You’re right Greg, but it’s probably racist somehow, isn’t everything racist now?
Ah racism, the curse of the unenlightened.
In Sweden, they call the phenomenon of unaccompanied minors turning out to be fully grown men; Beard Children.
Some of the “children” were approaching pension age.
And they’re all pregnant, even the men.
Is being 35 and claiming you’re 16 inappropriate and unethical?
Depends on why you’re doing it.
I suppose. Doing it to fraudulently enter a country would probably not be wise.
I’m struggling to think of a situation where somebody who’s 35 and claiming to be 16 isn’t inappropriate and unethical. Can you give us examples where it’s not, Neal?
@Beachmaster: If you’re playing Spiderman?
@Beachmaster:
Pretty sure its ok for a 35 year old to claim to be 16 on facebook
The poor little urchins, having to lie about their age to escape the terrible persecution of France.
Look at this guy. Teeth records shouldn’t be needed just common sense. But they’re sorely lacking that in Sweden and also, it would appear in the U.K.http://www.prisonplanet.com/sweden-pediatrician-says-some-refugee-children-are-actually-40-years-old.html
Same problem has existed for a long time in Europe’s asylum system. People with unknown identities, ages,criminal records and origins should not be permitted entry to any sane country. Take the 60 year old Christian woman whipped for selling alcohol in Indonesia instead. That would be both ethical and compatible with self preservation.
Do they get supplied with shavers for free with gel and aftershaves..
Shouldn’t this article read “Politicians unhappy that migrants are abusing the system”?
Or maybe “Liberal luvvies happy that migrants are abusing the system”
Yeah the jihadist’s have started arriving in Britain from calais disguised as kids, fantastic.
I’m in favour of a straight up polygraph test, should find out much more regarding truthfulness in statements made regarding background, origins, affiliations or past criminal activity…
I like the way it’s ‘unethical’ to conduct an age test, but lying on a asylum application is perfectly fine.
Every alleged asylum seeker needs to be processed before they are granted asylum in another country, it has now become a farce.
Medical ethics have a very much made-up-on-the-fly feel to them sometimes. There’s mandatory drawing of blood for all sorts of purposes, and nary a squeak about it. Is a dental X-ray to establish whether a crime is being committed really so different?
You should see some of the U10′s or U12′s or U14′s etc playing schools football each weekend. And it only benefits the oddball manager who is thrilled that his star can score multiple hat tricks against kids 5 years younger. We have been living with this for years now.
Wheres all the innocent little girls? seem to be all blokes.
Would you trust these guys around your daughter, niece, sister, mother, grand-mother, aunt ?
Any libtard that wishes to accuse me of being a racist is welcome to do so.
In Greece, a Syrian 15-year-old boy called Firas is being held in juvenile detention. He was sent on his own by his parents, who are in Turkey, because they didn’t have enough for the whole family to be smuggled in. Because hes’ not Turkish, the Turkish government won’t let him re-enter Turkey. Two activists – an American woman and her husband, who is a Syrian refugee – are hoping to become his legal guardians so that he will be released.
Many Middle-Eastern and Central Asian, e.g. Afghan, parents who originate from areas of conflict are irresponsible – they send the children on their own with people-smugglers. Therefore, it is Firas’s parents’ fault that he is apart from them. Parents who actually love their children would never do that to them.
If as claimed two thirds of the ‘children’ who claim asylum in the UK are in fact adults, then that raises obvious questions as to whether the same happens in this country. We should perform these tests here too
@Rosa Parks: No it’s something more like two thirds of those whose age is tested. The dental tests are not all that reliable anyway and Irish dentists, like the Swedes too, will probably baulk at doing it. France does bone tests I believe – another reason not to apply for asylum in France of course. There is no real getting around the fact that it’s just crazy to allow people to enter your country when you have no idea who they are.
They are fully grown adults not children!!! What the fudge!!??????
@June Rose-Sommer: It’s racist to judge their age from their photos apparently. Their feelings might be hurt over internet waves or something.
Seems logical, though some of the commenters here might not realise that living in extreme poverty does add years to your appearance . . .
Does it increase the facial hair growth?
I had teenage friends from Pakistan and so on, who looked over 20. I think their dark skins and the growth of facial hair increases how old they look
@Liviu Flore: It does happen, of course. But it’s not really about this group and a few photos. There are huge incentives for migrants to claim to be underage throughout Europe – because we quite rightly treat children travelling alone differently to adults. Including in the criminal justice system and when it comes to deportation.
And the phenomenon of migrants lying about their age is very well documented. It”s what many sensible youngish looking people would do if you were in their shoes weighing up the costs and incentives before you. The only debate in France, Sweden etc is about what to do about it. Spoiler alert: they have no idea.
Dental Plan……
Some of them adults are trying to pass as children?
I used to say i was 15 on the bus for child fare. Then say i was 21 to get into nightclubs. We are all guilty of telling these white lies. LOL
The UK is such a police state. Glad we’re nowhere near as bad as that over here
David (josef mengle )Davies. Experiment on refugees!hmm? That sounds familiar
@Gerry Fallon: And the Godwin’s Law prize for the day goes to you.
@Gerry Fallon: Its a ridiculous comparison.
It’s a joke.lighten up
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