Given the popularity of family SUVs, you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s not much going on in the world of the traditional ‘family car’, but that's not the case. Family hatchbacks still account for a huge number of UK new car sales with plenty of models battling it out in a highly competitive segment of the car market.
The demands of family life are a big ask for a car, of course. Practicality, safety and reliability are all essential, but it's also important to find something with low running costs and a comfortable ride on long journeys.
You wouldn't expect a family car to be as exciting to drive as a sports car, but many of models on this list offer an engaging and enjoyable driving experience.
Below are our top 10 family cars – as well as two models we'd avoid – and a summary of what we think of each of them. If one of our favourites takes your fancy, you can click through to our full review to read more, or find the best prices available through our free New Car Buying pages.
The Civic tops this list because it’s the best all-rounder on the market, and strikes a wonderful balance between practicality, quality, efficiency and driving pleasure.
It feels refined and precise, thanks to a combination of good handling, reasonable performance and a comfortable ride. The hybrid set-up allows it to achieve impressive fuel economy figures too, and drive using the electric motor alone at low speeds.
So much useful kit is included as standard that we recommend sticking with the entry-level Elegance trim.
Conventional petrol-electric hybrids are popular with family car buyers because they offer better fuel economy than their pure-petrol counterparts, but don't need to be plugged in. And the Corolla’s 1.8-litre hybrid system is one of the best in the business; when we subjected an earlier version to a real-world fuel economy test, it averaged more than 60mpg.
There’s plenty of room in the front, so the driver can make the most of the Corolla’s cosseting ride, although rear space is disappointing.
The long list of standard equipment includes adaptive cruise control and heated front seats. Upgrading to Icon trim adds sat-nav and a bunch of other handy features while keeping the price reasonable.