The best estate cars to buy in 2024
If you’re in need of a practical family car, one of your best bets is an estate car – a breed quickly going extinct as we move towards high-riding SUVs. But while SUVs may be in fashion, estate cars hold numerous advantages: riding lower, better handling, and better aerodynamics (and usually weight) means they’re also better on fuel.
Their unpopularity means there are also often deals to be done, deals that you may not get on more popular SUVs. We’ve previously covered fast estates, so here we’re focusing on the more sensible side of the market. These are the best estates to buy in 2024.
Skoda Superb
The new Skoda Superb estate carries on where the old one left off, giving you Volkswagen parts in a bigger and cheaper car than a comparative Passat estate. The Superb’s boot, or its size, has always been a huge selling point (at 690 litres it is literally huge) and with the back seats down there’s not much that won’t fit in the back. The rest of the interior is just as practical. Rear legroom is limo-like and upfront, you and your passenger can enjoy heated and cooled seats that massage out the strain of a long journey.
A cushy suspension setup makes the Superb ideal for such trips, and all models now come with an automatic gearbox that is equally relaxing. You can choose from petrol and plug-in hybrid models. Still, the top-of-the-range diesel version's fuel economy and powerful mid-range perfectly match the car, making you wonder why others are phasing the black stuff out. Something else that warms the cockles of our nostalgic hearts is the dashboard’s physical controls; they might not look as cool as an array of screens, but boy are they easier to use when driving.
Audi A6 Avant
The Audi A6 is one of the slickest load luggers currently on sale. Inside, it avoids the chintzy looks of the Mercedes E-Class, instead going for Teutonic build quality and a restrained design with two stacked infotainment screens, the bottom one featuring haptic feedback. Behind your seat, you’ll find your rear seat passengers have loads of legroom, and the boot is mammoth, with 565 litres of load space.
As you’d expect, the A6 is very comfortable to drive. Engines are refined, especially if you go for the diesel model, and there’s very little wind or road noise. You can choose from various suspension setups, including air springs that give the A6 the feel of a range-topping luxury model. Autonomous driving aids (so clever the law has to catch up to make some of it legal to use in the UK) further add to the car’s underlying comfort.
Skoda Octavia Estate
The Skoda Octavia sings from the same hymn sheet as the larger Superb, giving you more space for less than you’ll pay for a Volkswagen Golf estate. Like the Golf, the Octavia has just been given a mid-life refresh that sharpens the looks and debugs (the previously very buggy) infotainment screen. Skoda has also (for now) removed the option of a plug-in hybrid model; instead, you get a choice of 1.5-litre petrol, the same engine with a seven-speed DSG and mild hybrid or a 2.0-litre diesel with the same automatic gearbox.
Business continues as before despite the changes. The Octavia is a handsome-looking family car with a nicely built interior and infotainment that’s easy to operate, including a hot button on the steering wheel that takes you directly to the bleeping safety aids to turn them off. Practicality is where the Octavia shines, with a 660-litre boot that is bigger than you’ll find in direct rivals and cars the size above. You’ll not find many more well-rounded family cars when it's fitted with Skoda's punchy diesel engine.
MG5 EV
MG used to be content with selling the MG5 as a budget estate car that could get away with having vanilla looks because it was so competitively priced – it was an electric estate car you could have for the price of a petrol or diesel rival.
That has changed with this new model, which comes sporting an angular new face that's more in line with models like the MG4 and a lot more striking than the car it replaces. Inside, it remains as before, but that’s not bad because the MG feels well built for the price, and has a handy 479-litre boot. Perhaps the best bit about the MG5, though, is its battery technology. Despite its keen price, this car has a solid 250-mile range and can get from 0-62mph in a frisky 7.3 seconds. Okay, so it's no athlete in bends, but then you probably don’t expect it to be, and it is, instead, pretty comfortable. As a cheap and practical EV, it’s tough to beat.
BMW 3 Series Touring
Like the annoying perfect kid at school, the BMW 320d Touring does everything exceptionally well. Sure, you could make an argument for the M340i; its scintillating six-cylinder engine and four-wheel drive could give some of the fastest cars in the world a test on the right road, but the 320d does an even better job of proving sensible can be fun.
Its 2.0-litre diesel returns over 50mpg without breaking a sweat, giving you a cruising range of nearly 800 miles. But the 320d's hearty mid-range means it doesn't feel like the entry point for the range, giving you all the torque you need to release the rear-wheel-drive chassis's playful side. Factor in excellent practicality, super modern infotainment, and a posher cabin than you'll find in an Audi or Mercedes, and the 320d is an obvious choice for anyone needing a practical, fun car that's also sensible.
Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
The Volkswagen Golf Alltrack shows us four-wheel-drive grip and family-friendly practicality doesn't have to come in the shape of an SUV. With jacked-up suspension, Haldex four-wheel drive and an offroad mode that meters out power equally to all four wheels, the Alltrack can deal with all the offroading most people need – it'll have no problems crossing muddy fields or climbing tricky verges. But it's also better to drive than a high-riding SUV with a more comfortable ride quality than a bog standard Golf.
That said, there’s little wrong with the standard car. As a result, the Alltrack feels nicely built inside, it is impressively practical, and you get a strong range of engines. The only slight fly in the ointment is buggy infotainment, which is tricky to use on the move. It's been sorted (to an extent) by the new model that goes on sale later this year.
Mercedes E-Class estate
You can't go wrong with the Mercedes E-Class estate if you need to shift a load in consummate luxury. Its 615-litre boot capacity easily eclipses what you'll find in rivals from Audi and BMW. Inside, the E-Class feels like the ultimate luxury, with an infotainment screen like the one in the top-of-the-range S-Class that sweeps across the dashboard.
Sadly, the barnstorming E63 version has yet to be revealed, but that's not bad because the top-of-the-range diesel is an excellent option. It has all the torque in the world, and with standard four-wheel drive, it's a sports car quick off the line. Factor in the official fuel economy of nearly 45mpg, and pillowy soft ride and there aren't many better ways to lug loads in comfort.
BMW i5 Touring
Until now, if you wanted a posh electric estate, you only had one option – the Porsche Panamera Gran Turismo, but that changed with the new BMW 5 Series Touring, which will be available as an i5 electric.
Go for the M60 version, and you'll have BMW's fastest accelerating estate, capable of getting from 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds and onto a top speed of 143mph, although you'll have to live with a real-world range that'll do well to better 250 miles. On the upside, the electric drivetrain's instant and silent power delivery suits this posh wagon. The M60 is as practical inside as you could hope, with loads of room for people and stuff in its luxury interior.
Toyota Corolla Touring Sports
The Toyota Corolla used to be the car for the anti-car owner. An appliance you bought because you knew it would be 100 per cent reliable and you didn't care that it had the desirability of a fridge. But that's changed with this new model, which has striking looks and a smart interior.
You still get the excellent parts of Toyota ownership, though. So you can expect the Corolla to be more reliable than a Casio watch and to have the dealer service of a five-star hotel. The Corolla's hybrid engines have an electric range of just a few miles, but it's enough to mean this sensible wagon can return more than 50mpg in town. And, unlike before, it's even decent to drive with plenty of grip and virtual gearchanges that mask its CVT gearbox's elastic response and engine drone.
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