Expert answer

Hi Dave,

Given you'll be on the motorway for an hour each way, presumably a few days a week at least, a diesel car seems to make the most sense in your case.

We'd also suggest that you stick to a car rather than an SUV as it will be better to drive, generally more comfortable and definitely more efficient.

Scouring the classifieds for options, here's what we reckon might suit:

Honda Civic 1.6 diesel
Hyundai i40 1.7 diesel
Kia Optima 1.6 diesel
SEAT Leon 1.6 diesel
Skoda Octavia 1.6 diesel
Volkswagen Passat 2.0 diesel
Volkswagen Golf 1.6 diesel

Come back to us if you'd actually rather stick with a premium marque. The above are a good bet in general when it comes to reliability, though as ever, take your time to choose a good example with a detailed service history, and take test drives as well.

Expert answer

Hi Brona,

That's a pretty open-ended brief to be honest. If you're looking a the MGS5 EV then we can assume your budget is in and around €30,000-€35,000. Even the entry-level model – Excite Standard Range – officially manages up to 340km on a charge.

Given your low daily mileage, that should be more than sufficient for your needs, even if the real-world figure drops a little in winter. That is of course if you are planning on getting a home charger. We'd recommend buyers only consider an EV if they can charge up at home or work.

Another good option for your needs is the Volkswagen ID.3 if you're not set on an SUV and, if space isn't a priority, maybe even the fantastic new Renault 5.

Come back to us with your opinion on the above and we'll try to help you narrow things down further.

Expert answer

Hi Niall,

With your requirements and budget, you'll certainly be looking at a used EV rather than a new one, which may mean buying a car that doesn't have much of its original regular warranty remaining (as the industry default is three years - though there are exceptions). However, the car makers include a longer warranty on the drive battery to reassure buyers of their longevity. Typically, this is for eight years and 160,000km (from new), though the precise figures vary from model to model.

You've not specified if any of your kids are in small seats or boosters so we assume three of them can fit across in one row of a normal car (do come back to us if we're wrong on that as that will limit your options considerably).

In terms of your driving use, and assuming you'll get a home charger to cover day-to-day charging, you're going to have to plan to use the public charging network on your longer journeys. Very few used EVs in your budget will do 400km on a charge all year around with five people on board.

Most should require just one top-up on that trip, however, taking no longer to charge than it will to get the kids all out and into the bathroom and for you to grab a coffee.

I'm sure you'd have to stop a few times on a 1,000km trip regardless of charging up the car.

Taking a look at what's on the market for under €25,000, here are some options we'd recommend:

Cupra Born: This is a five-seat, five-door hatchback about the same size as a Volkswagen Golf on the outside (and indeed it's the same underneath as the Volkswagen ID.3), but it has way more rear-seat space. Your budget gets you a 2022 example using the 58kWh battery pack, which means a realistic range of about 300km between charges.

Read our Cupra Born reviews here

Hyundai Kona Electric: The Kona is a five-door, five-seat crossover you should find as new as 2023 available within budget. That's the last of the previous-generation model. It's smaller in the boot and back seat than the Cupra mentioned above, but it is efficient. There are even some available with a 64kWh battery for a realistic range between charges of nearly 400km.

Read our Hyundai Kona reviews here

Kia e-Niro: This is another five-seat crossover, actually sharing its underpinnings with the Hyundai. However, the Niro is noticeably bigger inside the cabin and boot. There are loads of 2022 examples around with a 64kWh battery - meaning a real-world range of nearly 400km again. Sidebar: the Kia e-Soul is a stylish alternative sharing most of the same components, though it's less practical as a family car.

Read our Kia Niro reviews here
Read our Kia Soul reviews here

Skoda Enyaq: The Enyaq is a fantastic family car with much more space in the cabin and boot than all of the above. Sadly, there are very few about at your budget, though we did find a couple so it might be worth holding out for. The compromise is that you'll only be able to afford the 58kWh model, which should manage a little over 300km between charges.

Read our Skoda Enyaq reviews here

Volkswagen ID.3/ID.4: The ID.3 is VW's equivalent to the Cupra Born above and there are more of them about, most with the same 58kWh battery. Saying that, we did find a few with the 77kWh battery pack, enabling a much longer range. The ID.4 is notably larger inside and comparable with the Skoda Enyaq. It's not common within budget though.

Read our Volkswagen ID reviews

Hopefully that's some useful food for thought. Don't hesitate to come back to us if you want us to help narrow down your search.

Expert answer

Hi Chris,

Unless your daughter has a permanent address in the North where she can register the car, then yes, she will have to import it.

Expert answer

Hi Teresa,

There is certainly a move that way, though don't expect all models to change all at once. It would appear that the car makers (not just Volkswagen) have listened to buyers such as you and critics such as us on this, and there will be a gradual reintroduction of some physical switchgear. Organisations such as Euro NCAP and even the EU are closely monitoring this, too, so we have high hopes for a return to less reliance on touchscreens for basic tasks in a car.

Volkswagen's recent show cars that preview forthcoming production models - such as the ID.1 and ID.2 - have buttons as well as a touchscreen.

Expert answer

Hi Diana,

The seven-seat EV market is tiny thus far and most of the vehicles are based on commercial vans. Here's a list in order of starting price:

• Citroen E-Berlingo, from €38,693 (as 'LWB' model)
• Opel Combo Life Electric, from €39,504
• Peugeot E-Rifter, from €39,600 (as 'long' model)
• Citroen E-Spacetourer, from €48,626
• Opel Combi Electric, from €49,068
• Peugeot E-5008, from €50,995
• Opel Zafira Life Electric, from €62,495
• Volkswagen ID. Buzz LWB, from €67,785
• Kia EV9, from €77,500
• Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, from €114,111
• Volvo EX90, from €117,910
• Mercedes-Benz EQV, from €125,830

Expert answer

Hi Caoimhe,

You've not told us your budget, as that will be the limiting factor given how few cars there are that can hold three baby seats in one row. The previous-generation Peugeot 5008 could manage it, for example, while the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90 can as well and so can people carriers such as the SEAT Alhambra or Volkswagen Touran. Unfortunately, all of those are cars that usually happen to have three rows of seating as well so they may not appeal to you at all.

If you can get by without ISOFIX in the middle seat then you may find some wider cars can accept your three child seats, but it'll be a case of going to try them out for size with your seats in tow, as there's such variety between baby seats and the space between the buckles in the middle of the back seat of a car.

Ones that come to mind include the Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Tiguan, along with the new Cupra Terramar, for example.

If you want to come back to us with your budget and whether you're going new or used, we can try to come up with a few other potential candidates.

Expert answer

Hi John,

You've not mentioned which gearbox specifically, so we'll assume you mean the DSG automatic. These can develop faults with the 'mechatronic' unit that controls gear shifting etc. If that has to be replaced then it's expensive, though sometimes just changing the transmission fluid helps.

That needs to be done regularly in DSG units using the 'wet-clutch' setup. Those with the dry-clutch system don't need such maintenance.

If you've thinking about buying a car using a DSG transmission, then make sure you take it for a decent test drive through the full speed range up to motorway speeds and monitor the gear changing for judders or other issues. If possible, spend some time in stop-start traffic as well as that can cause the clutch packs and mechatronic unit to overheat if they are weak and you'll soon notice if something isn't right.

Saying all this, the DSG transmissions aren't necessarily bad designs, you just need to ensure the one you're buying is still operating properly.

Expert answer

Hi Lorraine,

There really is a lot of choice out there, but we will try to help you narrow things down.

With your car as a trade-in, and the €16,000 budget on top, we'll look for cars up to about €27,000.

First up, narrowing the search to automatic SUVs post-2021 really limits your options to the Nissan Qashqai, which isn't very powerful, the Peugeot 3008 (which is quite rare) or the Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan. The latter two are potentially worth a look as they're built on much the same underpinnings as your Ateca and their 2.0 TDI engines have plenty of go. There aren't many of them about with automatic gearboxes though.

Removing the constraint on that opens up the options considerably and one car that stands out for us right away is the Mazda CX-5. It's perhaps not as common as some others, but it's great to drive in particular and it should tick all your other boxes. Try to get hold of one to test drive for yourself.

A newer Ateca is of course an option, and we're big fans of the SEAT, but all the newer ones we found haven't a very powerful engine.

The Peugeot 3008 is another car we like and would encourage you to try it out for size. There are plenty of them about with a manual gearbox.

All of these should have the niceties you're looking for as well.

Come back to us if you need help narrowing your search further, or if you want our opinions on any other alternative to the above.

Expert answer

Hi Gary,

We'd definitely advocate for an estate over an MPV or SUV as they're more space efficient, more fuel efficient and generally better to drive, especially as you clearly spend quite a bit of time on the road.

Assuming you're on the motorway for much of that, then a diesel probably makes the most sense, though if you're generally at lower speeds, it's well worth considering a hybrid instead to keep your maintenance bills down.

Within budget are some lovely premium estates, such as the Audi A4 and A6 Avant, along with the BMW 3 Series Touring, Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb, though you might have to compromise and go for high-mileage examples.

There are a few diesel Ford Focus estates around as well, along with the underestimated Kia Ceed estate. On the hybrid side, there's an estate version of the Toyota Corolla to consider as well.

Come back to us if you'd like help narrowing down your search, as you have loads of choice with €20,000 to spend.