Great seven-seater cars for seven grand

Cars with seven seats are ideal if you have a large family or you’re the coach of a six-a-side football team. They also offer unrivalled versatility, especially if you’re able to fold away the rear seats to create a load area to rival an estate car or van.

We’ve pulled together a list of seven-seat MPVs and SUVs you can buy for £7000. As much as we wanted to include a few retro estate cars with a pair of rear-facing back seats, we’ve limited our search to cars registered after 2011 and with no more than 100,000 miles on the clock:

The Zafira Tourer arrived just as the world was falling in love with the SUV, so it wasn’t the success Vauxhall hoped it would be. This means that many families missed out a more upmarket and premium version of the regular Vauxhall Zafira. The cabin is furnished pleasingly, with a good mix of soft-touch surfaces and chrome and aluminium highlights, plus an excellent level of equipment, even on the entry-level versions.

Central to its appeal is the Flex 7 seating system, which allows the cabin to be configured in multiple different ways. The 1.4-litre turbo petrol is the pick of the engines, although the 1.6 and 2.0-litre diesels are ideal if you’ve got one eye on fuel economy.

As the name suggests, the Ford Grand C-Max is the larger version of the C-Max MPV. It’s 140mm longer than its sibling, which is enough for an extra couple of seats in the back. The sliding doors open to reveal a cabin that’s surprisingly spacious, with a clever set-up that allows the centre seat on the middle row to fold away to allow easy access to the back row.

Ford has always led the way when it comes to driver enjoyment, and while sharp handling and composed cornering won’t top the list of priorities for many MPV buyers, the Grand C-Max has the feel of a large Focus. That’s high praise. The 1.5-litre diesel is the pick of an excellent range of engines.

The Nissan Qashqai helped to kickstart the revolt against the family MPV, but it’s worth remembering that the original version was available with seven seats. The Qashqai+2 (catchy name, right?) is more than just a standard Qashqai with a pair of seats squeezed into the boot. It’s actually longer than the standard car, which means you get a larger boot when the third-row seats aren’t in use.

It’s not all good news. Space in the third row is at a premium and you’ll need your best Twister skills to get there. Beyond that, it’s business as usual: the +2 offers the same high driving position, Tonka toy styling and safety credentials as the standard Qashqai.

The VW Touran is a car almost devoid of flair and excitement. Cruelly, we could argue that it’s cars like the Touran that make a modern SUV look so appealing to UK mums and dads. In many ways, its no-nonsense approach to family life is part of its appeal; it’s an MPV to own, live with and forget about.

Our budget is enough for the Touran built from 2010 to 2015, which means it’s underpinned by the excellent VW Golf Mk5. The badge holds some weight on the school run, the quality is up to the usual VW standards, and it should be cheap to run. The seats in the third row are best reserved for children and your most annoying colleagues who need a lift home from the office party.

Seven years on from its launch, the Citroën Grand C4 Picasso (now known as the Grand C4 SpaceTourer) still cuts a mean figure on the school run. It looks more like something you’ll see rolling into the Gare du Nord than a humble MPV. The train vibes continue on the inside, thanks to seven independent seats and a large panoramic windscreen.

The engines have been designed for efficiency rather than rapid ventures through the French countryside, while the driving experience is, ahem, less than first class. Still, avoid the entry-level versions and it feels rather upmarket. It’s also extremely spacious and practical. All aboard.

Speaking of trains, the original Renault Espace was styled to look like the French TGV. It wasn’t an immediate success (Renault sold just nine examples in the first month of sales), but it wasn’t long before European buyers embraced the seven-seat MPV. It’s no longer possible to buy a new Renault seven-seater in the UK, but the Grand Scenic is one it made earlier.

A budget of £7000 isn’t enough to buy the latest version, but the older model adds a touch of style to an otherwise humdrum segment. On sale from 2009 until 2016, you should opt for a post-2012 Grand Scenic for the most efficient engines and neater styling. The range was facelifted again in the summer of 2013.

Although £7000 might be enough for an early version of the current Ford S-Max, you’d be better off buying a high-spec and low mileage previous-generation model. It looks more like a large estate car than a traditional MPV, while the driving experience would shame many of the modern breed of seven-seat SUVs.

Put it this way: the Ford S-Max feels like a Mondeo behind the wheel, yet it’s as easy to live with as a Galaxy. That means seven seats, a range of powerful and efficient engines, lots of space and low running costs. It was possible to buy an S-Max with the 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine from the Focus ST, which is a cracking drive, though the engine has an insatiable thirst.  But diesels are by far the most commonly available engine with the S-Max.

The SsangYong Turismo is hardly pretty, but at least it doesn’t look like the Rodius. Instead, it takes all that was good about its predecessor and wraps them in a more pleasing package. ‘Plain Jane’ is fine when viewed in the context of the Rodius. It’s also extremely cheap: a 2014 model could be yours for around £5000.

It’s a proper seven-seater, but while most rivals feature three seats in the middle and two in the third row, SsangYong put three in the back. There’s more room in the middle and it’s easier to get into the back. Flagship models get selectable four-wheel drive, while all SsangYong vehicles registered from 1 October 2018 get a seven-year 150,000-mile warranty.

A seven-year warranty is one of the reasons why the Kia Carens is so popular. It means that all but the earliest 2013 examples will be covered by a manufacturer’s warranty, which is a big selling point when you’re buying a seven-seat MPV. It won’t protect you from the lingering smell of damp dog or milkshake stains on the upholstery, but it will be there for you should the worst happen.

The fourth-generation Carens stems from a period from Kia was beginning to cement its authority in Europe. Peter Schreyer’s design, a Germanic interior and a long list of standard equipment meant that the Carens no longer felt like a drab afterthought. Low running costs and lots of storage areas are the icing on a surprisingly tasty cake.

Its distinctive styling isn’t for everyone, but the Fiat 500L MPW is your only option if you’re after a seven-seat version of the 500 city car. It’s essentially a 500L with an extra 205mm grafted onto the back, which makes it one of the smallest 5+2 MPVs you can buy. We’d hesitate to call it a proper seven-seater; it works best as a five-seater with a big boot and a pair of occasional chairs.

Perhaps we should be applauding Fiat for managing to cram seven seats into a car of this size. The 0.9 TwinAir does a good job of powering the 500L MPW (assuming you’re not transporting six Italian rugby players), but the 1.3 and 1.6-litre Multijet diesels are the best engines. The entry-level Pop Star trim should have everything you require in an MPV.

The Hyundai Santa Fe is as good at holding its value as it is holding people. A budget of £7000 is enough for a 2010 or 2011 example, maybe a 2012 model, with 100,000 miles on the clock. Enlightened families love these things, so demand is high.

It’s all about the space, with the Santa Fe boasting a boot large enough to rival a Range Rover, plus the availability of seven seats. Quality isn’t up to the standards of modern Hyundai models, but the interior is hardwearing and built to withstand many years of drive-thru meals and death by sports equipment. The 2.2 CRDi diesel engine is torquey and efficient, especially after the 2009 update.

Thanks to its sober styling and drab interior, you’d be forgiven for failing to put the Toyota Verso on your seven-seater shortlist. But while it’s not as stylish as a Ford S-Max or as plush as a VW Tiguan, there are plenty of things to like about the Verso. The interior is robust, all models get a generous list of equipment, and the car has an excellent reliability record.

Getting into the third row is a little tricky, and there’s not much room once you’ve squeezed yourself in, but you’ll appreciate the convenience of two extra seats. Most versions were sold with an excellent 1.6-litre D-4D diesel sourced from BMW. It’s a responsive and perky unit, with plenty of torque for carrying heavy loads.

Don’t get too excited: you won’t find a current-generation Peugeot 5008 for £7000. Instead, you’re left with its frumpy predecessor, which trades fashion for function. The standard seven-seat MPV problems remain: boot space is at a premium when all seven seats are in use. As a five-seater with a choice of a large boot or a pair of occasional seats, it’s hard to fault.

The high driving position is reminiscent of a modern SUV,  the level of quality is reasonably good, and you can look forward to low running costs if you opt for the 1.6-litre HDi diesel engine. It’s also good to drive, although French car fans might find the harsh ride a little unsettling.

It’s easy to forget that the Mitsubishi Outlander is available without a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The second-generation Outlander, on sale from 2007 until 2012, was geared more for on- rather than off-road use, with Mitsubishi basing it on the Lancer, rather than an off-road chassis.

Earlier versions were available with VW and Peugeot diesel engines, but Mitsubishi introduced its own 2.2-litre DiD diesel in 2010. The 174bhp version is preferable to the 156bhp for travelling with a full load. Space in the third row is extremely tight; the seats aren’t suitable for anything beyond children or a pair of penguins.

This cat was styled by a team led by an American, built in Korea and sitting on a platform it shared with the Vauxhall Antara. The Captiva was also the first Chevrolet to be powered by a diesel engine, although the 2.0-litre unit was replaced by a 2.2-litre lump when the car was given a facelift in 2011.

This was an expensive car, and although it offered a long list of standard equipment, the overall quality was a level or two below its European rivals. LT and LTZ models came with on-demand all-wheel drive and seven seats as standard. You get a lot of car for the money, but parts and servicing can be expensive.

The launch of the Sorento, on sale from 2010 until 2014, came at the beginning of Kia’s shift away from being a budget brand to one with hopes of muscling in on the premium market. It looked more attractive than its predecessor, boasted a much-improved cabin, and came with more standard equipment than its European rivals.

Like the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Sorento is a popular choice for families looking for a reliable seven-seater on a budget. All models got seven seats as part of the 2012 update, which also saw the 2.2-litre CRDi becoming the sole engine choice. The overall quality went up a notch, so a post-2012 Sorento is the one to choose.

The Seat Alhambra enjoyed a remarkably long run, with production ending in 2020 after a decade of sales. As the styling suggests, it shares much in common with the Volkswagen Sharan, but the Seat badge means you’ll save a little cash when buying used. The tech and safety equipment are bit ‘last decade’, but few seven-seat MPVs are as practical as the Alhambra.

The sliding doors are electric on all except the entry-level model, while seven independent seats lend the Alhambra a level of flexibility that the Seat Tarraco seven-seat SUV can only dream of. Efficient engines, a high driving position and a good quality interior are further reasons to consider the big Seat.

The Ford Galaxy makes no pretence that it’s anything other than a practical and spacious seven-seat MPV. Even with all seven seats occupied, the Galaxy offers enough luggage space to rival a family hatchback, but this expands to a van-like 2325 litres with all but the front seats folded down.

It’s also pretty good to drive, although the slightly less practical S-Max has the Galaxy trumped in this department. The driving position is excellent, visibility is good, and all six passengers will enjoy plenty of legroom and headroom. In terms of space, this big Ford is in another Galaxy.

There’s just a hint of an SUV in the styling of the Chevrolet Orlando. Aside from the absence of rear sliding doors, the Orlando could give the Ford Grand C-Max a run for its money, as there’s plenty of room for seven people and even a bit of luggage capacity when all seats are occupied.

A 2013 example could cost as little as £4500, so you’re certainly getting a lot for your money. Avoid the LS trim and you’ll have all the equipment you need, while the 2.0-litre diesel is surprisingly refined (avoid the 1.8-litre petrol). Overall, the Orlando is a surprisingly likeable MPV.

The Mazda 5 is the seven-seater MPV you should buy if you want the ride and handling characteristics of the Ford S-Max or Grand C-Max. It also comes with car-park friendly rear sliding doors, which gives it an edge over many of the cars on our list of seven-seaters for £7000.

There is one catch: the middle seat on the second row is too small, so the Mazda 5 is better suited to a family of six. The 2.0-litre petrol is the best engine for taking advantage of the fine chassis, but the lethargic 1.6-litre diesel is ideal if you have one eye on fuel economy.