The best family SUVs – driven, rated and ranked
What’s the best SUV for the entire family? We’ve listed our top picks…
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by Jack Warrick
8 mins read
9 January 2025
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With estate car-like space, a high driving position ever-improving driving dynamics, family SUVs have largely become a go-to choice for drivers.
Not only are they ideal for ferrying the kids to school, but family SUVs are also useful for transporting cargo, long-distance commutes and holidays, be it in the UK or hopping on the ferry over to Europe.
In 2025, there’s more choice than ever. Family SUVs are available in petrol, diesel and hybrid guises, but there’s also an ever-increasing number of electric options out there.
There’s also a varied choice of front-, rear- and four-wheel drive, although a proper hardcore off-roader should be considered if you’re planning on some proper mud-plugging.
Our top 10 lists are curated following extensive testing from our experienced team of experts. Our top pick is the Skoda Kodiaq; read on to find out why, plus a series of contenders which are closing in…
1. Skoda Kodiaq
8
- Design8
- Interior8
- Performance8
- Ride & Handling7
- Costs8
Pros
Very roomy and practical
PHEV offers unrivalled electric range
Controls are well-resolved
Cons
Doesn’t ride as well as it should
DSG automatic gearboxes can be indecisive at low speed
Too many modes in PHEV version
Best for: All-around ability
Want an ultra-sensible family SUV that is undemanding to use and offers a truly huge amount of space for the money? Enter the Skoda Kodaiq.
So what are you sacrificing? A chunk of premium-feel materials compared with some rivals, for a start, although it’s not as much of a step down as you might think. Plus everything feels well screwed together.
There are more upmarket family SUVs, but not many that offer as much space for the money. Five- and seven-seat models are both on offer, the former being especially helpful if you value boot space over everything else, as it offers an enormous 910 litres’ worth.
All versions handle tidily, with commendable agility and composure and a good feeling of connection from the steering fooling you into thinking it’s smaller than it actually is.
Plug-in hybrid models are available, which is great for company car drivers, but it’s worth knowing that they can’t come with seven seats, because the third-row seats and the battery occupy the same space.
Read our Skoda Kodiaq review
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2. Kia EV9
8
- Design9
- Interior9
- Performance8
- Ride & Handling7
- Costs9
Pros
Bold and distinctive design provides strong kerbside presence
Large, versatile interior has all the space you could really want
Strong electric range and excellent rapid-charging speed
Cons
Feels bigger and heavier on the road than key rivals
Lacks a degree of easy car-park manoeuvrability
Material cabin appeal is slightly short of the £75k luxury standard
Best for: Space
The EV9 looks like it just landed from a sci-fi movie set. People stare at it on the street; they seek you out in shops and cafes to talk excitedly about it and to ask what it’s like. And yet it handles the tediousness of family life elegantly and serenely.
It’s smooth, quiet and brilliantly easy to operate and will officially do up to 349 miles on a charge. Our testing suggests the big-battery versions should crack 300 miles in real-life conditions, but you can supplement this quickly with 220kW rapid charging.
But the real plus point of the electric powertrain is in its packaging. It enables the EV9 to make the most out of its gargantuan proportions.
It’s available with six or seven seats, and either way the third row is roomy enough for adults. Four of the five rear seats get their own cupholders and USB-C charging ports, as well as Isofix child-seat anchorages. The rearmost pair stow and deploy electrically and are easy to access.
Furthermore, the boot is big enough for a reasonable amount of shopping cargo with all seats in place. While in five-seat mode, the loading space is extremely generous. There’s even a front boot, which is perfect for keeping the charging cables in.
Read our Kia EV9 review
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3. Peugeot 5008
8
- Design8
- Interior7
- Performance8
- Ride & Handling7
- Costs8
Pros
Direct, planted steering
Very spacious and quite practical inside
Full-hybrid engine is extremely refined
Cons
Third row is lacking in creature comforts
Infotainment screen isn’t the most intuitive to use
Performance with seven people and luggage will likely not be enough
Best for: Style
While the previous generation Peugeot 5008 was a rather frumpy, unsightly SUV, the new model is significantly more stylish and enticing.
It sports a much sharper look in 2025 as well as a host of practicality upgrades and creature comforts. Front space is sizable, while passengers up to 6ft tall should be comfortable in the back. Add in a third row of seats, and you’ll be shifting the whole family around in style.
Boot space is competitive for the class, with 348 litres on offer with all three seats up. This increases drastically to 916 litres. That’s more than the ultra-spacious Santa Fe, the Skoda Kodiaq or the Dacia Jogger. Impressive.
The 5008 is propelled by mild hybrid power (a BIK-busting plug-in hybrid is on the way) with 134bhp and 170lb ft, which pushes it on to a reasonable 0-62mph sprint of 11.3sec. There’s an electric option too, named the E-5008 which claims up to 410 miles of range.
Read our Peugeot 5008 review
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4. Land Rover Discovery Sport
8
- Design8
- Interior8
- Performance7
- Ride & Handling8
- Costs7
Pros
Class-leading off-road ability
Impressive handling
Materially appealing and practical interior
Cons
Powertrains still lack the punch of some of the best in class
Not the most fuel-efficient car in its class
Starting to feel its age
Best for: Luxury feel
The Discovery Sport may well be the entry-level Land Rover, but that doesn’t mean it’s short on the brand’s trademark capability, comfort or charm.
Since 2019 it has sat on the same PTA platform as the Range Rover Evoque, but it hasn’t lost out on any of the characteristics that we liked about the original version. It’s still higher-riding than many of its opponents and affords better visibility.
True to the Land Rover brand, the four-wheel-drive versions will also go further off-road than most owners will ever need. However, it also handles in an impressively tidy fashion, with accurate steering, good body control and surprising agility.
Its practical interior is available with seven seats for those who need them. The current versions have plenty of premium appeal and benefit from the latest Pivi Pro infotainment system, which help give it a similar feel to the firm’s upper-crust Range Rover offerings.
Most of the petrol and diesel engines have 48V mild-hybrid assistance, but the particularly slick P300e plug-in hybrid is the standout version, thanks to its well-engineered integration that allows a smooth transition between petrol and electric.
If you want a family SUV with more versatility and off-road ruggedness than the class average, the Discovery Sport delivers that with very few compromises. Still one of the best 4x4s by far.
Read our Land Rover Discovery Sport review
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5. Hyundai Santa Fe
8
- Design8
- Interior10
- Performance6
- Ride & Handling7
- Costs7
Pros
Distinctive, practical design
High quality interior
Plenty of space
Cons
Unsophisticated ride
Disappointing powertrains
Poor driver assistance features
Best for: Interior ambience
From a value-for-money, bargain-basement brand to a genuine premium player, Hyundai’s head-spinning progress over the past decade or so almost beggars belief.
Yet you need to take only a cursory look around the Santa Fe to appreciate just how far the Korean firm has come. This futuristic SUV features distinctive looks and a spacious and classy cabin, plus a range of drivetrains that includes a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid.
The key to the Santa Fe’s appeal is its interior, which blends a real upmarket vibe with plenty of space. Unlike many seven-seat rivals, there’s actually room in the third row for adults and access is fairly straightforward.
There’s a vast boot, too: 725 litres with five seats in place. Quality is excellent, with numerous high-grade materials, loads of standard kit and a decent infotainment set-up.
It’s not the most exciting car to drive, but the steering is light and precise and the Santa Fe handles corners with surprising composure for something so tall and heavy. It’s at its best when taking it easy, which is no bad thing when you consider its family-friendly credentials.
The relatively soft suspension can become a little discombobulated over really challenging surfaces, but the rest of the time the Santa Fe is a refined and relaxing companion that’s as happy mooching about town as it is taking in a long-haul trip.
If you need a show-stopping car that fits seamlessly into family life, the Hyundai takes some beating. Compared with a lot of rivals, you will get far more space and equipment for the money, too.
Read our Hyundai Santa Fe review
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6. Nissan X-Trail
8
- Design8
- Interior8
- Performance8
- Ride & Handling7
- Costs7
Pros
Smooth and powerful hybrid powertrain
Pleasant interior and good multimedia
Good to drive for a big, heavy SUV
Cons
Low-speed ride
Smaller boot than rivals
Disappointing efficiency
Best for: An alternative choice
Unusually, the Nissan X-Trail is powered exclusively by three-cylinder engines. That doesn’t bode well for effortless motoring, but the opposite is true for the four-wheel drive e-Power hybrid versions.
Nissan claims that its e-Power hybrid system (wherein the engine only ever works as a generator and the wheels are driven by electric motors) provides an EV driving experience but with the reassurance that you can simply fill up with petrol.
The X-Trail gets very close indeed, which makes it a very undemanding car to drive. Motorway efficiency is good but could be better, while efficiency in town is excellent.
Away from the novel powertrain, the X-Trail is very well considered. It’s slightly smaller than cars like the Hyundai Santa Fe or Skoda Kodiaq but still offers seven seats as an option.
The second row has plenty of space, the rear doors open 90deg and the boot space is competitive.
In front, the X-Trail feels familiar from the smaller Nissan Qashqai, but that’s a good thing because there are big buttons for commonly used functions and the infotainment is mostly logical, which makes the car very easy and frustration-free to use. The front seats are very comfortable, too.
On the road, the X-Trail is an easy-going companion. It suffers from a slightly crashy low-speed ride but is very supple everywhere else, and it even offers some dynamism in the corners.
Read our Nissan X-Trail review
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7. Renault Scenic E-Tech
8
- Design8
- Interior7
- Performance7
- Ride & Handling8
- Costs8
Pros
Excellent range
Good looking inside and out
Impressive infotainment
Cons
Strangely poor forward visibility
Lacklustre performance
Disappointing ride quality
Best for: Electric range
Once an MPV, the Renault Scenic returned last year as an electric SUV. While you can no longer select it with seven seats, it’s still a brilliant family hauler with lots of space and a pleasant interior.
Entry-level cars come with a 60kWh battery as standard with a claimed range of 260 miles, but the 87kWh long-range option offers a mighty 379 miles on a charge. Power can range from a meagre 167bhp to 215bhp, which is acceptable.
Make no mistake: that’s a seriously impressive range. It puts the Scenic straight to the top of the segment, even outclassing the Tesla Model Y’s 331 miles and the 348 miles touted by the Skoda Enyaq.
It’s practical and smart inside too, with a sizable, responsive 12in touchscreen infotainment system.
Its 545-litre boot is also impressive, and while rear passenger space isn’t quite class-leading, it’s still airy nonetheless.
Read our Renault Scenic E-Tech review
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8. Hyundai Tucson
8
- Design8
- Interior8
- Performance7
- Ride & Handling8
- Costs8
Pros
Interior feels as good as anything in the segment
Economical running, so long as you’re gentle
Practical
Cons
Automatic gearbox is slow on the uptake
Not much here for enthusiasts
Some cheaper plastics found lower down
The Hyundai Tucson is one of the most versatile family SUVs on sale today, thanks to its combination of practicality, frugality and interior quality.
Drivers can select their Tucson with a choice of petrol or hybridised engines, all based around the brand’s tried and tested 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol unit.
The range starts with 157bhp, rising up to 252bhp in the plug-in hybrid, which boasts up to 39 miles of electric-only range.
But the jewel in the Tucson’s crown is its interior, which is close to best-in-class. It’s full of premium-feel materials, plus there’s plenty of space in the front and the back for most passengers. Add to that a 616-litre boot, and you’ve got yourself a very usable family SUV indeed.
