Family Estate Car Reviews & Comparisons

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"To help find the best estate car for you we compare, review, prices, mpg, dimensions, performance, safety, petrol vs diesel and CO2s"

There's a huge choice of estate cars for sale in the UK for us to compare. Some regard the traditional estate car as too conventional. Estate cars are spacious and more elegant than MPVs and SUVs. Estate cars are also more stable to drive than SUVs and much safer. An MPV or SUV is an estate car variant. Back in the 80s a Volvo or Merc' estate was the lifestyle choice. They could be coming back.

There's a huge variation in estate car running costs so count the cost of CO2s, fuel consumption and car insurance groups.

It's important to compare car insurance groups and then quotes because of the differences in estate car prices, size, engines and performance.

The change in car insurance groups from 1 to 20 to 1 to 150 means a wider range of car insurance quotes.

This is further confused when considering which car insurance promotions, car insurance companies, packages and premiums to choose and what you get for your money.

Differences in car insurance quotes can be so huge it's definitely worth directly comparing online car insurance quotes for yourself. The cheapest car insurance quotes can be a quarter of the most expensive premiums.

Trying to find low mileage used estate cars for sale is like searching for rocking horse manure. If you find a near new estate car it can offer an amazing saving on the new estate car price.

What estate cars are the top estate cars and which is estate car is right for you depends. You might start making comparisons by first choosing between small, medium and large. Then choose between premium, popular and value brands. Try my formula for finding the best estate car - below. You'll find serious surprises.

But first, to make an evaluation based on a cars qualities, worthiness and fitness we need to know what a car holds itself out to be. In other words ...

What Is An Estate Car?

And the answer is not as simple as you might think.

An estate car is a body type based on the saloon car. A saloon can be described as three boxes or compartments. A box at the front for the engine. A middle box for passengers. A rear box for luggage which was originally simply a trunk which we now call a boot in the UK.

An estate car is based on a saloon platform and was usually a little longer. Any division between the passenger and boot compartment is removed to merge the two into a shared area. An estate becomes a two box vehicle with a tail board/gate instead of a boot lid for easier access.

A true estate has the roof line continued over the shared passenger compartment and what would be the boot at the same height as the passenger compartment creating more rear space and versatility between the passenger and cargo areas with folding rear seats.

There are many different body styles based on the estate car concept still classified by the UK DVLA as having estate car body types. The defining factors are a rear load floor at the same level as the lower edge of a tailgate frame allowing maximum access for the cars height and width. The first estate cars had the tailgate frame sill lowered to meet the sunken depth of the saloon boot floor.

Estate cars have been called Shooting Brakes, Station Wagons. Peugeot still use the term SW. Today an estate car is not necessarily a long body with a tailboard, tailgate, or liftgate and more space in the back. Today we have Tourers, Touring and SportsWagons. This is often a sign – but not always, so it’s something to look out for – the roofline may slope down to the rear reducing load space. The boot floor may be raised to meet old saloon boot lid line which has been replaced by a tailgate, again reducing rear capacity. Many of today’s estates are no longer than the saloon they're based on. Their only advantage can be increased load space only when the rear seats are folded and the car becomes a two-seater. The trade refers to these cars as lifestyle cars.

The estate car has spawned many derivatives. A hatchback is an estate concept with rear length chopped back and the sunken boot floor retained which is why the DVLA give it its own body type name. Most 4x4s, SUVs, Crossovers and MPVs are given the estate car body type by the DVLA because the cargo floor and lower sill of the tailgate frame are at the same level.

Formula for finding the best estate car

This formula assumes estate car versatility is the most important feature and maximum load space is an initial indicator of capacity. You'll find overall length is not necessarily a guide to interior space.

Price and fuel consumption are obviously a consideration as part of economic ownership. Safety is then most important after you've decided the car fits your lifestyle and budget.

Estate car performance maybe important for load lugging.

I've not considered style, prestige or comfort as they're matters of personal taste. I've not mention durability or reliability because I no longer consider them to be significant issues.

Here's an example ranking estate cars first by their maximum load capacity;

Peugeot 207 SW Dimensions, Price Range, 5-star EuroNCAP rated.

Hyundai i30 Estate Dimensions, Price Range, 5-star Euro NCAP rating and importantly ESP is standard.

Skoda Fabia Estate Dimensions, Price Range. The Fabia is 5-star Euro NCAP rated.

Citroen C5 Tourer Dimensions,Price Range, 5-star EuroNCAP rated. Importantly ESP is standard.

Mazda6 Estate Dimensions, Price Range, In 2009 the Mazda6 5 door achieved a 5 Star Euro NCAP rating, the estate does not appear. Importantly ESP is standard.

Peugeot 308 SW Dimensions, Price Range. The Peugeot 308 SW is 5 star Euro NCAP rated.

To help you find the best estate cars for sale in the UK we compare car make, model, body, engine & transmissions. Plus car dimensions, performance, fuel economy, and CO2 emissions figures. Also safety ratings &  car insurance groups.
 

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