Best used family cars for less than £5000

The family hatchback is the stalwart of Britain’s roads. While family SUVs and MPVs have taken huge chunks out of their territory in recent years, British families still like traditional family cars such as the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf.

If you’ve got £5000 to spend on a used one though, it isn’t easy to work out which is the best one for you. To give you a helping hand, we’ve scoured the classifieds and separated the wheat from the chaff to find the best cheap family cars out there.

If you're buying at this price level, remember that condition is king, so check any potential purchase and its history carefully. When viewing a used car, always follow our used car buying checklist

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This previous-generation Vauxhall Astra's best facet as a used buy is its value. The Astra isn't just cheap, though; it's a good car, with neat handling, a comfortable ride and some great engines in the range.

True, it doesn't quite have the high-quality feel of some of its best rivals, but it still feels more solid than most – and when you consider how new it is and how cheap it is, its minor flaws are very forgivable. Reliability is a little mixed, however.

"A perennial favourite of ours, the Astra would finish higher up on our list if it didn't have a mixed reliability record. Worth the risk, maybe, and parts are cheap and freely available." - Oliver Young, used cars reporter

We found: 2015 Vauxhall Astra 1.2 Turbo SRi, 72,900 miles, £4948

Strengths

• Spacious interior
• Relatively cheap to buy
• Well equipped

Weaknesses

• Vague steering
• Diesels can be noisy
• Low-speed ride can be fidgety
• Reliability mixed

Just finishing behind the Kia Cee'd here but in reality the two could be practically interchangeable as they share a lot of the oily bits under their skins.

The Hyundai i30 is a really good, solid and user-friendly family car. It's reliable, spacious, robustly built and comfortable, and it came with plenty of standard equipment from new. Find a good one, and there should be plenty of them out there, and you'd get a practical and usable family car that should also be relatively cheap to run.

"Although so similar to the Kia Cee'd, the i30 has its own distinct character. It feels slightly softer and more comfortable, while its body is more rounded. I prefer the looks to the Cee'd's but both cars would make admirable used buys at this price level." - Oliver Young, used cars reporter

We found: 2015 Hyundai i30 1.2T GDi SE, 77,000 miles, £4995

Strengths

• Spacious, well-built cabin
• Plenty of standard equipment
• Balance of five-year warranty

Weaknesses

• Not much fun to drive
• Inefficient petrol engines
• Too much road noise

This was the car that transformed how we thought of Kia. You see compared with its predecessor, this second-generation Kia Cee’d was so much more stylish inside and out, and more fun to drive. Just as importantly, seeing as this was a car aimed firmly at families, the Cee’d had a boot larger than you’ll find in the contemporary Focus and it's a match for the Golf's.

Nicely made and reliable, a used Cee'd now looks remarkably good value too.

"Guess what, I've run a Kia Cee'd of this generation as a long-term car too. I ran it for a year, and in that time it proved itself to be smooth and comfortable and trouble-free. It even transported me and my family all the way to the south of France and back one very hot summer." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2015 Kia Cee'd 1.4 GDi SR7, 68,500 miles, £4995

Strengths

• Spacious
• Some newer models could have up to seven years of warranty cover
• Well equipped

Weaknesses

• Rivals are better to drive
• Lifeless steering
• Others are more economical

The Volvo V40 remains one of the Swedish firm's most popular models, according to the number of views we get for it on our website. Perhaps that's not surprising - it offers all the traditional qualities we expect from a Volvo but at very reasonable second-hand prices.

It shares a lot in common with our top car here, the contemporary 2011-2018 Ford Focus, but that's not a bad base to start from, and you'll find few clues to the V40's mainstream heritage by simply sitting in it. Indeed, there are plenty of brushed metal trims and soft-touch materials to give it enough quality to edge it ahead of its main competitors, with only the 2013-2020 Audi A3 having a more premium feel.

"No wonder this review is so popular on our website. There must be many faithful owners drawn to the V40's solidity and logical approach who want to hold on to their cars as long as possible. Good for them, I say." - Oliver Young, used cars editor

We found: 2015 Volvo V40 2.0 D2 R-Design, 64,500 miles, £4995

Strengths

• Smart, high-quality interior
• Lots of equipment
• Great safety standards

Weaknesses

• Fiddly infotainment
• Notchy gearshift
• Too much road noise

Like the Skoda Octavia, the previous-gen Seat Leon is a little way off the VW Golf for interior quality, but it's still ahead of most other rivals on this list. What's more, the Leon offers the same great choice of engines as the Golf and even the more premium A3, too. The Leon is also great fun to drive, more so than most alternatives (including those we just mentioned).

How come it fails to finish higher? Well, that's mainly down to space and comfort, because, while the Leon fares well in both of those areas, it's still no match for the mighty Octavia.

"Here's another previous overall winner of our What Car? Used Car of the Year award. At the time, buying a two or three-year-old Leon was exceptional value, and even now, at this price, it's good value. I like its driving experience too." - Oliver Young, used cars reporter

We found: 2014 Seat Leon 1.2 TSI SE Dynamic Tech, 64,500 miles, £4995

Strengths

• Good to drive
• Well equipped
• Cheap to buy and run

Weaknesses

• Firm ride
• Not as refined as some rivals
• Bland interior

The previous-generation Skoda Octavia is a tremendous family car. Sure, its interior lacks the level of class found in one or two of its rivals but the added interior and boot space more than makes up for that.

Also helping make the Octavia’s case is the fact that it gets plenty of equipment (as standard from new) and that it’s delightfully smooth at high speeds, making it a splendid long-distance cruiser. It's a terrific all-round car, one that's comfortable and cost-effective to buy and own.

"I've run an Octavia of this generation as a long-term car and it was not only faultless it was also one of the most complete family cars I've ever driven. If you need the interior and boot space this is the one to choose." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2014 Skoda Octavia 1.4 TSI SE, 59,700 miles, £4495

Strengths

• Smart, spacious and practical interior
• Cheap to buy and run
• Well equipped

Weaknesses

• Not as comfortable as a Golf
• Pricier models best avoided
• Entry-level S trim is a bit basic

We’re huge fans of the seventh-generation VW Golf, but, like the Audi A3, it is a bit more expensive than some of its rivals age-for-age. As a result, for this price, you’ll probably have to put up with a slightly older and/or higher mileage example than some of its rivals here.

Nevertheless, if you can live with that age, you do get some great benefits: a classy interior (that's only second to the A3's), a comfortable ride, sharp handling, a spacious interior and impressive safety standards. Reliability ups and downs over the years so check the condition of the car you're looking at carefully.

"Few cars are as well-rounded as the Golf, hence it's been a popular model for decades now. I love its solid, reassuring feel and the wholesome driving experience. I ran one long-term and loved it." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2014 Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI SE 5dr, 70,000 miles, £4999

Strengths

• Smooth ride
• Enjoyable to drive
• Upmarket interior

Weaknesses

• Not as cheap as some of its rivals
• Could be more spacious
• Reliability only average

This older version of the Audi A3 is one of the finest family cars around. For starters, it's the classiest car in the class with a beautifully designed and built interior, decent amounts of equipment and smart styling. But it's also comfortable, practical, great to drive, and every engine in the range is impressively efficient.

It compares well for interior room with immediate rivals, too, and in this top 10 it only just gives way to the top two by way of it being generally a bit more costly to buy – you can get the price down by opting for an older model or one with more miles on it, of course.

"What a great car, and a previous and deserved winner of our What Car? Used Car of the Year award. I love it. Only the BMW's reliability and the fact the Focus is much newer count against it here." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2014 Audi A3 1.4 TFSI Sport 5dr, 69,900 miles, £5000

Strengths

• Strong engines
• Beautifully finished interior
• Great to drive

Weaknesses

• Not as spacious as the VW Golf in the back
• Firm low-speed ride
• Lower trims sparsely equipped

Low, sleek and blessed with an upmarket interior, this previous generation of the BMW 1 Series was the hatchback of choice for aspiring family buyers for years. It's not quite as spacious and affordable to buy and run as its more functional rivals, but it's got punchy engines, entertaining handling and a fantastic infotainment system. Reliability has proven to be fantastic, too. In our reliability survey last year it achieved a 100% rating.

"This is the rear-wheel-drive 1 Series so you'll find the handling is especially entertaining. Really though it's the fantastic reliability of this car that earns it the runner-up slot here. Friends will like the BMW badge, too." - Oliver Young, used cars reporter

We found: 2014 BMW 1 Series 118i Sport, 69,000 miles, £4990

Strengths

• Strong performance
• Economy in diesel versions
• Class-leading infotainment system
• Terrific reliability

Weaknesses

• Rear room a little tight
• Not as well equipped as some
• Relatively high prices

It's a victory here for the previous-generation Ford Focus. Just like the present model, it's sharp, agile, engaging and fun to drive. If you're a keen driver, this is probably the right family car for you. There's plenty of room inside, too, and top-spec models are well-equipped.

And the driving experience and the practicality aren't the only things going for the Focus, because buying and running costs are very reasonable – aided by decent fuel economy. You can pick up a 2016 model within our budget, which really seals the deal here as that's getting you a much younger car than most of its rivals.

"At this price level, the Focus shines supreme. Its all-round ability and terrific value for money make it immensely appealing. I've driven many of this generation and they are never less than fun to drive. Parts will be freely available too." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found 2016 Ford Focus 1.0 125 Titanium, 65,000 miles, £5000

Strengths

• Class-leading handling
• Lots to choose from
• Well equipped

Weaknesses

• Small boot
• Automatic gearbox reliability
• Button-heavy interior