Best used family SUVs for less than £20,000

Buying a used family SUV needn’t cost you the earth. In fact, you can buy examples often only a year or two old for less than £20,000, and these highly practical cars now make a huge amount of financial sense as a secondhand purchase.

Most of these SUVs have the raised-up driving position and chunky looks that buyers love, as well as large boots and flexible interiors. However, there are so many to choose from that finding the right car for you can be bewildering.

That’s where we come in. Here, we’ve rounded up our 10 favourite family-sized SUVs for less than £20,000.

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The Nissan Qashqai was a trendsetter when it arrived and it continues to be a very popular choice. This recently updated third-generation car is quiet, comfortable and economical. The driving experience leaves room for improvement, as does its questionable reliability in its previous versions (see our latest What Car? Reliability Survey), but it remains a sensible, compelling and great value choice.

We found 2022 Nissan Qashqai 1.3 DiG-T Acenta Premium, 17,000 miles, £18,495

Strengths

• Lots of safety kit
• Good quality interior
• Great driving position

Weaknesses

• So-so performance
• Some rivals are more fun to drive
• Lacks the seating flexibility of many rivals

The previous-generation version of the Kia Sportage in mid-spec ‘2’ trim has sat-nav, rear parking sensors, heated front seats, power-folding door mirrors, climate control, auto lights and wipers, and privacy glass. You'll also be getting one of the most dependable family SUVs available – as shown by our latest What Car? Reliability Survey – and it came with a seven-year warranty new, so there should be plenty of cover left.

We found 2022 Kia Sportage 1.6 GDi 2, 14,000 miles, £18,795

Strengths

• Spacious and practical interior
• Good value for money used
• Neat steering

Weaknesses

• Diesel engine can be noisy
• So-so ride and handling
• No automatic emergency braking on some models

If interior space is high on your list of priorities, take a look at the Hyundai Tucson. Four tall adults will have plenty of room and the boot is cavernous. Interior quality impresses, too. This dramatic-looking new version of the Tucson can now be had easily within our budget, too. It's also comfortable, spacious and practical, and its reliability record is particularly strong. It's also much better to drive than its predecessors.

We found 2022 Hyundai Tucson 1.6 GDi SE Connect, 30,000 miles, £18,850

Strengths

• Frugal hybrid
• Well-made interior
• Practical and spacious
• Confidence-inspiring reliability

Weaknesses

• Ride can be fidgety
• No sliding rear seats
• Not as much fun to drive as one or two rivals

The stylish Peugeot 3008 is great to drive and comfortable to ride in and very nice to look at. The interior is a little different from most, too, with that small steering wheel and a relatively high seating position. It's practical, smart and good value. Only a distinctly average showing in our latest What Car? Reliability Survey relegates it down our list.

We found 2022 Peugeot 3008 1.2 PureTech 130 Allure, 18,000 miles, £18,755

Strengths

• Upmarket interior
• Standard safety kit
• Practicality

Weaknesses

• Vague controls
• Popular, so can be pricier than other used rivals
• Slow infotainment system
• Reliability a bit mixed

The Volkswagen Tiguan has regularly been one of the most popular family SUVs around. This second-generation version is beautifully made and finished, and is also a solid performer, especially if you go for the torquey 2.0-litre that has no trouble carrying a car-load of people around (or towing a caravan). It's also refined, practical and spacious.

We found: 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan 1.5 TSI 130 Match, 40,000 miles, £18,500

Strengths

• Good to drive
• Refinement
• Smart interior

Weaknesses

• Rearmost seats in the Allspace model are very tight
• Handsome, but not very exciting to look at
• Reliability average

Car buyers do like a premium brand, and they don’t come much more blue-chip than BMW. The BMW X1 is great to drive, comes with bags of room inside and has a quality interior that features the excellent iDrive infotainment system. It's well equipped, too, and our most recent What Car? Reliability Survey found the petrol-engined versions to be one of the most reliable family SUVs available.

We found 2021 BMW X1 2.0 18d sDrive, 25,000 miles, £19,899

Strengths

• Good to drive
• High-quality interior
• Spacious and practical

Weaknesses

• Lots of road noise
• Fairly pricey

The Volvo XC40 mixes style, space and comfort with cutting-edge safety. It's a highly desirable used choice, a car that oozes style both inside and out. It's a smooth and hushed performer, too, with a low level of wind and road noise, helping to make the interior a noticeably refined place in which to spend time. When it comes to interior quality, the XC40 is exceptionally classy. All the surfaces feel suitably upmarket, thanks to plush, soft-faced materials, and everything feels robust, too.

We found: 2021 Volvo XC40 D3 Momentum, 22,000 miles, £19,995

Strengths

• Stylish interior
• Comprehensive safety kit
• Supple ride on most versions

Weaknesses

• Fiddly infotainment
• Lacks flexible rear-seat arrangement
• Some reliability reports were a little mixed

Another great family SUV, the Seat Ateca is one of the very best of its kind to drive – feeling sure-footed on a challenging B-road, nimble on city streets and refined on a motorway. It’s also backed up by a cracking range of engines. Practicality is still a top priority: the doors open wide to make putting a child car seat in easier, the boot is big and the interior is spacious.

We found 2022 Seat Ateca 1.5 TSI 150 SE, 24,000 miles, £18,950

Strengths

• Spacious interior
• Class-leading handling
• Boot space pips rivals
• Good value used

Weaknesses

• Some rivals offer more flexible seating
• Interior isn’t that plush
• One or two are more economical

The Skoda Karoq just edges out its broadly similar sibling the Seat Ateca. It's extremely practical (even more so than the Ateca), plus it drives well and is excellent value for money. The ride is cosseting, and it's decently refined in town and on a motorway. The Karoq’s greatest asset, though, is its interior, which is flexible, smart and beautifully built, with loads of space for all your passengers.

We found 2022 Skoda Karoq 1.6 TDI SE Technology, 21,000 miles, £19,995

Strengths

• Spacious and practical interior
• Comfortable ride
• Punchy engines

Weaknesses

• A little bland to drive
• Not as efficient as some
• VarioFlex seats optional on some models

Our top pick here, the Mazda CX-5, is a terrific all-rounder. If you’re after a used SUV to transport your family around in it’s almost unbeatable, being good to drive, decently practical and, above all, superb value for money. Enthusiastic drivers will love it for its surprisingly agile handling, and families will love it for its practical, spacious and exceptionally high-quality interior. The CX-5 is also handsomely equipped and exceptionally well screwed together, with a good reliability record.

We found: 2022 Mazda CX-5 2.0 SE-L Nav, 28,000 miles, £19,495

Strengths

• Premium inside
• Good handling
• Well equipped

Weaknesses

• Firm ride
• Steering could be better
• Lacklustre engines