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Car of the Year Awards 2026: Best electric estate car

While estates lack the fashionable status of SUVs, they’re more practical. But an estate also needs to be a pleasure to spend time in, and easy to live with beyond the simple virtue of space
Best electric estate car

Volkswagen ID 7 Tourer 77kWh Pro Match Plus

Volkswagen ID 7 Tourer rear driving

Practically minded sci-fi fans rejoice; the ID 7 Tourer is basically a Volkswagen Passat as envisioned through the lens of Blade Runner. It’s everything you might expect a high-tech electric descendant of the Passat (and its Skoda Superb twin) to be, and it’s our pick of the electric estates.

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Our favourite 77kWh Pro Match Plus version is a lot less expensive to buy than the equivalent Audi A6 Avant e-tron and BMW i5 Touring, and with an official range of 372 miles, it can travel for usefully longer distances between charges than those cars. Yes, the i5 is more fun to drive, but the ID 7 is no chore; it’s composed and reassuring through corners, with accurate steering and plenty of grip. Nor is it sluggish, with the 0-62mph sprint over in 6.6sec. What’s more, it’s extremely quiet at motorway speeds, with little wind or road noise.

Lawrence Cheung driving VW ID 7 Tourer GTX

The ID 7 Tourer channels the Passat when it comes to practicality, with room for four tall adults to travel in comfort, and its 605-litre boot is usefully bigger than those of the A6 Avant e-tron and i5 Touring.

Unless you’re a company car driver, the Superb Estate is a much cheaper option, but if you’d rather go electric, the ID 7 Tourer is the future.

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See all of our Car of the Year 2026 winners >>

Category winners

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Small Car of the Year

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Small Electric Car of the Year

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Small SUV of the Year

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Small Electric SUV of the Year

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Family Car of the Year

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Family SUV of the Year

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Family Electric SUV of the Year

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Premium SUV

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Premium Electric SUV of the Year

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Plug-in Hybrid of the Year

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Executive Car of the Year

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Luxury Car of the Year

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Estate Car of the Year

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MPV of the Year

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7-seat SUV of the Year

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Coupe Car of the Year

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Convertible Car of the Year

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Performance Car of the Year

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Sports Car of the Year

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