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Real MPG: most economical estate cars
What Car?'s Real MPG tests show what fuel economy you can really expect from a car. Here, we reveal the best and worst performing estate cars we've ever tested
Alasdair Rodden
Updated: 1 March 2024
Despite the popularity of SUVs, estate cars remain a smart choice for people seeking a practical family load-lugger. This role means estate cars often clock up big miles, making fuel economy an important consideration for buyers.
Unfortunately, the official WLTP economy figures quoted by manufacturers don’t always reflect what you can expect in the real world. That’s why we conduct our unique Real MPG tests – to provide a more accurate picture of the fuel economy your car can really achieve.
Diesel power has traditionally been the top pick for the budget-conscious estate car driver. However, it might surprise you to know that four of the 10 most economical estate cars on this list are fitted with petrol engines – and a further two are hybrids. So, read on to find out which estate cars should cost you the least to run, and which performed the worst in our tests.
How we test for a car's Real MPG
Our Real MPG tests are carried out at a rolling road under laboratory conditions. That means that variables such as weather or traffic conditions don't affect our results – making them repeatable – however, the route the cars take is based on one in the real world.
Every test car is weighed and has its tyre pressures checked, plus we fit an exhaust connection to allow the car's emissions to be measured. The car's internal climate is set to 21 degrees or, if it has manual air conditioning, the temperature is set to its midway point, and the fan speed to its lowest setting. We turn off the headlights and any other electrical equipment, such as heated seats or the stereo.
In the test, we sample each car's tailpipe emissions every second. The Real MPG scores you see in this story are calculated from an average of those results.
Find out more about how we test for Real MPG >>
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Used Skoda Superb Estate 2015-2024
Strengths
- Class-leading space, both for passengers and luggage
- High-quality interior with good use of materials
- Excellent value used, especially compared with its main rivals
Weaknesses
- Diesels sound a bit gruff
- Some rivals are more fun to drive
- 2.0-litre petrols are quick, but rather thirsty
Real MPG Average 54.8mpg | Town 45.8mpg | Motorway 49.5mpg | Rural 70.4mpg
Not only does the Skoda Superb Estate promise to carry everything you could ever want to take with you, but provides comfort while doing so. The 2.0-litre diesel engine you get here was tweaked as part of a 2018 facelift, which made the Superb even more efficient (the pre-facelift version managed 49.8mpg). In fact, the winning Superb performed so well in our real-world testing that it actually exceeded the combined WLTP figure by 6%.
Read our full Skoda Superb Estate (2015-2024) review
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Used Skoda Octavia Estate 2020-present
Strengths
- Comfortable
- Incredibly spacious
- Plenty of kit and great value
Weaknesses
- Floaty handling
- Touchscreen can be fiddly
- Concerning reliability record
Real MPG Average 51.5mpg | Town 39.1mpg | Motorway 48.6mpg | Rural 66.6mpg
If you want a car that's spacious, won't cost a lot to buy and little more than pennies to run, then the Skoda Octavia Estate should be on your shortlist. It's ruthlessly efficient if you get it with a 2.0-litre diesel engine; just make sure that you'll be covering enough miles each year to justify the extra upfront cost of a car that drinks from the black pump. If you do, then you'll enjoy punchy performance and phenomenal low-end pulling power.
Read our full Skoda Octavia Estate (2020-present) review
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Suzuki Swace
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Low CO2 emissions
- Comfortable ride
- Cheaper than equivalent Corolla
Weaknesses
- Can be rather noisy when pushed
- So-so warranty compared with the Corolla
- Limited choice of engines and trims
Real MPG Average 50.3mpg | Town 86.6mpg | Motorway 38.4mpg | Rural 58.4mpg
Being a hybrid, the Suzuki Swace puts low running costs at the heart of its agenda. You can only get the Swace with the 1.8-litre hybrid engine we tested, but that’s no bad thing – it's especially efficient and, although it won't help you set any speed records, it offers adequate performance for most situations. We also like that the Swace comes with lots of standard kit, and that it’s more affordable than the closely-related Toyota Corolla Touring Sports like-for-like.
Read our full Suzuki Swace review
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Toyota Corolla Touring Sports
Best buy: 1.8 VVT-h Icon Touring Sports CVT Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr
0-62 mph: 9.4 sec
MPG/range: 64.2 mpg
C02 emissions: 100 g/km
Seats: 5
Boot: 596 litres
Insurance group: 17E
Reliability
Safety
Costs
Quality
Performance
Strengths
- Impressively low CO2 emissions on hybrids
- Comfortable ride
- Great reliability record
Weaknesses
- More wind and road noise than in rivals
- So-so infotainment system
- Digital driver's display could be easier to use
Real MPG Average 49.4mpg | Town 68.1mpg | Motorway 39.8mpg | Rural 57.0mpg
Speaking of the Corolla Touring Sports, it was (unsurprisingly) closely matched to its Suzuki-badged twin in our tests. However, there’s more to this than meets the eye. The Corolla was fitted with a much more powerful 2.0-litre engine – which you can’t get in the Swace – and still proved nearly as economical. And the Corolla is no one-trick pony; its blend of efficiency, practicality, comfort and reliability makes it the best new estate car you can buy. Plus, unlike the Swace's three-year/60,000 warranty, the Toyota can be extended to 10 years/100,000 miles if it has its annual service at a Toyota dealership.
Read our full Toyota Corolla Touring Sports review
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Best price from £32,155
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The What Car? best price shows you the cheapest way to buy your new car, whether it's by choosing an in-stock car through our partner Autotrader or placing a factory order.
Available now from: £36,700
RRP from: £32,155
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From £22,497
Leasing deals
From £297
About our price indicator
What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)
Toyota Corolla Touring Sports
Expected annual mileage 5000 Term months 48 Deposit months 12 Monthly payment £297.16 Initial payment £3,565.92
Step-by-step
Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.
- Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
- Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
- Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end
What you get
When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:
- Full manufacturer’s warranty
- Road tax and roadside assistance included
- Free returns within 30 days*
Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply. Subject to availability and credit status. 18+ T&Cs apply.
In partnership with
£3,811 total upfront (£3,566 initial rental plus £245 processing fee) | 5000 miles | 48 months
- Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
- No balloon payments
- Road tax included
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Used Dacia Logan MCV 2013-2020 review
Strengths
- Spacious interior
- Large boot
- Compellingly inexpensive to buy and run
Weaknesses
- Low quality interior
- Poor handling
- Examples are sparse
Real MPG Average 47.7mpg | Town 38.1mpg | Motorway 43.5mpg | Rural 62.4mpg
Dacia has formed a handy niche for itself over the years, offering a lot of car for not a lot of money. The Logan deepens that practical appeal with plenty of space for your family and luggage at a price that'll leave you smiling. The 0.9-litre petrol engine you get with this version offers flexible performance given its size and, as our results show, is pretty fuel-efficient. There are quite a few used Logans out there, although examples of this more rugged Stepway variant are harder to come by.
Read our full Dacia Logan MCV (2013-2020) review
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Used Skoda Fabia Estate 2015-2021 review
Strengths
- Super spacious
- Economical engines
- Good to drive
Weaknesses
- Hard interior plastics
- Low speed ride could be better
- Used examples are notably outnumbered by the standard hatch
Real MPG Average 46.6mpg | Town 35.2mpg | Motorway 44.0mpg | Rural 60.5mpg
The Skoda Fabia might be best known as an efficient and practical small car, but the previous-generation version is also available as an even more spacious estate. We put two turbocharged petrol versions of the Fabia Estate – a 1.2 TSI 90 and a more powerful 1.0 TSI 95 – through our Real MPG test, and it’s the 1.2-litre option that came out on top. Despite being the less powerful of the two, it offers all the performance you need.
Read our full Skoda Fabia Estate (2015-2021) review
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Used Volkswagen Golf Estate 2020-present
Strengths
- Large and practical boot
- Comfortable ride
- Good choice of efficient engines
Weaknesses
- Poor reliability record, especially for diesel models
- Fiddly infotainment system
- Rear leg room could be better
Real MPG Average 45.0mpg | Town 36.1mpg | Motorway 41.3mpg | Rural 58.2mpg
You can no longer buy this 1.0-litre version of the VW Golf Estate new, but it’s worth considering a used one if you’re after a big, petrol-powered estate car that won’t cost the earth to run. The Golf is almost as comfortable on the move as a Skoda Octavia Estate (or even comfier if you find one with the optional adaptive suspension), and comes well-equipped as standard. The infotainment system is confusing and fiddly, though.
Read our full Volkswagen Golf Estate (2020-present) review
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New BMW 5 Series Touring
Best buy: 2.0 530e 22.1kWh M Sport Pro Touring Steptronic Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr
0-62 mph: 6.4 sec
MPG/range: 113 mpg
C02 emissions: 57 g/km
Seats: 5
Boot: 570 litres
Insurance group: 40E
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Composed handling
- Class-leading infotainment
- Boot space remains big in PHEV versions
Weaknesses
- Adaptive suspension limited to pricier version
- You’ll want to add some options
Real MPG Average 44.9mpg | Town 33.4mpg | Motorway 42.4mpg | Rural 59.5mpg
The BMW 5 Series Touring is one of our favourite estate cars, and the 520d is the best version in the range. As well as being impressively fuel-efficient, it’s reasonably quiet at speed and offers punchy performance. No matter which version you buy, the 5 Series Touring is brilliant to drive, and its roomy interior means occupants get to enjoy the class-leading fit and finish without feeling cramped.
Read our full BMW 5 Series Touring review
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Best price from £48,790
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The What Car? best price shows you the cheapest way to buy your new car, whether it's by choosing an in-stock car through our partner Autotrader or placing a factory order.
Available now from: £48,790
RRP from: £55,395
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Seat Leon Estate
Best buy: 1.5 eTSI MHEV SE Dynamic DSG Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr
0-62 mph: 10.7 sec
MPG/range: 52.3 mpg
C02 emissions: 122 g/km
Seats: 5
Boot: 620 litres
Insurance group: 14E
Reliability
Safety
Costs
Quality
Performance
Strengths
- Sharp, composed handling
- Big boot and roomy rear seats
- Well priced
Weaknesses
- Not quite as capacious as Skoda Octavia Estate
- Seat’s concerning reliability record
- Rivals contain road noise better
Real MPG Average 43.7mpg | Town 33.9mpg | Motorway 40.9mpg | Rural 56.4mpg
As you might expect from a close relative of both the Skoda Octavia Estate and Volkswagen Golf Estate, this long Leon has a big boot and a solidly-built interior. However, the Leon Estate has the distinction of being considerably more fun to drive than its siblings – especially in sporty FR trim, which adds stiffer, sports suspension. And, driven sensibly, even this 1.5-litre petrol version should be able to return more than 40mpg on longer journeys.
Read our full Seat Leon Estate review
New car deals
Best price from £27,550
What is What Car? best price?
The What Car? best price shows you the cheapest way to buy your new car, whether it's by choosing an in-stock car through our partner Autotrader or placing a factory order.
Available now from: £28,995
RRP from: £27,550
Nearly new deals
From £19,990
Leasing deals
From £261
About our price indicator
What Car? indicative Personal lease example (subject to status)
Seat Leon Estate
Expected annual mileage 5000 Term months 48 Deposit months 12 Monthly payment £261.30 Initial payment £3,135.60
Step-by-step
Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.
- Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
- Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
- Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end
What you get
When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:
- Full manufacturer’s warranty
- Road tax and roadside assistance included
- Free returns within 30 days*
Excess mileage charges and return conditions apply. Subject to availability and credit status. 18+ T&Cs apply.
In partnership with
£3,381 total upfront (£3,136 initial rental plus £245 processing fee) | 5000 miles | 48 months
- Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
- No balloon payments
- Road tax included
Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake
Driving
Interior
Practicality
Buying & Owning
Strengths
- Generally comfortable ride
- Well equipped
- Strong engine range
Weaknesses
- Sleeker looks don’t translate into a sharper drive
- Premium rivals are smarter inside
- Relatively steep depreciation
Real MPG Average 43.2mpg | Town 39.3mpg | Motorway 39.3mpg | Rural 55.8mpg
Don’t let the Arteon Shooting Brake’s stylish looks fool you; it’s still a pretty practical estate car, and one which should prove fairly affordable to run if you get it with the 2.0-litre diesel engine. Despite the sloping roofline, there’s enough head room in the rear, and the Arteon has a bigger boot than a BMW 5 Series Touring. However, unless you’re able to snap up a bargain through our New Car Deals service, the Arteon Shooting Brake can cost as much as better-rounded premium rivals such as the BMW 3 Series Touring.
Read our full Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake review
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Best price from £33,665
What is What Car? best price?
The What Car? best price shows you the cheapest way to buy your new car, whether it's by choosing an in-stock car through our partner Autotrader or placing a factory order.
RRP from: £33,665
Nearly new deals
From £9,600
And the least economical estate cars...
Volkswagen Golf R Estate
Real MPG Average 32.1mpg | Town 22.6mpg | Motorway 31.5mpg | Rural 41.8mpg The Golf R Estate is even better to drive than the hot hatch on which it’s based, but its thirst could make for a costly commute.
Read our review
Subaru Outback 2.5i
Real MPG Average 31.8mpg | Town 21.8mpg | Motorway 31.4mpg | Rural 42.4mpg If you plan on regularly venturing off-road, the Subaru Outback can take you farther into the wilderness than many rivals. Sadly, if you'll be staying on Tarmac, it's not a very fuel-efficient choice.
Read our review
BMW 3 Series M340i
Real MPG Average 28.0mpg | Town 17.8mpg | Motorway 28.9mpg | Rural 37.8mpg This go-faster version of the BMW 3 Series Touring takes the title as the least fuel-efficient estate car we've ever tested, and by some margin. However, while its thirst may spell bad news for your wallet, there are still plenty of reasons to love the M340i.
Read our review
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