Used Car of the Year Awards: Estate cars
With living costs on the rise, getting a good deal on your next car is more important than ever. That's where our Used Car Awards come in. These are our favourite estate cars...
Mercedes E-Class Estate
Price from £13,000 Our pick E220d SE
"Space," noted the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is.”
Well, so is the boot in the previous-generation Mercedes E-Class Estate. In fact, with a capacity of 640 litres with the rear seatbacks up, its load bay dwarfs those of the Audi A6 Avant and BMW 5 Series Touring, making the big Benz even more useful than a towel to an intergalactic traveller. And with a low sill height and a long, flat floor with the rear seatbacks folded down, loading or unloading bulky items is easier than it would be in most family SUVs.
The E-Class Estate’s credentials as a family car are further bolstered by the spaciousness of the rest of the interior. Four tall adults will have plenty of head and leg room to spare, and their surroundings are much more luxurious than the inside of a Vogon spaceship. That said, the interior – while eye-catching and generously equipped – doesn’t feel as solid in places as those of the A6 Avant and 5 Series Touring.
The choice of engines is wide, but our pick is the gutsy 2.0-litre diesel in the E220d. It suits the E-Class well, and its fine fuel efficiency helps to keep running costs down.
But while it isn’t as rewarding to drive as the 5 Series Touring, the E-Class Estate still handles in a very tidy manner. What’s more, all versions have a smooth ride, especially those rare examples with full air suspension. On its standard adaptive set-up, the E220d is at its comfiest if you stick with SE trim, which has smaller wheels than AMG Line examples. Add in low noise levels and the E-Class makes a fabulously relaxing long-distance cruiser.
With a more sophisticated feel than the other contenders in this class, the E-Class Estate offers incredible value for money when you consider that early examples can be had for as little as £13k. However, we’d look for a post- facelift car for about £21k; this version got a hefty tech upgrade inside. You can be confident about reliability, too; this E-Class had a 97.3% rating in the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey.
The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything, then, might not be 42. It could well be the E-Class Estate.
Best for running costs
Toyota Corolla Touring Sports (2019-present)
Price from £12,000 Our pick 1.8 Hybrid Icon
There are plenty of people who are sceptical about the switch to electrified cars, but whatever your take, the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports shows that they can definitely bring cost-saving benefits. With its smooth hybrid set-up, it delivers even better fuel economy than our other contenders here, as well as punchy performance.
Although the Corolla isn’t as luxurious inside as the E-Class Estate and can’t carry such big loads, it’s well equipped and its boot is still large and practical. A smooth ride, a strong reliability record and a class-leading warranty are other sound reasons for choosing one. The sweet spot between age and price is a 2021 example for around £14,000, removing one of the main concerns about electrified cars: the high purchase price.
Read our full used Toyota Corolla Sports Touring review >>
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Best for value
Skoda Octavia Estate (2013-2020)
Prices from £4000 Our pick 1.5 TSI SE
Words like 'practical' and ‘well priced’ can be applied to most Skoda models, new or used, but none more so than the Octavia Estate. In its 2013-2020 iteration, this family-friendly load-lugger has nearly as much boot space as the E-Class Estate, yet it’s available for less than a third of the price. True, it’s nowhere near as comfortable or plush inside as its more upmarket classmate, but there’s plenty of room for tall occupants as well as cargo. What’s more, it’s well equipped and offers a good choice of petrol and diesel engines.
As part of a facelift in 2018, the old 1.4-litre petrol engine was replaced by a gutsy yet efficient 1.5. We’d be tempted to up our budget to around £9000 to pick up a 2019 example with this power option. As a bonus, safety was enhanced in the same facelift.
This iteration of the Octavia didn’t feature in the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey, but it headed the family car class in last year’s. It’s a budget-priced car you can buy with confidence.
Read our full used Skoda Octavia Estate review >>
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