Used Car of the Year Awards: Family SUVs
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 family SUVs...
Hyundai Tucson
Price from £13,000 Our pick 1.6 T-GDi 230 Hybrid Premium
The Hyundai Tucson is concrete proof of things getting better with age. Across more than two decades and four generations (including the badged-for-Europe ix35), Hyundai’s family SUV has improved to the extent that the latest version is one of the best in its class.
Perhaps the biggest indicators of how far the Tucson has come are its interior quality and the amount of tech fitted as standard. There’s a good balance of physical and touch-sensitive controls and a crisp, responsive 12.3in infotainment touchscreen. The Tucson feels much more sophisticated inside than the equivalent Citroën C5 Aircross.
There’s no shortage of equipment in any version, with dual-zone climate control and cruise control fitted across the range. That said, it’s worth sniffing out a car in Premium trim, because for a small amount of extra cash, you’ll get a lot, including adaptive cruise control, an eight-speaker Krell premium sound system and additional safety features.
The Tucson is offered with petrol, hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) power options. Our pick – the 227bhp hybrid – offers punchy performance and can run for short periods on electric power alone, with no need to plug it in to recharge its battery. This helps it to record official fuel economy of nearly 50mpg. The pricier PHEV has an official electric range of only 38 miles – well down on the best rivals.
The ride can be fidgety and the Tucson doesn’t deal with potholes as well as the Kia Sportage does. But there’s no doubting the comfort afforded by its spacious interior; there’s more than enough room for four six-footers. They won’t need to pack light, either, because the Tucson’s boot is one of the largest in the class.
As a used buy, the Tucson is cheaper than a Sportage or Volvo XC40 of the same age. If your budget can stretch to it, it was further improved in 2024 with a refreshed interior, but you’ll need at least £23k for one that recent.
When new, the Tucson had a five-year transferable warranty (versus three years for the BMW X1 and C5 Aircross), so even the earliest examples of this generation will still be covered for a while. Moreover, the Tucson earned a reassuring 94.3% rating in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey.
Also consider...
Best for value
Citroën C5 Aircross (2019-present)
Price from £9000 Our pick 1.2 Puretech 130 Flair
You're not supposed to have a favourite child, but we have no shame in admitting that the Citroën C5 Aircross is our budget-friendly pick of the vast Stellantis Group’s family SUV offspring – and indeed the class as a whole.
It scores well for costs not just because it’s cheaper to buy than the Tucson, but also because all models are still well equipped. Our favourite mid-spec Flair trim brings sat-nav, a height-adjustable boot floor and a rear parking camera. The quality of the materials used inside isn’t a match for the Tucson’s, though.
While its seats are plush and the soft suspension is good at soaking up bumps, the C5 Aircross is more wallowy than the Tucson along uneven roads. Diesels and plug-in hybrids are available, but the 128bhp 1.2-litre petrol engine is the best bet, because it’s smooth and economical, plus it pulls well from low revs.
Reliability has been mixed over the years, but the C5 Aircross put in a better showing in our 2025 survey, with a 93.4% rating
Read our full used Citroen C5 Aircross review >>
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Best interior
Volvo XC40 (2018-present)
Price from £15,000 Our pick T3 R-Design
Volvo has long had a reputation for safety, but the Swedish brand is now just as well known for making temptingly upmarket cars. Yet, as the XC40 proves, it needn’t cost a king’s ransom to live like royalty.
You’ll pay a little more than for a Tucson, but less than a BMW X1 or Volkswagen Tiguan. And for that outlay, you’ll enjoy a higher-quality interior than the Tucson’s (and those of premium rivals), with top-notch materials and an elegant design. True, the infotainment system is fiddly, but there’s plenty of space inside, while the boot is a practical, square shape, albeit not as capacious as the Tucson’s.
Mid-rung R-Design trim includes leather seats and sports suspension that gives a more composed ride than the regular set-up. The entry-level T3 petrol engine – 1.5 or 2.0 litres in size, depending on age – offers a fair blend of punch and efficiency.
Read our full used Volvo XC40 review >>
Find a used Volvo XC40 for sale >>
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