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Best used 7-seaters

Whether you're planning to carry seven people on a regular basis or just need an occasional third row of seats, there’s plenty of choice on the used car market...

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by
Mark Pearson
Published22 February 2024

These days, if you need a car with seven seats, you have plenty of choices. There are practical MPVs that will easily accommodate a driver and six passengers, and a plethora of more rugged-looking family SUVs that will do the job as well.

Best used 7-seaters

Before deciding which model is best for you, though, it's important to consider whether you'll need a large boot on occasions when all seven seats are in use, whether you'd prefer the raised driving position of an SUV and whether you want something that's not only practical but also good fun to drive.

There's an awful lot to factor in, so here we count down our top 10 used seven-seaters. We think there's something here to cater for all tastes.

And, if you can't wait to find out which car our used car experts have picked out as our favourite here, we can tell you it's the Peugeot 5008. It's chic, practical and affordable. 

Read more: Best new seven-seat cars and SUVs

Strengths

  • Stylish and practical inside
  • Decent ride and handling
  • Flexible seating

Weaknesses

  • Not as well equipped as some rivals
  • Head room limited by panoramic roof
  • Slow-witted infotainment

The seven-seat Peugeot 5008 steals victory here over all the MPVs and even its premium-badged SUV rivals. Why? Well, for starters, it's stylish, practical and good to drive. Those rugged good looks cover an interior that's impressively flexible and will seat seven in comfort. Plus, there's a range of strong engines to choose from, it's well-equipped in all trims and it rides and handles surprisingly well. All in all, it's a great car and good value too.

We found: 2020 Peugeot 5008 1.5 BlueHDi Allure, 42,000 miles, £16,995

Find one for sale here

Our pick: 55 TFSI Quattro S Line 5dr Tiptronic

0-62mph: 5.9 sec
MPG/range: 27.4mpg
CO2 emissions: 233g/km
Seats: 7
Boot: 865 litres
Insurance group: 44E

Strengths

  • Smooth and powerful engines
  • Great ride on air suspension
  • Wonderful build quality

Weaknesses

  • Not as sharp to drive as some rivals
  • Plug-in hybrid loses seven-seat option
  • Expensive to run

The Audi Q7 has won multiple What Car? awards for the very reason that it is an impeccable family car, an excellent long-distance tourer and an outstanding luxury vehicle. Few cars this side of £100,000 have a plusher and quieter interior. It's reliable, too. Plus, if you buy a car made before 2019 you’ll get a much easier-to-operate infotainment system than the one found in later models.

We found: 2018 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI S line, 68,000 miles, £24,500

Find one for sale here

Strengths

  • Huge interior
  • Excellent visibility
  • Well equipped

Weaknesses

  • Ride could be more composed
  • Touchscreen not as good as some

Fancy an MPV with a little panache? The Citroën Grand C4 SpaceTourer is well-equipped, stylish and one of the most comfortable MPVs around. It's blessed with versatile seating for seven, and you get a huge boot when the third row is folded into the floor. The engine range is strong and fuel-efficient, plus it rides and handles well for a car of this size. Refinement is good, too, making long trips with the family just that bit more bearable. 

We found: 2021 Citroën Grand C4 SpaceTourer 1.6 BlueHDi 120 Flair, 45,000 miles, £18,000

Find one for sale here

Our pick: 2.0 B5P [250] Core 5dr AWD Geartronic

0-62mph: 7.7 sec
MPG/range: 32.4mpg
CO2 emissions: 197g/km
Seats: 7
Boot: 302 litres
Insurance group: 37E

Strengths

  • Classy interior
  • Seven-seat versatility
  • Well equipped

Weaknesses

  • Ride slightly unsettled
  • Road and suspension noise
  • Reliability average

The Volvo XC90 is a luxury SUV that’s practical, comes with loads of safety technology and has an interior that looks and feels wonderfully opulent. It's comfortable, too, and spacious, with plenty of room for seven. It doesn’t matter all that much which version you go for, because all of the trim levels are very well equipped. And you can pick up an early 2015 or 2016 car for less than half the price of a new one. 

We found: 2018 Volvo XC90 D5 Momentum Pro, 63,000 miles, £25,000

Find one for sale here

 

 

Our pick: 1.5 TSI SE L Executive 5dr DSG [7 Seat]

0-62mph: 9.8 sec
MPG/range: 39.2mpg
CO2 emissions: 164g/km
Seats: 7
Boot: 270 litres
Insurance group: 21E

Strengths

  • Classy and spacious interior
  • Smooth 2.0 diesel engine
  • Good value for money

Weaknesses

  • Unsettled low-speed ride
  • Kia Sorento is more practical

A consummate all-rounder like this seven-seat Kodiaq may not stand out from the crowd, especially when compared with the distinctive Peugeot 5008, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't put one on your driveway. It's a classy and highly capable car that's good to drive and comfortable to ride in. Buy one used and you can make big savings, which only adds to the appeal of this likeable and practical Skoda. 

We found: 2020 Skoda Kodiaq 2.0 TSI SE L DSG (7 Seat), 38,000 miles, £18,999

Find one for sale here

 

 

Strengths

  • Practical interior
  • Good to drive
  • Plenty of neat options

Weaknesses

  • Automatic emergency braking isn't standard
  • Infotainment system poor

The Ford Galaxy is, quite simply, enormous. Inside, you'll find seating for seven adults and even a bit of space left over for your luggage. On top of all that, it's good to drive and comfortable, too. Powershift automatics can be troublesome and need frequent fluid changes, so check the history for evidence of this, and avoid ex-taxis, which will have huge mileages. On the whole, though, find a good one and this is one great all-rounder and a deeply impressive seven-seater.

We found: 2019 Ford Galaxy 2.0TDCi 150 Zetec, 70,000 miles, £17,000

Find one for sale here

Strengths

  • Comfortable ride
  • Flexible 1.2-litre petrol engine
  • Hugely practical

Weaknesses

  • Fiddly infotainment
  • Some useful storage solution weren't standard
  • Mainstream MPV rivals are nicer to drive

The Berlingo majors on interior space, and lots of it. Go for the XL version with seven seats, and nobody will feel short-changed when it comes to stretching out. It's been around in various forms over the years and they’ve all been square, spacious and fairly inexpensive to buy and run. This current version continues that legacy but feels more car-like, slightly more refined and, dare one say it, more upmarket too. 

We found: 2021 Citroën Berlingo XL 1.5 BlueHDi 100 Feel, 25,000 miles, £15,000 

Find one for sale here

Strengths

  • Spacious interior
  • Versatile seating
  • Satisfying to drive

Weaknesses

  • Some rivals are cheaper
  • Mixed reliability record for Volkswagen
  • Others beat it for economy

There isn’t much to dislike about the versatile seven-seat VW Touran dynamically. It's really good to drive, for starters. It's a spacious, refined and classy all-rounder, with an elegant and practical interior. For a start, the second row is made up of three individual seats, making it possible to carry three child seats side by side, and these chairs all slide and fold independently of one another. With the third row stowed away, the boot is huge, too. Only a mixed reliability record stops it from finishing even higher here. 

We found: 2020 Volkswagen Touran 1.6 TDI SE Family, 36,000 miles, £16,495

Find one for sale here

Strengths

  • Tidy handling
  • Comfortable ride
  • Standard Zetec trim well equipped

Weaknesses

  • Third row seats best for children, not adults
  • Interior quality could be better
  • Thirsty petrol engine

It’s no secret that we’ve always been big fans of the lively Ford S-Max. It looks great, for a start, and underneath that sporty-looking surface you'll find a people carrier that’s enormously enjoyable to drive. And while you can’t fit quite as much into it as its sister car, the larger Ford Galaxy, there’s still more than enough room for seven people. As with the Galaxy, ex-taxis are to be avoided.

We found: 2020 Ford S-Max 2.0 TDCi Zetec, 45,000 miles, £17,995

Find one for sale here

Our pick: 1.6 TGDi Hybrid Premium 5dr Auto

0-62mph: 8.9 sec
MPG/range: 44.1mpg
CO2 emissions: 145g/km
Seats: 7
Boot: 571 litres
Insurance group: 22E

Strengths

  • Huge boot
  • Seven-seat practicality
  • Well equipped

Weaknesses

  • Jiggly ride
  • Heavy-ish steering
  • Interior quality iffy in places

The Hyundai Santa Fe is large, practical and excellent value, and it's a really decent alternative to its premium-badged rivals. Its interior space is the show's real star, with plenty of space up front and a positively huge amount in the middle and third-row seats, as well as the potential for a mammoth boot if you fold all of those rear seats down. A facelift in 2021 brought a new grille and minor improvements, including hybrid engine options. Reliability is strong, too.

We found: 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi Premium SE, 45,000 miles, £18,450

Find one for sale here

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