Everyone buys SUVs now, so congratulations if you prefer an estate or hatchback. May we commend your original thinking. For the rest of you, we get it. A raised ride height and chunky styling gives off a sense of both safety for passengers and impressive road presence, which is a winning combination. SUVs come in all sizes now, from mammoth seven-seaters to dinky city runabouts, and can be powered by petrol, diesel, electricity or a hybrid solution.
Here's our pick of the (massive) bunch.
Skoda Enyaq
Incredible value for money. And not just because of the umbrellas in the doors and ice scraper in the fuel filler cap, or even the decent range. No. It's because the price of this all-electric family SUV is what you'd expect to pay for a petrol version, against a backdrop of a usually substantial price differential between EVs and their petrol twins. Choose the eco suite interior for an even lower carbon footprint and some groovy tan leather.
Read the full review or find a Skoda Enyaq on Auto Trader | Lease a Skoda Enyaq
Range Rover
If it's luxury you're after, and you have the commensurate six-figure budget look no further. It remains peerless in its class, with legendary off-roading capability and equally unrivalled on-road comfort, from the air suspension to the creamiest, softest leather. Beautiful floating touch-screen, reclining seats in the rear, massive glass roof ... need we go on?
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Volvo XC90
The family seven-seater of choice. Pricey, but few other cars can match the useable boot space with the third row up that Volvo offers. Wool and unvarnished wood lend an eco air, and the brand's reputation for safety is showcased multiple times in this secure, comfortable environment. A joy in which to travel long distances with the kids, and you can't often say that...
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Volkswagen T-Cross
Small package in a sharp, funky urban suit, with a super cool rear end. Great bold colours to choose from and it feels, like many Volkswagens still do, like a car several sizes and price points bigger than it is. The touch-screen is a bit too clever for its own good, but there's a decent boot and it drivers very nicely, thank you.
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BMW iX
The iX is the result of BMW starting from scratch to build a massive, luxurious and highly idiosyncratic family EV. The price tag is as big as its daft grille – a grille that can ‘heal’ itself if it gets scratched. Like a T-1000 Terminator. True story. But step into an iX and it feels worth every penny. The ‘lounge’ interior is like the inside of a lottery winner’s Fulham flat. Add to that a big battery range (about 300 miles), a soothing driving experience including sound designed by Hollywood film composer Hans Zimmer, and the iX is the best electric SUV out there. Or the most interesting, at least.
Find a BMW iX on Auto Trader | Lease a BMW iX
Dacia Jogger
Is it an SUV? Is it an estate? Is it just kinda weird? We don't know and we don't really care, because it's a seven-seater costing less than half the price of nearly every other seven-seater on the market. Don't be put off by the tiny petrol engine (there's also a hybrid now) because we took six people and one dog from Kent to Cornwall in a Jogger and it was a joy for every one of the 300-odd miles, overtaking with ease and sipping fuel. Buy one, now.
Read the full review or find a Dacia Jogger on Auto Trader | Lease a Dacia Jogger
Renault Captur
Small, chunky, curvy... there's just something about the Captur that has Captured our hearts. Lovely interiors with imaginative little twists like piping and dashes of colour, and then there's the lovely Renault touch-screen with its Google connectivity and bright colours. Easy to park, a joy to live with.
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Ford Puma
Beware the large hidden compartment under the boot floor - we once left an entire ski bag full of kids' unworn gear in it at Gatwick airport and had to spank £300 on new sets when we landed. That hiccup aside, this is a great package and Ford's smallest car now Fiesta is adios. Steers and handles like a dream.
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Kia Sportage
Been around for ages, but still a very canny buy thanks in part to Kia's seven-year warranty and unblemished reliability record. Impressive leg- and headroom in the rear, and good standard audio system. Easier to pilot and park in town than its handsome bigger sister, the Sorento. Lovely smooth hybrid option that's frugal as they come.
Find a Kia Sportage on Auto Trader | Lease a Kia Sportage
Land Rover Defender
You have to hand it to Land Rover with today’s Defender. How do you follow up a bona fide, decades-in-production classic? Well, you make a car that reaches both its target audience and its ACTUAL audience. For the target audience – countryside dwellers –the Defender is better off-road than ever. But for its actual audience – people who want a massive, imposing and proper luxurious family car – the new Defender is all that and more. It drives like a Range Rover. It’s not subtle, but it is awesome.
Find a Land Rover Defender on Auto Trader | Lease a Land Rover Defender
