With all the talk of expensive electric cars flooding the market, the idea of buying a new family car can feel out of reach. But while the headlines are indeed full of the transition to EVs, the truth is that there are still plenty of affordable family cars powered by petrol and diesel engines.
These offer enough space for two adults, two children and a boot full of luggage; some even have frugal mild hybrid engines to keep fuel costs to a minimum. Others have long warranties for peace of mind. In other words, they are not only cheap to buy, they are also cheap to run.
But don’t imagine that these cars are the automotive equivalents of a hair shirt. Among our top 11 are accomplished hatchbacks and SUVs that might surprise you with their affordability. And even in their base-model forms, most offer decent equipment levels and enjoyable driving dynamics. One even provides seating for seven.
Here are the 11 cheapest family cars you can buy brand new in Britain today, in time-honoured reverse order.
GWM Haval Jolion Pro
On the face of it, the oddly named Haval Jolion Pro from Chinese firm Great Wall Motor seems like terrific value for money. This hybrid SUV, roughly the size of a Nissan Qashqai, costs less than what most manufacturers charge for a small hatchback. If maximising passenger space is your priority, the Jolion Pro will certainly appeal. But bear in mind it’s not great to drive, has a tiny boot, and comes with a suite of nannying driver aids that quickly become teeth-grindingly irritating. As a result, we don’t tend to recommend it.
Price from
£23,995
Pros
Cheap, roomy, good safety rating
Cons
Pretty much everything else
KGM Tivoli
KG Mobility, or KGM, is the new name for SsangYong; as part of the rebrand the company’s Tivoli small SUV has gained a new badge. Behind that, though, it’s the same as it ever was – and that means it now feels rather dated. Inside it’s much more plasticky than its rivals, while on the road it isn’t much cop, with rough-sounding engines, so-so handling and a bouncy ride. For its size, it’s pretty roomy inside and the warranty is lengthy – but that’s about all it has going for it. With the Tivoli, then, you get what you pay for.
Price from
£20,495
Pros
Lots of car for the money, long warranty
Cons
Noisy engines, sloppy handling, unsettled ride
Vauxhall Frontera
You’ll find plenty in common between the Vauxhall Frontera and the Citroën C3 Aircross further down this list – beneath the restyled nose and tweaked interior, they’re essentially the same car. The choice really comes down to whether you prefer the Vauxhall’s looks enough to pay £900 more for it. Either way, you’ll get a comfortable small SUV with a frugal mild hybrid engine, generous passenger space and a vast boot. And given it’s nicer than many rivals at the same price, it represents good value.
Price from
£23,995
Pros
Comfortable ride, big boot, roomy interior, user-friendly dashboard
Cons
Engine not that powerful, pricier than Citroën equivalent
Kia Ceed
The original Ceed became best known as Top Gear’s Reasonably Priced Car, in which celebrities posted lap times around a test track. No such fame for this latest model, but it remains reasonably priced, with the £23,000-odd you’ll pay for the entry-level model going a long way. The Ceed isn’t quite as slick to drive as its rivals, but neither is it unpleasant; it’s easy-going and unassuming, which is what you want on a jam-laden commute. What’s more, the Ceed provides peace of mind thanks to a seven-year warranty with a 100,000-mile cap, which should keep you safe from hefty repair bills for years to come.
Price from
£23,095
Pros
Long warranty, great reliability record, reasonably practical
Cons
Bland to drive
Citroën C4
Has Citroën simply forgotten to raise the C4’s price? Because this is an astonishing deal for a Golf-sized family hatchback with SUV styling cues. As if that weren’t enough, the C4 also offers the most comfortable ride at this price point. A decent-sized boot and generous rear-seat space only add to its appeal. Granted, this price gets you a fairly basic spec – but you still benefit from a super-frugal hybrid powertrain. For comfort on a budget, few cars do it better.
Price from
£23,095
Pros
Soft ride, easy-to-use interior, roomy rear seats, good-size boot, frugal hybrid engines
Cons
Some cheap interior plastics, not precise in corners
Skoda Scala
A great budget-friendly family hatchback, this one undercuts all its rivals – and offers more interior space, too. With responsive, economical engines and a generous list of standard kit, it doesn’t feel like a bargain-bin choice. It’s comfortable as well, boasting one of the smoothest rides of any family hatchback, let alone its budget competitors. Granted, the interior plastics aren’t top tier – but at this price, who’s complaining?
Price from
£22,095
Pros
Comfortable ride, surprisingly spacious, generous equipment
Cons
Interior can feel plasticky in places
Renault Captur
The Captur might be a small SUV but it’s quite a roomy one, which means it does a pretty decent job of serving as family transport if required. Not only are there five spacious seats and a decent-sized boot, but that rear bench seat can slide forward and backward, allowing you to increase boot space without having to fold down the seats (which is important if you don’t fancy removing your childrens’ seats if you need to carry larger loads). The Captur isn’t quite as enjoyable to drive as some family cars, while over rougher surfaces it feels a bit jittery, but on the plus side it has a really smart interior – and it looks like great value.
Price from
£21,495
Pros
Versatile and practical, smart interior, perky engines
Cons
Not much fun to drive, ride could be better
Citroën C3 Aircross
Granted, you will have to pay slightly more for this than for a Frontera, but the French-badged one is arguably more stylish. Its interior is more characterful (not to mention extremely well thought-out), while a more comfortable ride, a larger boot and more equipment are also in its favour. What’s more, there’s an all-electric option that won’t cost much more than the entry-level petrol version (which you should buy with caution – it has the potentially troublesome “wet belt” engine).
Price from
£20,605
Pros
Comfy ride, well laid out interior, lots of character, big boot
Cons
Engines can feel weak, base model sparsely equipped
MG ZS
That the ZS undercuts the Tivoli by more than £2,000 just goes to show how relatively pricey the latter is. By contrast, the MG is a VW T-Roc-sized small SUV with room for the whole family and even a decent-sized boot. You might expect such a cheap car to drive poorly, but the ZS feels nimble and agile and even rides bumps pretty well. You can get a sense of the price when you climb aboard, where some of the materials are a bit low-rent and the touchscreen is a pain to use. You’ll also want to check you’re happy with the ZS’s crash test results, which aren’t brilliant. But if you are, this is a huge amount of car for the cash – especially when you factor in the seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty.
Price from
£18,320
Pros
Neat handling, generous equipment list, long warranty
Cons
So-so crash test results, plasticky interior, fiddly touchscreen
Dacia Duster
In certain parts of the world, you can’t move for Dusters. That’s because there’s simply no other brand new car that offers this much space for such little cash. Not only is the Duster a bargain but it’s desirable, too, with macho SUV styling. It even looks quite appealing from inside, with a well designed interior, even if the plastics feel a bit dour. You can forgive a car a great deal at this price, however – especially when it drives as well as the Duster does (oh, and by the way, you can have it with four-wheel drive, which makes it a really useful tool on a slippery back lane). As with the Jogger, its crash test results aren’t as good as you might hope, but that’s the price you pay for getting into a brand-new SUV at this price point.
Price from
£17,295
Pros
SUV styling on a budget, good to drive, sensational value
Cons
Not quite as safe as its rivals
Dacia Jogger
The Jogger is almost identically priced to the entry-level MG ZS – and while you don’t get such a long warranty, you get something else instead: an extra row of seats. That’s right, Dacia has pulled off something faintly unbelievable, offering a full seven-seat MPV (and it really is – there’s even space for adults to sit in the rearmost seats without having their legs chopped off) for less than £20,000. Of course, there’s a trade-off; it’s a poor showing in crash tests – although if you’re comparing the Jogger with a five-year-old used car as an alternative, this might be less of an issue. If that’s the case, the Jogger might feel like an appealing option given its three-year warranty and the option of a frugal hybrid powertrain.
Price from
£18,295
Pros
Seating for seven, cheap hybrid option, amazingly versatile
Cons
Questionable safety rating