Ideal for the family: the best seven-seater cars are named

When choosing a family car, reliability, safety, and comfort come first. Finding a seven-seater model with the perfect price-performance ratio is a challenge with an asterisk.

Experts say that despite its age, the Volvo XC90 is still the best seven-seater on the market. This is due to a combination of practicality, technology, quality of materials, reliability, and handling. Several other great seven-seaters also made the list.

Volvo XC90

Experts consider the Volvo XC90 to be the best seven-seater. The fact that it has had high sales ratings for almost 10 years is a testament to its compelling combination of space, practicality, and comfort.

Some competitors are more agile to drive or offer more advanced technology, but the XC90 strikes a great balance of performance, efficiency, and low running costs. The biggest advantage of the XC90 is its spacious, well-appointed interior, which is of high quality and refined finish. The only engine option is a 247 hp gasoline mild hybrid, but a wide range of powertrains are available on the used car market, including powerful PHEVs.

Dacia Jogger

Situated between a station wagon, minivan, and SUV, the Jogger has enough space for seven adults, although the third row is best left to children on long trips. With the rear seats down or completely removed, up to 2,094 liters of cargo space is available.

The Jogger has a 1-liter turbocharged engine. The light and precise steering is combined with a slightly raised seating position, making the Jogger a reliable and comfortable choice.

Hyundai Santa Fe

The Hyundai Santa Fe has always been one of the favorites in the seven-seater market, and its 2024 refresh has cemented its position as a mainstream option. Along with a completely updated retro design, the Santa Fe has become larger and more spacious.

The Santa Fe comes with a hybrid powertrain with a maximum output of 249 hp. As a PHEV, it offers up to 60 km of electric-only range, which is a bit disappointing. Trunk size depends on the specification and transmission, but the seven-seater PHEV has a volume of 985 liters with the outer rear seats folded down (compared to 992 liters for a regular hybrid) or 621 liters with the seats folded down.

Volkswagen Multivan

The Volkswagen Multivan is a traditional MPV that offers unrivaled space and versatility. There are gasoline, diesel, and PHEV variants. The latter uses a 1.4-liter gasoline engine and a 215-hp electric motor.

The Multivan's trump card is its modular interior, which can be organized as you wish, with more than enough space for seven passengers. In addition, it has sliding doors on each side.

Land Rover Defender 130

The largest Land Rover Defender should have been a candidate for the top of this chart, as the interior is well configured and offers up to eight seats. Buy a five-door Defender 110 with a long wheelbase and JLR will offer you a choice of five, six, or seven-passenger seats, while the extended Defender 130 can accommodate eight passengers in a 2/3/3 split-folding format.

The seven-seater Defender has third-row seats that are slightly smaller than those in the related Land Rover Discovery. In the 130, you can take eight passengers and still have a very useful 400-liter trunk, although the trade-off is the car's huge length of 5.4 meters.

Kia EV9

The EV9 comes with a 99.8 kWh battery. The model with a single engine and rear-wheel drive with a capacity of 200 hp has an official range of 560 km.

The third-row seats are large enough for adults. The outer rear seats fold and unfold electrically. With all seats up, the trunk is large enough for a reasonable amount of cargo. The official range of the model with a twin-engine and all-wheel drive is 503 km.

Peugeot 5008

The recently launched third-generation model provides even greater versatility. It is the first seven-seater Peugeot to be available as a hybrid and electric vehicle, and its new design catches the eye.

In terms of space, the 5008 offers 916 liters of boot space with the third row of seats folded down – more than the Hyundai Santa Fe, Dacia Jogger, and Skoda Kodiaq which reduces to 348 liters with all seats in place. Despite its size, the 5008 also has good handling. Of course, it's not a hatchback, but it's easy to maneuver at low speeds, and Peugeot's experience with hybrids means that its powertrain lineup is quite advanced.

Skoda Kodiaq

Skoda entered the seven-seat SUV market in 2016 with a car that quite skillfully split the difference between full-size and midsize variants.

The new Mk2 Kodiaq has a spacious interior and a large trunk, and all versions except the lower footrest version have seven seats as standard. The Kodiaq's engine lineup is quite extensive, offering a wide range of both gasoline and diesel options.

Mercedes-Benz GLB

The GLB is available in 200 petrol, 200d diesel, 220d diesel, or AMG 35 petrol versions, which borrows its 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 302 hp from the hot AMG A35 hatchback.

Even the base gasoline engine delivers ample performance, and the ride quality is impressive thanks to the adaptive dampers. The 4Matic all-wheel drive models are great off-road, rivaling the Land Rover Discovery Sport. It is available in EQB 300 models with 225 hp and EQB 350 models with 288 hp, both with two-engine and all-wheel drive.

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