Best fuel-efficient family cars

The best fuel-efficient family cars combine low running costs with enough space and practicality for everyday life, saving you money without cramping your style (or legroom).

We’ve rounded up eight top choices that give you great fuel economy and plenty of room for passengers, buggies, dogs, or all of the above. Whether you need five seats or seven, a hatchback or an SUV, there’s something here to suit your setup and your wallet.

Our list focuses on petrol, diesel and hybrid models only, using the latest official fuel economy figures available.* From compact hatchbacks to roomy estates and clever MPVs, each one is chosen for real-world usability and family-friendly features.

If you’re considering an EV for your next family car, take a look at our guide to the best electric family cars.

The cars featured in this guide:

• Toyota Corolla      
• Dacia Jogger        
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Kia Niro Hybrid
• Citroen C4    
• Nissan Qashqai
• Skoda Octavia    
• Ford Tourneo Connect 

Toyota Corolla 

The Toyota Corolla might not turn heads, but if you’re looking for a family-friendly car that’s dependable and fuel-efficient, then look no further. For maximum practicality, go for the ‘Touring Sports’ estate model, which has a lot more rear legroom and boot space than the hatchback. 

Every new Corolla is a self-charging hybrid, and the latest version of the Touring Sports gives an average fuel economy of up to 62.7mpg. That’s good for your bank balance, as is the fact that the Corolla is one of the most reliable cars you can buy. Better still, it comes with an incredible 10-year/100,000-mile warranty if it’s serviced at a Toyota dealership each year. 

Dacia Jogger

Brand-new seven-seater cars don’t come any cheaper than the Dacia Jogger. That makes it a great fit for large families on a budget, as does the latest hybrid version’s average of 61.4mpg. There’s also a petrol model that offers almost 50mpg, but we think the hybrid’s standard automatic gearbox and stronger performance make it the better option.

Whatever’s under the bonnet, the Jogger gives you masses of space inside, with loads of headroom and legroom in the second row. Behind that are a pair of third-row seats that are just the job if you want to bring friends or family members along on a day trip, without having to take two cars. And when you don’t need them you can fold them up to create more boot space, or remove them altogether for more boot space than a BMW X5. 

Hyundai Santa Fe

Most big seven-seat SUVs come with high fuel bills, but not the Hyundai Santa Fe. With its blocky looks and upmarket interior, the latest model gives off real Land Rover vibes but it’s available with hybrid or plug-in hybrid power that gives you the running costs of something smaller.  

All versions are well-equipped, and the hybrid gives a decent 41.5mpg. You pay more for the plug-in hybrid but it comes with four-wheel drive as standard and gives an official average of 166mpg. You probably won’t match that in real-world driving, but an electric-only range of 33 miles could well be enough for a week’s worth of school runs. 

Kia Niro Hybrid

Every version of the Kia Niro has the potential to give low running costs since it’s available as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or pure electric model. The Niro Hybrid gets our vote here since it costs a lot less to buy than the plug-in hybrid and still gives a mighty 64.2mpg in its most fuel-efficient form. The hybrid version also has a far bigger boot because, well, the plug-in model’s larger battery has to go somewhere!

Although it’s not as futuristic-looking as Kia’s newest models, the Niro is still a stylish car, available in some fetching colours. The interior is Tardis-like, given the Niro’s fairly compact dimensions, and it blends high-tech features with good usability. 

Citroen C4

The Citroen C4 is a mash-up of coupe, hatchback and SUV that gives you the fuel economy of a city car. Sounds like a win-win to us. Lots of different versions have been available since it went on sale in 2021, and each one is remarkably fuel-efficient. Earlier diesel models average about 69mpg, while the latest petrol and hybrid versions give more than 50mpg and 60mpg respectively. 

Prices are low, too. You can pick up a brand-new hybrid for less than £24,000, while used prices start from about £9,000. Although the C4 doesn’t offer any more passenger space or boot space than a Ford Focus, you sit a bit higher in the C4, so you get a great view out. 

Nissan Qashqai

As well as being one of the most popular family SUVs, the Nissan Qashqai is also one of the most fuel-efficient. For minimum fuel stops, you’ll need the latest E-Power model. Unusual for a hybrid, the petrol engine is simply there to charge the battery pack and the wheels are always driven by an electric motor. Sounds odd, but it works well. There’s no need to plug in, and you get an average fuel economy of up to 64.2mpg.

A smooth drive boosts the Qashqai’s comfort credentials, and even the cheapest new version comes with features such as a reversing camera, keyless entry and wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity.

Skoda Octavia

Although SUVs have become the default choice for family cars, if you want maximum mpg, then an estate car might be a better option. Case in point: the Skoda Octavia. While Skoda’s mid-size SUV, the Karoq, offers about 45-49mpg, the Octavia Estate offers 51-54mpg. 

Those are impressive figures for something with this much space inside. How much space? Boot capacity is 640 litres to the load cover, which is more than you get in almost any other estate car, and 119 litres more than you get in a Karoq. The interior is comfortable, too, and it feels built to withstand whatever family life throws at it. 

Ford Tourneo Connect

The Ford Tourneo Connect is a seven-seat MPV that combines space-efficiency and fuel-efficiency to make a great family car. It’s based, as you might have guessed, on a van, but that boxy shape means you get masses of interior space in a car not much longer than your average hatchback. Sliding side doors and a huge boot opening make loading people and luggage a doddle, too. 

If you’re buying a new model, you get the choice of petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid power. The petrol and diesel versions give just over 40mpg and 50mpg respectively. The plug-in hybrid has an official average of 158mpg, but what really stands out is its electric-only range of just over 70 miles. If you have a home charger that means you could do most of your local driving without using a drop of fuel at all.

Next, check out the best cars to buy on PCP finance. 

* Official combined figure for the most fuel-efficient version in the range. Correct at the time of writing, check manufacturer's website for full details.