5 Fuel Efficient Family Cars You Should Know About

Having a reliable and fuel-efficient family car is crucial in making sure that everyone gets to enjoy the convenience and comfort of travelling from one place to the next. But what are the best options available in the market today? We’ve made a shortlist of the top 5 fuel-efficient family cars you should know about to help you narrow down the best ones that will suit your family’s needs. Let’s begin!

Peugeot 308 SW (Petrol)

This family can return an impressive 54.9mpg. It’s awesome because the 308 SW has a petrol engine and not a mild-hybrid car, meaning there’s no electric motor to give it assistance and reduce its fuel consumption. While the Peugeot 308 SW doesn’t have a very powerful engine, it can produce 108bhp and 205Nm so you can expect power in reserve for your driving needs. 

Volkswagen Golf (Petrol)

If you choose the latest generation of the VW Golf, you’ll get a 1.0-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine. It’s comparable to the Skoda Octavia and the Audi A3, and with a return of 54.3mpg, it can match the Peugeot 308 SW. The engine is decent and sufficient with its 108 bhp and 200Nm of torque, plus it can go from zero to 60mph in just 10.2 seconds. 

Ford Focus (Diesel)

To get the best fuel economy for frequent long-distance driving, you can opt for the 1.5-litre diesel-engined Ford Focus. The most fuel-efficient petrol and hybrid versions of the Ford Focus can return up to 51.4mph and 56.5mpg respectively, the diesel version has 118bhp and can return 67.3mpg. With 300Nm of torque, this car has good power. 

Skoda Octavia (Diesel)

The Octavia hatchback has the same reputation as its petrol-engined counterpart in terms of being fuel-efficient. It has a 68.9mpg figure for its fuel consumption, making it among the most frugal diesel cars you can buy. It has a 113bhp output and 300Nm of torque, which is great for motorway cruising. 

Suzuki Across (Hybrid)

This family car is a medium-sized SUV hybrid. It has a 2.5-litre petrol engine and a plug-in hybrid powertrain to give it electrical assistance. Also, it has a claimed 282.4mpg. If you’ve tried driving the plug-in hybrid Toyota RAV4, the Suzuki Across is much like it because it’s identical to it under the hood. 

What is MPG Anyway?

When buying a car, it’s important to know its MPG or miles per gallon. By knowing the mpg of a car, you’ll have an idea about how fuel-efficient it is, how much you might need to spend on petrol or diesel, and whether you should opt for an electric or hybrid car instead. 

MGPs can also help you compare different family cars so you can calculate and budget for fuel expenses. This is easier if you also know your average mileage. With a bit of computation, you’ll be able to know which family car is the most practical one for your driving needs. 

How to Calculate Fuel Economy

You can try calculating the MPG yourself. You may begin by filling up the tank with fuel and then resetting the trip odometer. Drive around normally until the tank is near-empty and then you may take an odometer reading. This reading tells you the number of miles you were able to travel since you last topped up. When you have the figures ready, divide them by the total number of gallons you need to fill the tank with fuel. 

How to Choose the Best Family Car

Safety

Safety should be number one when choosing a family car. The modern cars available today have decent safety features so you shouldn’t be too worried about finding a good family car. 

You may look at the Euro NCAP rating of the car to check if it has good safety credentials. 

Cars are graded from zero to five, depending on their safety specs and performances during crash tests. It’s recommended, of course, to choose a car with a score of five so you know you have a safe vehicle to drive your family to various destinations.

Cost

Family cars are typically more costly compared to smaller city cars. With this in mind, you should have a good look at your finances to ensure you comfortably afford to purchase a family car. There are many affordable family cars, especially secondhand vehicles. You just have to be patient when it comes to shopping for one and checking them thoroughly. 

You may want to calculate your budget first so you know which family cars are within your budget and whether you should buy a used car instead of a brand-new vehicle. When you’re at the car dealership, it’s easy to get carried away and buy the newest, most beautiful car you see and then realise later that you’ve overspent. Know your budget and then stick to it. 

Space

When buying a family car, of course, you’d want everyone in the family to be comfortably seated in the vehicle. Plus you also need to consider the things they’ll bring for road trips, going to the beach, or during camping vacations. It would be best to find a car with at least 300 litres of boot space. Are you thinking of getting an estate car?

Some cars with great space are the Ford Kuga with a 456L boot and the Seat Leon Sports Tourer with a 587L boot. Those spaces can still expand when you put the seats down. In case you only need a small family car, then you can check the Volkswagen Polo with 351L to 1125L boot when the seats are down. Seats that can be folded are a great feature when looking for a family car. 

Takeaway

So, now that you have a number of choices when it comes to fuel-efficient family cars, hopefully, you’ll have an easier time shopping for one. When you’ve narrowed down your options, don’t forget to take your family with you when test-driving the car. It’s a great way to know for sure that everyone's good and comfortable with it. And of course, it would be nice to know their opinion on their new family car! 😀 🚗