Pick these if you want a long-roof car for a long time.
Estate cars are great, and you’re likely to buy one with your sensible head on – because most estate cars will be used as family cars or as workhorses. In either case, you want something that will be dependable and something that won’t eat through your wallet every few months.
Here are the best reliable estate cars to choose from.
Toyota Corolla Touring Sports
Toyota is the gold standard for hybrid engines, and cars like the Prius, Corolla and RAV4 have repeatedly demonstrated that they can go the distance with only routine maintenance. The British-built Corolla Touring Sports is a smart-looking car with much more rear-seat space than the Corolla hatchback, plus a vast 596-litre boot to swallow a host of suitcases with ease. Being hybrid-only, the Touring Sports has an easy automatic gearbox and can manage close to 60mpg – so it’ll keep costs low in more ways than one. Oh, and there’s a 10-year warranty if you keep it serviced at a Toyota dealer.
Make sure to also check out the Suzuki Swace – it’s the same car just with different badges.
Shop used Toyota Corolla Touring Sports cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Toyota Corolla Touring Sports review
Skoda Octavia Estate
One of our all-time favourite family cars, the Skoda Octavia has a list of talents as long as its loadspace. The driving experience is rock-solid, the rear seats are palatial and the interior mixes digital and analogue with aplomb. Yes, there’s a big touchscreen in recent Octavias, but there are common-sense features like a wrist rest to steady your hand and a host of physical controls to fiddle. The Octavia is very easy to live with, and reliability seems to be strong based on owner feedback.
Shop used Skoda Octavia Estate cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Skoda Octavia review
Mazda 6 Tourer
It was never as popular as the Mercedes C-Class Estate or BMW 3 Series Touring, but the Mazda 6 is well worth looking at if you want a reliable estate… as long as you go for the petrol engine. The naturally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol is seemingly bulletproof, whereas the 2.2 diesel engine can be a bit of a diva if you buy one that hasn't been looked after. Ask me (and my wallet) how I know. Mazda’s smooth petrol is a good match for the 6, which is stylish and good to drive. Its manual gearbox is up there with the best, as well.
Shop used Mazda 6 Tourer cars for sale at Motorpoint
Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer
Early Volkswagen ID cars could sometimes suffer from infotainment glitches and lots of tiny annoyances that might taint your opinion of the car. The ID.7 seems to have put these concerns behind it, and VW’s latest infotainment system seems to be a lot more resilient. From the moment you get in to the ID.7’s vast cabin, you can sense that the quality is there, and that continues when you start driving. A massive range and fast charging add to the feeling that you could comfortably rack up hundreds of miles in one go and still feel rested at the end.
Shop used Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Volkswagen ID.7 review
Subaru Outback
If you live in the countryside, as many Subaru owners do, you’ll probably be a decent distance away from a service centre and your public transport options might be non-existent. In which case, you’re relying on your car to get around. The Outback is well regarded as being durable and dependable, not to mention rugged with its four-wheel-drive system and safe with its tranche of Subaru EyeSight driver aids.
Shop used Subaru Outback cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Subaru Outback review
MG5
When the MG5 launched, it was the first electric estate on sale in the UK. And it quickly became a favourite with minicabbers and private hire drivers, who value reliability very highly indeed. Looking at what’s for sale as we write this, the MG5 has proved its ability to rack up moon miles – and its electric powertrain allows drivers to save on day-to-day running and servicing costs. It’s one of the cheapest options on this list to buy, too. So, even if you’re not taking payment for driving people around, you can enjoy the MG5’s qualities.
Shop used MG5 cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our MG5 review
Kia Ceed SW
The Kia Ceed SW is another family estate car that promises to be a total delight to live with. You’ll probably know about Kia’s seven-year warranty (we bang on about it enough), which provides peace of mind against manufacturing faults – but chances are you’ll never need to claim on it. What’s more, the Ceed’s interior is really easy to navigate with everything in sensible places and lots of buttons. Plus, the SW’s 625-litre boot is one of the biggest on this list.
Shop used Kia Ceed SW cars for sale at Motorpoint
Volvo V60
Generally, the more premium a car the lower its reliability score will be – although perhaps that’s more of an indication of the expectations of buyers who are buying a premium product. If you want some plush materials and reliability, the Volvo V60 is a top choice. Online data suggests that if issues do come up, they’re likely to be minor software glitches rather than something that’ll leave you stranded on the hard shoulder in the rain.
Shop used Volvo V60 cars for sale at Motorpoint
BYD Seal 6
A fairly new model to the UK, the BYD Seal 6 estate is beginning to tempt buyers away from more established options. The Seal 6 features the same ‘DM-i’ plug-in-hybrid engine as the Seal U SUV, and owner reports suggest that this engine is reliable. We can’t find many owners reporting faults with the DM-i system at all. Backing the Seal 6 up is a six-year warranty on the whole of the car, and an eight-year/155,000-mile battery warranty.
Shop used BYD Seal 6 cars for sale at Motorpoint
Volkswagen Passat
We love the latest VW Passat, which is partly down to it being a poshed up Skoda Superb. As such, you get a whopping boot and more legroom than you can shake your legs at. Go for the eHybrid and you can go for over 80 miles on electric power – and fast-charge – while still having a petrol engine playing second fiddle. Like the ID.7, the Passat is a supreme long-distance cruiser. We also like the eHybrid’s refinement and road manners.
Shop used Volkswagen Passat cars for sale at Motorpoint or read our Volkswagen Passat review
Find your ideal used estate car for sale at Motorpoint, or read our guide to the best reliable SUVs.
