TOP 5 BARGAIN SEVEN SEATERS

Sub-£30k family transport comes in many shapes

1 VW TOURAN

They forgot to spend any time on style and gimmickry, but there’s no need when the product is so fundamentally right. Drives like a car, because it’s basically a Golf SV with a longer boot. Thirdrow seats aren’t massive, but the interior has brilliant flexibility. Not many left; £29,260 buys a 2.0-litre diesel S.

2 SKODA KODIAQ

Best value of the seven-seat SUVs, but run very close by Seat Tarraco sibling, Nissan X-Trail and Peugeot 5008. Roomy, comfortable and a decent steer. For £27,455 you can get the nice 1.5 petrol engine with manual gearbox and front-wheel drive, or head the far side of £30k for gruntier diesel.

3 VAUXHALL COMBO LIFE XL

See also Peugeot Rifter L and Citroën Berlingo XL. It’s based on a van, so adjust your expectations accordingly, but PSA has been making these things slicker with every generation, without losing the roomy ruggedness.

Good choice of diesel and petrol engines and trim levels.

4 CITROËN GRAND C4 SPACETOURER

The old Grand Picasso was never a dynamic hotshot, and changing the name doesn’t alter that, but since the departure of the Seat Alhambra it’s the best full-on MPV. Easy to get to the third row, and all that glass makes it bright inside. Petrol or diesel, manual or auto, and even the basic £27k version feels pretty special inside.

5 RENAULT GRAND SCENIC

Very old now, notwithstanding the last redesign’s plucky attempt to style it as something more akin to an SUV than an MPV. The third row is for occasional use, and never for adults. But it drives really nicely, despite being powered by only a modest petrol or a modest diesel engine, with auto or manual ’box. For £24,525, a very neat package.