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WHAT IS THE BEST USED FAMILY CAR FOR THE ECO-AWARE?
We are parents with an environmental conscience, seeking a used car with a big boot. Most of our mileage is local, but we make longer weekend trips to see family. We have solar panels and a drive, so a charging point should be straightforward. The Skoda Kodiaq 1.5TSI is popular with most of the family, but I am concerned about its fuel economy. I like the Volkswagen Passat GTE estate or, as an alternative, the Skoda Superb 1.4TSI, but the estate format isn’t so popular with my wife and children. A manual gearbox would be preferred but it is not essential. Our budget is £20,000. What would you recommend we look at? JH
That’s a good call on the Passat GTE – given your circumstances, it would be ideal. Plug-in hybrids such as this have had bad press of late, but for someone in your position, who’s able to charge one regularly and gets their energy from a renewable source, it’s an environmentally sound option.
A fully electric car might be even
‘A plug-in hybrid is an environmentally sound option if you charge it using renewable energy’
more so, but there aren’t very many out there yet with a big enough boot for your needs – and none available within your budget, really. So the Passat PHEV is a good bet if you want to put some of that electric energy to good use.
You did point out that you would consider combustion-engined cars as alternatives, and you mentioned the Superb and the Kodiaq, both of which are solid options. As you say, though, the Kodiaq’s fuel economy might be a little on the high side with a petrol engine; it’ll be about 10mpg less than with the Superb. As with most such SUVs, it also kicks out more CO2, which makes it a less environmentally friendly choice.
If your family isn’t too keen on an estate, have you considered the Superb as a hatchback? The boot is almost as big in this form, and you might find your wife and kids are more agreeable to the idea.
Plus you’ll get much more Superb for your money; at the time of writing, your budget buys you a 2020 Superb 1.5 TSI SE L hatch with 6,000 miles.
For the same money, a Kodiaq will be older, lower spec and higher mileage – the best I could find was a 2017 1.4 TSI SE with 20,000 miles. (It’s probably worth pointing out here that a Passat GTE for the same money will also be older and higher-mileage – a 2017 example with 32,000 miles, for example).
A plug-in isn’t the only kind of hybrid you should be thinking about, however. Your budget will also squeeze you into one of the latest Toyota Corollas. These come in hatchback or estate form, and (with apologies to your wife and kids) it’s the latter that fits your bill, coming as it does with an enormous boot that betters some cars from the class above in terms of luggage volume.
The Corolla can be had with a 1.8- or a 2.0-litre hybrid engine; I prefer the latter for the way it drives, but there’s no doubt the lower emissions of the former make it the more eco-friendly option. The added advantage of the Corolla is that you now get a full year’s manufacturer warranty with it each time you have it serviced at a Toyota dealer, which is a great deal. I found a 2019 1.8 Hybrid Design with 16,000 miles for well within your budget.
And just one more thought for you: contrary to popular belief, some modern diesels can actually be more environmentally friendly than petrols. The Kia Ceed 1.6 CRDi, for example, recorded an output of just 22mg/km of NOx in tests by ADAC, the German equivalent of the AA. That’s better than most petrol cars, and it also emits a relatively small amount of CO2 – 126g/km in the official emissions tests – again, less than most petrol rivals.
A 2020 example in spacious estate form, with only 2,000 miles, can be had for £16,500 – still with the majority of its seven-year warranty remaining. The downside is that the Ceed with this engine isn’t particularly lively and can only be had in relatively low-spec “2” form.