Welcome to Cars Reviewed: Finding the Best MPV

When we were looking to buy a family car to travel with three children, I made a point of looking at every car in the Small MPV class - basically, the only cars specifically built for this purpose - in order to find the best for me.

I didn't drive every type of car - there was no need to, as some failed on basic issues (such as getting 3 kiddie seats in the back) - but I did read and research everyone of them, and sat in each make at least once.

Sometimes the choice seemed hard - different cars had different selling points - but I only found one car that could tick all of the boxes.

1st: The winner - the Volkswagen Touran

The only car that ticked all boxes - spacious, room for three children's safety seats, probably the safest of all of these, plus 2 extra lift-up seats in the back to make it a 7-seater. Awesome.

I couldn't really fault this car for any reason, other than it was commented elsewhere as looking a bit plain and boring. Big deal - when I'm driving my kids around, safety is my priority - if I want to look good I'll buy a Porsche and drive that just by myself. :)

Additionally, the Volkswagen Touran comes feature-packed, with everything you really need before extras, plus very few, if any, consumer complaints. Good finishing all round.

Read the full review: Volkswagen Touran review

Other cars in the MPV Class:

2nd: Vauxhall Zafira

A pretty strong runner up, let down only by the slightly lower safety rating score, plus the curious way all seats at the back slide backwards/forwards together rather than individually.

Read the full review: Vauxhall Zafira

3rd: Citroen Picasso

It felt lovely inside, with a great illusion of space upfront. Negatives? Electronic only speedometer, which I feared more vulnerable to failure than a normal indicator - plus the lack of ability to make it a 7-seater. Otherwise, a decent runner-up.

Read the full review: Citroen Picasso

4th: Renault Scenic

This was my first choice for a while - it's a lovely looking car from many angles. Excepting the inside. It looks compact from the outside, and feels very compact on the inside. No room for 3 child safety seats together in the back let this one down.

Read the full review: Renault Scenic

5th: Toyota Corolla Verso

A beautiful looking car, that looked designed by men for men who wanted to forget they were a dad, and instead, a boy racer. Unfortunately, this means it's completely impractical as a family car - a child in the back couldn't even see out because the windows were too high.

Read the full review: Toyota Corolla Verso