One of the most popular categories of the car in modern Britain is the larger family car. These can deal with everything from trips to school to holidays abroad. They come in a range of price points, and they’re often packed with features. If you’re willing to venture into the used market, then the family car becomes even more affordable.
It’s best to shop for used cars from a reputable local dealership. If you’re in Cambridgeshire, look for used cars in Peterborough.
Why family cars should be selected differently from small cars
If you’re in the market for a family car, then you might have different priorities than if you were shopping just for yourself. You’ll need to consider the quality of life of your passengers, and some of the performance implications of having a slightly larger vehicle to drive.
What should you consider when buying a large family car?
A family car should above all else be spacious and practical. You need to be able to get everyone in your family into it with room for luggage. Most cars will list the boot space in litres, including any extra room you get when you put the seat down. It’s also worth thinking about the number of seats you have available, especially if you’re regularly offering lifts to people outside your immediate family.
The car should also have an excellent safety rating. Safety for new cars is tested by a range of organisations, but among the best is the European New Car Assessment Programme. Before making a purchase, it’s worth checking out the ratings.
Reliability becomes especially concerning when it’s not just you that’s relying on the car. You’ll want to look at the experiences of other motorists. These tend to be presented usefully in the form of driver surveys, which look to identify the most persistent offenders, and the more reliable options, too.
Fuel economy is also an essential consideration if you’re in the market for a family car. You’ll tend to get much greater mileage from a modern electric vehicle than from the internal-combustion-engine equivalent, but you’ll also tend to pay a greater up-front premium. Bear in mind that the fuel economy listed by the manufacturer will vary according to real-world conditions like the road surface, temperature, and driving style. Look at it as a theoretical maximum.
Finally, it’s worth thinking about how often you’ll be cleaning your new car, and how easy it will be to stay on top of the job. Families tend to create a lot more dirt and dust than single drivers, and so you might find that you’re cleaning it most weekends – or that you neglect it entirely. The easier it is to give a once-over, the freer time you’ll have available to enjoy life with your family.
Buying a Used Car for a Large Family is a feature post
