We’ve all been there – trying in vain to get the boot lid shut in order to go on holiday, or take our rubbish to the dump. Yet there are some cars that will swallow the biggest loads with ease. Here are 10 of the best, in different market sectors. After all, we’re not all size queens, but we still need practicality.
10. Mercedes-Benz GLE Class
Maximum load space: 2,010 litres
It’s not quite as capacious aa a Range Rover, but the Mercedes-Benz GLE still has one of the biggest boots in the large SUV sector, with 690 litres of usable load area with the back seats up and a whopping 2,010 litres with them folded. The boot floor is flat and wide, with shopping hooks and lashing points. An eminently practical (if pricey) car.
9. Fiat 500L Wagon
Maximum load space: 1,509 litres
The 500L is very much a Marmite car, and the latest ‘Wagon’ variant even more so. While it trades off the retro looks of the 500 hatchback, in elongated form the styling is gawky and far from pretty. But on the plus side, it has the running costs and purchase price of a small-ish hatchback, and for that you get decent levels of luggage space – 493 litres with the seats up and 1,509 litres with them down. There are few cars as practical for the money.
8.Skoda Fabia
Maximum load space: 1,150 litres
The Fabia has the biggest boot in the supermini class – a whole 76 litres more than the Ford Fiesta with all of the seats folded and a not unimpressive 330 litres with them up – bigger than a VW Golf. Sure, it doesn’t stand out among the other cars in this list, but as a small car with lots of practicality, it’s the ideal choice for city dwellers and heavily laden students.
7. Peugeot 3008
Maximum load space: 1,670 litres
The latest 3008 is probably the most practical of all the crossovers on the market, with a wide, square load area that is one of the biggest and most practical for families, swallowing prams, dogs and flatpack furniture with ease. With the seats up, available luggage space is 591 litres (the Volkswagen Tiguan is marginally bigger), but with the back seats down no other crossover can come close thanks to the Peugeot’s high roofline.
6. Citroen Berlingo Multispace
Maximum load space: 3,000 litres
The benefit of a van-derived MPV is that, while it may not be the first word in refinement, it comes from a starting point where luggage space is its most important feature. With the back seats in place, the frugal Multispace has 675 litres of load space, while the wide, tall load area is great for prams, wheelchairs, dogs or furniture. Fold the seats down and the van-derived Multispace becomes a…van. Funny that. It’s a very useful vehicle.
5. Range Rover
Maximum load space: 2,030 litres
While it’s rarely the first reason someone buys a Range Rover, there’s no denying that the luxury SUV is an extremely practical car. The boot has 909 litres of load space with the seats up (around three times that of a Vauxhall Astra), which extends to 2,030 litres with the seat down. That’s about a month’s worth of petrol if you go for the V8… A fully-electric split tailgate is a further boost to practicality.
4. Ford Galaxy
Maximum load space: 2,339 litres
There’s no denying that the Galaxy’s 2,339 litres of luggage space is pretty impressive, but the model’s real trump card is its ability to still have decent load space even in seven-seat format. With all of the seats in place, the Galaxy can swallow up to 300 litres of luggage, which is comparable to most small hatchbacks. That might not sound much, but to most big families, somewhere to store the shopping or the pushchair can be a critical buying decision.
3. Mercedes V-Class Extra Long
Maximum load space: 6,600 litres
The Extra Long variant of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class has the largest boot of any car on sale in the UK today – an incredible 6,600 litres with all of the rear seats packed away. But that’s only half the story. In eight-seater configuration, it still benefits from an incredible 1,410 litres of standard boot space, which makes it ideal for executive airport transfer and taxi services, as well as families that need a business vehicle.
2. Volvo V90
Maximum load space: 1,526 litres
There are other large estate cars that offer more luggage space than the Volvo, notably the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6. So why is the V90 in our top 10? After all, Volvos of old were all about luggage space, and the V90 lags behind some rivals, albeit only marginally. Put simply, it’s one of the most stylish and elegant estate cars on the road today – beautifully made, striking to look at and useful to boot.
1. Skoda Superb Estate
Maximum load space: 1,950 litres
Ever since the first wagon version of the Superb appeared in 2010, it has been one of the most useful and practical cars on the market. It’s well engineered, too, with excellent build quality. Keen pricing, high levels of standard equipment and pleasant road manners are a further boon. The latest incarnation takes things to a new level, though, with an incredible 1,950 litres of load space with the seats folded flat, and an equally impressive 660 litres with them in place. Practical, but also brilliant, the Skoda Superb Estate defines what a station wagon should be.
If you need the car to also be dog friendly, you can find a complete list of affordable cars good for dogs