Buying your first family car can be a huge challenge never the upgrade for your ever expanding family. Firstly you are going to need LOTS of space for car seats, buggies and bags of all sorts. Has it got ISOFIX? Will there be room for three car seats across on one row? Is it reliable, does it have all the latest technology and safety feature and most importantly is it child-friendly? 

Buying your first family car can be a huge challenge never mind the upgrade for your ever expanding family. Firstly you are going to need LOTS of space for car seats, buggies and bags of all sorts. Has it got ISOFIX? Will there be room for three car seats across in one row? Is it reliable, does it have all the latest technology and safety feature and most importantly is it child-friendly? You will need a multi-purpose vehicle with child locks and something with a high safety rating. You will also need to consider whether you want a raised driving position of an SUV or something more saloon. It's mind-boggling if you ask me.
Here are some of our favourites cars for growing families:
Opel Insignia
A super stylish and comfortable family car. It has a wide range of engine sizes to suit your needs, a large spacious boot and the latest safety features. It has a spacious rear cabin meaning there’s enough room to manoeuvre a bulky child seat or three into place and still leaves room for growing kids. Like with all modern cars it comes complete with ISOFIX installed.
Renault Kadjar
Complete with a spacious cabin and generous storage capacity the Renault Kadjar is perfect for growing families with its one-touch folding rear seats when not in use. It comes equipped with innovative safety systems, offering a safer, more relaxing driving experience with an active breaking system and blind spot warning. 
Tiguan Allspace 7-seater
An eye-catching SUV that gives the option of an additional two seats, making it an ideal car for growing families. With the rearmost seats folded flat, the luggage capacity increases by 145 litres to up to 760 litres. The Tiguan Allspace was literally designed to give families 'plenty of room for adventure'. And of course, one of our favourite features, an easy open sensor controlled boot so no more struggling with the keys and buys.
Renault Captur
A spacious family crossover with four models to choose from but with only five full seats it's only suitable for families with three or fewer children. Specs include washable seats, ISOFIX and for long car journeys, every passenger has their own storage space onboard. 
Kia Carens
A seven seater car boasting space for the whole family and your everyday gear with intelligent protection for the driver and all passengers. The Kia Caren has been awarded the prestigious five-star Euro NCAP award making it one of the safest cars to drive in Europe.
Renault Grand Scénic
The Renault Grand Scénic is a large family vehicle with 7 seats boasting the latest safety equipment, sophisticated design and technology. The interior is child-friendly, it has a roomy cabin and one of its top features is a tiredness detection alert making it perfect for long distance car journeys.
Ford S Max
One of the more popular MPVs for growing families here in Ireland. The S Max people carrier has ISOFIX+ 3 point seatbelts all round. Both the second and third row fold flat. It's one of the safest cars with an Intelligent Protection System (IPS) including an ultra-high-strength steel safety cage and airbags on all three rows for added protection.
Written by Kellie Kearney staff writer at FFHQ who also blogs at www.mylittlebabog.com.

Topics