Guide
How to choose a 7-seater
The checks that tell you whether a 7-seater will work for your family, from who fits in the third row to towing limits and which fuel types come with seven seats.
How to choose a 7-seater comes down to a few questions: who sits in the third row and how often, how much luggage goes in with every seat in use, how many child seats you need to fit, and which fuel suits your driving. Answer those before you look at prices, because a car that seats seven on paper can still be wrong for your family.
1. Who will sit in the third row?
Third rows range from adult-sized to child-only. We label every model from what independent reviewers found, from "adults" down to "children", and many 7-seat SUVs are rated for children only. If adults or tall teenagers will use the back row often, start with our guide to 7-seaters with the most third-row space. If the extra seats are for occasional school runs, a smaller, cheaper car may do.
2. How easy is it to get into the back?
Check how far the middle row slides and tips, whether a button does it for you, and which side you climb in from. In the Hyundai Santa Fe, a button on the middle seat powers it forward. In the Chery Tiggo 8, Auto Express says the easier way in is from the driver's side, and in the seven-seat Jaecoo 8 you clamber over the folded middle row. Sliding side doors make access easier still, and our list of 7-seaters with sliding doors covers every model that has them.
3. Boot space with all seven seats up
With every seat in use, boots range from a few dozen litres in the smallest 7-seaters to more than 1,000 litres in the biggest van-based people carriers. If you will often carry seven people and their luggage together, this is the figure to compare. Our 7-seater boot space comparison ranks every model and explains why makers' figures differ.
4. Isofix and child seats
Two Isofix points, on the outer middle-row seats, is the most common layout. If you need three child seats, check where the points are: some cars count the front passenger seat, and only a few take three seats across one row. Our guide to 7-seaters with three Isofix points lists them and explains the law.
5. SUV or people carrier?
A 7-seat SUV looks less like a family bus, but reviewers are far more likely to rate a people carrier's third row as fit for adults, and van-based MPVs fill the top of our boot table. Many people carriers also have sliding doors. Compare both on our 7-seater SUVs and 7-seater MPVs and people carriers pages.
6. Fuel: check the seven-seat versions
Petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric 7-seaters are all on sale, but the version you want may not have seven seats. The plug-in hybrid BMW X5, Skoda Kodiaq, Volkswagen Tayron and Mercedes-Benz GLE are five-seaters only, as are the electric Citroen e-C3 Aircross and Vauxhall Frontera Electric. Our lists only count fuels offered with seven seats: see hybrid 7-seaters, plug-in hybrid 7-seaters and electric 7-seater cars.
7. Towing
Braked towing limits vary widely, sometimes within one model: carwow says the Peugeot 5008 plug-in hybrid can tow 1,300kg, but the Hybrid 145 is limited to 750kg. If you tow a caravan or a horsebox, check the figure for the exact engine. These are the highest limits in our data:
| No. | Model | Towing | Fuel | Price from | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Audi Q7SUV · seven seats | 3,500kg | Diesel, mild hybrid | £81,665 | |
| 01 | BMW X5SUV · five or seven seats | 3,500kg | Petrol, diesel, mild hybrid | Not published | |
| 01 | BMW X7SUV · six or seven seats | 3,500kg | Petrol, diesel, mild hybrid | £93,280 | |
| 01 | KGM RextonSUV · seven seats | 3,500kg | Diesel | £42,615 | |
| 01 | Land Rover DiscoverySUV · seven seats | 3,500kg | Diesel, mild hybrid | £69,540 | |
| 01 | Mercedes-Benz GLSSUV · seven seats | 3,500kg | Diesel | £99,995 | |
| 01 | Land Rover Range Rover LWBSUV · five or seven seats | 3,500kg | Petrol, diesel, mild hybrid | £122,140 | |
| 08 | Land Rover Defender 110SUV · five, six or seven seats | 3,495kg | Diesel | Not published |
8. Size and parking
7-seaters run from compact models under 4.4 metres long to SUVs and people carriers well over 5 metres. Measure your garage or parking space, and remember that mirrors add width. Our car size comparison tool shows up to three models to scale, and our small 7-seater cars list starts with the shortest.
9. Budget, new or used
The cheapest new 7-seater we track is the Dacia Jogger, from £18,995. Our cheap 7-seater cars list covers everything up to £35,000. If you are happy to buy used, our used 7-seaters section covers people carriers no longer sold new, such as the Ford Galaxy and Volkswagen Sharan.
10. Check the crash-test rating and its date
Euro NCAP makes its tests tougher every few years, so look at the year next to the stars as well as the stars themselves. Some 7-seaters have no rating at all: Auto Express says Euro NCAP has not tested the Jaecoo 8 or the KGM Rexton. Others score poorly: Euro NCAP gave the Dacia Jogger one star in 2021.
How to choose a 7-seater: the short version
- Sit in the third row yourself, with the middle row where its passengers need it.
- Compare boot space with all seven seats up, not just the maximum.
- Check where the Isofix points are, and fit your own child seats.
- Make sure the fuel type you want comes with seven seats.
- Check the towing limit and crash-test rating for the exact version.
When you have a shortlist, put up to three cars side by side with our 7-seater comparison tool.
