Best compact estate cars

With its sloped roof, raked forward tailgate and Asian-inspired headlights, the Ford Focus Estate is a sporty take on the compact estate car. Along with its attractive aesthetic, this popular drive comfortably fits five passengers and offers ample legroom and sufficient headroom.

Available as a five-door hatchback or Estate, the Seat Leon is a strong choice for growing families. Its boot size is slightly small for its class (estate), but it makes up for this with its passenger space, Euro NCAP five-star safety rating and impressive interior technology.

With its classic MINI features and quality build, the MINI Clubman is a practical family car that’s good to look at and fun to drive. The boot is small for its class, but it’s reliable, comfy and reasonably efficient. Compared to other MINI models, it’s also a lot more composed on poor road surfaces.

With its compact design, the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer isn’t the most spacious in its class, but it still offers plenty of legroom and headroom and litres of space in the boot. Its engine range is excellent, the brakes are strong and it’s reasonably economical to drive.

With its huge boot and sharp exterior, the Skoda Octavia is a family-friendly drive. It’s available in a five-door hatchback or estate and offers low running costs and a comfortable and practical drive. Newer models also feature upgraded cabins and up-to-date infotainment systems.

It’s not quite as stylish as the hatchback, but the Volkswagen Golf Estate is a comfortable and compact estate car that’s great for families. Available with all the same engines as the hatchback, it’s cheap to run, good to drive and offers both a spacious rear and generous boot size.

Comfortable and refined, the Mercedes CLA is a good-looking, compact estate car that packs a punch when it comes to tech and safety features. It’s beautifully built, agile to drive and spacious inside. It’s no surprise then that top-spec models can prove rather pricey.

With its roomy cabin and futuristic design, the Audi A6 Avant is a practical car with plenty of high-tech features. On the road, it feels relaxing to drive thanks to its light steering and large windows, and there’s ample space inside for both passengers and luggage.

Stylish to look at and brilliant to drive, the Jaguar XF Sportbrake is both practical and polished. Available in a wide range of engines, it offers ample safety features and its smart interiors are comfortable for both driver and passengers. However, its reliability record could be better.

With its classy design and minimalist aesthetics, the Volvo V90 is an eye-catching car that’s comfortable and affordable. Designed with an array of technology to improve safety on the road, it features roomy interiors with enough space to comfortably seat four adults.