Best family cars for £20,000

A reader recently contacted us for What Car?'s help in choosing their next family car.

Dear What Car?,

I've recently moved back home to Barnsley, and I want a smart but reliable family car. It needs to have enough space for my two children, and be comfortable enough for extended motorway journeys when we visit my parents on the coast. My budget is around £20,000 – can you help?

Albert

The brief:1. Family car 2.Strong reliability 3. Petrol engine (based on your brief, this would seem to be the best option) 4. Less than £20,000

Let's take a look at the options:

Skoda Octavia 1.5 TSI EVO SE

List price: £20,425 - What Car? Target Price: £18,612

This Skoda Octavia is our reigning Family Car of the Year, because very little else matches it for space or practicality. It's also reliable, finishing ninth in its class in our latest Reliability Survey with a reliability score of 95.5%.

This version of the Octavia comes with a 1.5-litre petrol engine, and it's our pick of the range. With 148bhp on offer it should have more than enough punch for both town and motorway driving, and it should be reasonably economical too. Our favourite trim is SE, which gets you rear parking sensors, a front centre armrest and dual-zone climate control as well as cruise control – all useful in making those longer journeys easier.

This version of the Octavia would normally cost you £20,425, putting it slightly out of budget but, as always, What Car? New Car Buying can lower that price for you. Our latest Target Price deals bring it down to a far more palatable £18,612, and our approved dealers could save you even more if you ask for a quote.

Alternatively, if you're buying on a PCP finance deal, expect to pay around £213 per month, based on a 15% deposit and an annual mileage limit of 10,000.

What are the other options?

Honda Civic 1.0 VTEC Turbo SR

List price: £20,945 - What Car? Target Price deal: £19,338

While the Honda Civic Type R is our favourite hot hatchback at the moment, the regular Civic makes a very compelling family car, being decent to drive and offering a big boot. This version comes in SR trim, which is our pick, and gets you automatic wipers and a reversing camera among other things.

Anything else?

Volkswagen Golf 1.5 TSI EVO SE 5dr

List price: £21,615 - Best What Car? deal: £19,795

You can't go far wrong with a Volkswagen Golf – that's why it's consistently one of the most popular new cars in the UK. It's brilliant to drive and competitively priced, and this SE version comes with Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity, automatic lights and wipers and even adaptive cruise control.

What about used options?:

2017 Audi A3 Sportback 1.4 TFSI Sport

Price: £17,995 - Mileage: 11,600

We’ve sung the praise of this generation of A3 on numerous occasions; first in 2013 when the A3 took the overall What Car? Car of the Year trophy and, more recently, when it won the best family car title in our 2019 Used Car of the Year awards.

It keeps winning because of its strong equipment levels, fine driving dynamics and high-quality interior. What’s more, you don’t even need the full budget to get yourself into a year old example in our favoured Sport guise. You can also travel to the coast quickly and efficiently because our 2017, 11,600-mile example has the 1.4-litre petrol engine with a hearty 148bhp and cylinder on demand technology that cuts fuel consumption by using only two cylinders when you're cruising along.

Any other used options?:

2017 Seat Leon 1.4 EcoTSI 150 FR Technology

Price: £14,000 - Mileage: 12,385

We have another award winner in the Seat Leon, which took the 2018 Used Car of the Year title because it offered so much for so little money. It’s not as classy or as well equipped as the A3, but this 2017 FR Technology example has covered 12,385 miles and still has sat-nav, cruise control and LED headlights for just £14,000.

Any other used options?:

2017 Vauxhall Astra 1.4T 16V 150 SRi

Price: £12,127 - Mileage: 15,756

If it’s a bargain you’re wanting, you really have to take a look at the Vauxhall Astra. This year-old Astra has 15,000 miles and comes with cruise control, automatic lights and wipers, front armrest and front electric windows. It isn’t as economical as the Leon or A3, but since it costs significantly less to begin with, this isn’t such a big issue.

FINAL VERDICT

This was a close-run competition between some very tempting family cars. The Skoda Octavia has the pedigree of being our reigning Family Car of the Year and one of the most spacious cars we've ever tested.

It's trumped in this case, however, by the used Audi A3, not least because you can step up to a premium badge and enjoy one of the finest interiors ever fitted to a family car. And the A3 should be a reliable choice, too – it finished with a score of 93.6% in our latest Reliability Survey. Diesel-engined versions of the A3 scored even higher, coming second in our rankings.

With its smooth and economical engine, high-quality and spacious interior and plenty of equipment, there's little beating the A3 for quality family transport – especially at this price point. Our recommendation this time, then, is to buy used. A one year-old Audi A3 for £17,000 is a total bargain.