The best estate cars – driven, rated and ranked

Best for: All-round ability

The BMW 3 Series Touring packs many of the 5 Series Touring's strengths into a more compact package. 

It continues to handle like a powerful, poised, rear-driven sports saloon no matter how hard you care to push it.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

Few estates at any price are as good to drive, the 3 Series' mix of agility, driver engagement and right-sized exterior making it feel at home on any meandering stretch of Tarmac. 

And while it rides a little firmer than some, the sense of solidity and excellent refinement mean it's also relaxing when you just want to mooch. 

The 3 Series also features a lavishly appointed and finished interior, while the boot will swallow 500 litres (or 410 litres in the PHEV) with the rear bench in place.

A facelift in 2022 mostly concerned the interior, where the 3 Series gained a massive curved screen but lost a lot of its physical controls. We’re no great fans of BMW’s latest iDrive operating system, but at least the presence of the signature rotary controller makes up for a lot.

The 3 Series also had its engine line-up slashed in the UK. The regular range now consists of a 2.0-litre petrol and a 2.0-litre PHEV, but you can still have a straight six petrol in the form of the M340i.

These are also joined by the magnificent 503bhp BMW M3 Touring, which has all the M3 super-saloon’s incredible pace and poise but an extra dose of practicality as well. And if you're after more blue-blooded perfromance, the 542bhp M3 CS Touring offers more hardcore thrills. 

Best for: Electric driving

There's a lot to like about the Volkswagen ID 7 Tourer, the German brand's first electric estate. 

The ID 7 is arguably the most rounded package in the class.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

It's one of the most well-rounded options for drivers with long commutes, boasting a range of over 400 miles and maximum charging speeds of 200kW. 

The ID 7 comes as standard with a single motor set-up producing 282bhp and 402lb ft of torque, topped by a 335bhp, four-wheel-drive GTX variant. 

It may be large and heavy, and it's not quite as sporty as a Tesla Model 3 or BMW i4 saloon, but the ID 7 is still one of the most well-rounded estates - and electric cars - on sale in the UK today. It feels agile, offers more than enough poke and grips well in the corners.

The ID 7 Tourer has a 545-litre boot - 13 litres bigger than the ID 7 saloon's – and that capacity rises to 1714 litres with the rear seats folded down,

Best for: Electric performance

The Porsche Taycan comes in three forms, two of which are estate-bodied: the Taycan Sport Turismo and Taycan Cross Turismo. 

The Cross Turismo transforms the Sport Turismo into a high-rise, all-surface wagon (while removing the option of a single-motor powertrain).

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

These models boast a 446-litre boot at the rear (increasing to 1212 litres with the seats folded flat) and an 81-litre frunk. 

Porsche offers several powertrain and battery combinations, starting with 429bhp and with a 0-62mph sprint of 4.8sec in the basic Taycan.

The line-up is topped by the Turbo S, which halves that time to just 2.4sec, thanks to a monumentally powerful 938bhp powertrain. 

Range is impressive on all versions, but for the best stamina, opt for the basic Taycan Sport Turismo, which will net you 421 miles. 

Best for: Economy

There was a time not that long ago when 'Toyota Corolla' was a byword for humdrum transport: it was durable and dependable but dynamically flat and devoid of charm.

The Corolla isn’t the hottest, most exciting or trendiest thing around, but there’s something very pleasingly fit for purpose about it.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

However, that all changed with the 12th-generation car, which features all the Corolla's traditional strengths but mixes in some style and a big dollop of driver appeal.

Thanks to the Toyota Next Generation Architecture, the Corolla is blessed with a fine ride and handling balance that makes it a genuine pleasure to steer down your favourite road and afford genuine comfort and refinement.

These days, the Corolla is always a petrol-electric hybrid, but you do have the choice of a 1.8-litre or 2.0-litre engine. The 1.8 can be incredibly frugal on congested roads, but the 2.0 might be the better option if you do a lot of motorway miles.

The interior isn’t quite up to premium standards, and the infotainment is fairly lacklustre, but there’s decent space and it’s robustly built. Likewise, the boot lacks some of the clever features of rivals, but it’s roomy enough and benefits from a low loading lip and a decent shape.

It's worth noting that the 1.8 has a slightly bigger boot, because its 12V battery can go under the bonnet, whereas the 2.0's has to live in the boot: 696 litres plays 581.

Best for: Mile-munching

After being taken off sale in a shift towards SUVs, Volvo’s enduring estates returned to the UK in the middle of 2024, and we're glad they did. 

The V60’s practicality features really impress me, but it is a shame that its 40/60 folding back seats are split for the benefit of left-hand-drive markets.

Matt Prior, Editor-at-large

Last year, the larger V90 was pulled for good, leaving the equally refined and very likeable V60 as the brand's only estate offering – but that’s no bad thing. 

The V60 can be had with either mild-hybrid petrol power or as a plug-in hybrid, with the latter producing 448bhp and offering up to 57 miles of all-electric range. 

Its relaxed dynamic person and long-distance gait also suits the V60 and makes it an ideal choice for those who cover big miles regularly. 

We've long been big fans of the V60's premium cabin and strong electric range, and its 519-litre boot can swallow more clobber than the BMW 3 Series Touring or Audi A5 Avant. 

This drops to 481 litres in the PHEV version, but that’s still more than you get than in the BMW 330e Touring.

Best for: Value

Is it an estate? Is it an MPV? Is it an SUV? It does have seven seats and a mildly raised ride height, but we reckon the Dacia Jogger is an estate - and a really good one too.

The Jogger is a product unlike any rival. An MPV/estate/crossover/SUV that’s both affordable and versatile enough to insert itself into myriad buying conversations and ownership scenarios.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

Given the rampant rise in the cost of living that we’ve experienced in the past few years, the Jogger is particularly welcome. It offers all the space and utility you need, including a genuinely usable third row of seats, for significantly less money than most standard hatchbacks.

And it’s not as if Jogger drivers have to give up a lot of creature comforts. Yes, the plastics are hard and there's no plush leather on the seats, but Dacia has grown very adept at brightening up its interiors with a strip of fabric here and a bit of faux knurled aluminium there without breaking the bank.

Go for one of the still very reasonably priced higher trims and you get heated seats, cruise control and sat-nav, as well as a touchscreen infotainment system that works more logically than a lot of fancier systems.

The Jogger offers lots of space for relatively little money in what is quite a cheery and pleasant package. It’s the opposite of a luxury car, but it’s hard not to like.

Best for: Opulence

Does the E-Class get any more convincing than in estate form? We do not think so because if a big Mercedes' role is to convey enviable comfort to the whole family, this is where you should spend your money. 

The E-Class has a clear goal: to be the bridge between the traditional executive saloon and the electric, ultra-connected cars of the near future.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

With the seats in place, there’s a healthy 615 litres of boot space, while dropping the 40/20/40-split folding rear bench liberates 1830 litres (although as with other cars here, the PHEV's version is smaller, at 460-1675 litres).

The cavernous, flat-floored load area is also well shaped, and there’s a low load lip and a powered tailgate, all of which make it easier to transport awkward items.

Higher trims get what Mercedes calls the Superscreen, which fuses a large central screen and a smaller screen for the passenger in a large expanse of black.

The E Class Estate has one of the more versatile powertrain line-ups in this list, with a choice of petrols, diesels and hybrids, but our pick of the range is the PHEV, with its 67 miles of electric range and softer suspension set-up. 

Best for: Power and performance

The latest BMW 5 Series arrived amid some controversy, losing its diesel engine in the UK and gaining the German brand's edgier new styling. 

A recorded 0-60mph time of 4.4sec makes the 550e 0.2sec quicker than the V10-hearted E60-generation M5. And we suspect this is also the first sub-M-car to sprint to 100mph in less than 10sec.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

The range now consists of petrols and BIK-friendly plug-in hybrids, starting with the 202bhp 520i.

The PHEVs offer more punch, ranging from 297bhp to 482bhp, hitting 0-62mph in as little as 4.4sec. That's supercar speed, plus you get 54 miles of electric range. Then there's the all-electric i5 Touring, which offers up to 592bhp and 348 miles of range. 

Practicality is still the 5 Series' strong suit, with a boot measuring 570 litres, which increases to 1700 litres with the rear seats folded flat. 

And if those hybrid powertrains aren't enough, there's also the seriously powerful (and seriously heavy) M5 Touring. That gets a hefty 717bhp and a 0-62mph sprint time of just 3.9sec, plus around 40 miles of electric-only range.