The coolest family cars you can buy - pictures

£1,000-£3,000: Saab no longer exists, but its cars were always a left-field choice compared to a BMW or Mercedes. The interiors were always a bit different, too, and all had a ‘Night Panel’ button that dimmed all the dashboard lights b

£3,000-£5,000: Space for all the family and cool looks; there aren’t many seven-seat SUVs that offer such a combination, but the Volvo XC90 manages it. The interior feels plush and even adults will be comfortable in the rearmost s

£3,000-£5,000: The styling and interior were revolutionary at the time, but the BMW 5 Series Touring has aged really well. We’d choose one of the punchy diesels, as even these offered up to 278bhp. One thing to note: with a 5 Series of

£3,000-£5,000: The World Rally Championship may not be in its heyday any more, but the Subaru Impreza will always have a place in our hearts. Most come with a thirsty 2.5-litre petrol engine and four-wheel drive, while examples in the

£5,000-£10,000: The Skoda Octavia vRS holds its value really well, but you can still find examples of the outgoing generation with reasonable mileage for under £10,000. Like the Focus ST above, you’ve got a choice of hatchback or estat

£5,000-£10,000: It’s remarkable that you can buy the previous 3 Series for under £10,000. A quick search brings up plenty of choice of spec and engine size, and our pick would be a Touring estate with the 320d diesel engine in M Sport

£10,000-£15,000: No-nonsense SUVs have their appeal, and the Dacia Duster offers more than most. Using plenty of Renault parts, you get a surprising amount of car for your money, and even a capable four-wheel-drive version can be had f

£10,000-£15,000: The outgoing Volkswagen Golf GTI can be easily picked up for under £15,000. For that price, you can buy a car that’s barely five years old, and some even come with the optional Performance Pack that boosts power to 227

£15,000-£20,000: The Peugeot 208’s recent transformation was huge. It’s now among the best superminis on sale, for its mix of style, equipment and economy, and for super-low running costs there’s also an e-208 electric version.

£15,000-£20,000: It may be heavily based on the Mercedes E-Class, but the swoopy CLS manages to be much cooler - although it sacrifices some of the practicality of the E-Class. The range of petrol and diesel engines are powerful but sh

£20,000-£25,000: Our favourite hot hatchback is not a 400bhp rocketship, but a ‘warmer’ version of the UK’s best-selling car. The latest Ford Fiesta ST is one of the most fun cars on sale right now, and there’s space for four adults an

£20,000-£25,000: It seems strange that a Kia could be considered a rival for the Audi A5 Sportback and a BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, but the Stinger is a cool choice because it’s not the default option. It has attractive styling, ple

£25,000-£30,000: Most small SUVs are trendy, but the Toyota C-HR has much bolder looks than any of its contemporaries. You could also mistake it for a coupe, so you can have family motoring without giving up on style.

£30,000-£40,000: The Volvo V60 is already one of our favourite mid-size estate cars, and the Cross Country version adds off-road ability and extra ground clearance to make it even cooler. Like the regular V60, the Cross Country ha

£30,000-£40,000: The latest Ford Focus ST is one of the best hot hatches, with superb handling, a 2.3-litre engine with 276bhp, and a 5.7-second 0-62mph time. Ford sells a diesel version too - and there’s also a super-practical es

£30,000-£40,000: It may be the car of choice for celebrities and footballers, but there are fewer cooler cars than a Range Rover. There’s no other car that offers such a blend of luxury, presence and go-anywhere ability. While most own

£40,000-£70,000: You’ve a choice if you’re after a luxury electric SUV, but the Jaguar I-Pace is our pick. It’s a curious mix of hatchback and SUV, but the electric powertrain offers well over 200 miles of range in real driving. The I-

£40,000-£70,000: The Q8 isn’t as practical as the Audi Q7 on which it’s based, but manages to look much sportier. Much of the interior is shared with the Audi A8, so there’s plenty of technology.

£40,000-£70,000: Tesla was arguably the first company to make electric cars cool, and the Model 3 is its first crack at a more affordable car. It costs about the same as a well-specced BMW 3 Series, but accelerates much quicker; e

£70,000 and above: The Porsche Panamera is hugely improved, and the Sport Turismo estate is even more appealing. While there’s very little extra storage space, the wider-opening tailgate and the increased headroom are handy. All versio

£70,000 and above: The BMW M5 is the ultimate sports saloon, providing impeccable luxury with searing performance. A 4.4-litre engine produces up to 616bhp, giving you a 0-62mph time of just 3.3 seconds. But it’s not just a point-

£70,000 and above: The Bentley Flying Spur is now the company’s flagship saloon. It’s incredibly opulent and the price reflects that. Because it’s based on the latest Bentley Continental GT, the Flying Spur is even reasonably good

£70,000 and above: The range-topping 750bhp Taycan Turbo S may be appealing, but you won’t feel like you missed out in the entry-level (and £55,000 cheaper) 4S. It still has up to 563bhp, and offers a range of up to 287 miles.

£70,000 and above: Fast estates are always cool, and the Audi RS4 provides exciting performance and plenty of space for pushchairs or the family dog. The latest RS4 is much better to drive and four-wheel drive means you don’t have