As Christmas approaches and the Government relaxes Covid-19 restrictions so we can go and stay with Granny and Grandpa for a few days, we’re all starting to work out how much luggage we’re going to take with us based on the boot space available.
If your car boot isn’t big enough then perhaps it’s time to upgrade with an emphasis on carrying capacity.
Here’s our list of the cars with the biggest boots split by the type of car. And to get an early disclaimer in, we’ve not looked at cars that are based on vans, because the line gets very blurry when you look at vans that have five (or more) seats.
Hatchback
If you want the biggest booted five-door, five-seat hatchback, then the Skoda Superb is the car for you. At 625 litres the Superb is the king of this class. Skodas are famed for their practicality and the Superb also has bags of rear seat knee room so you’ll not only be able to carry all your Christmas clobber, but also five adults in comfort. Prices start from £24,855 for the 1.5TSI 150hp SE manual.
Five-seat SUV
Those looking for a five-seat SUV to tackle the Christmas getaway, then the Volkswagen Touareg can’t be beaten for carrying capacity with its 810-litre boot. The Touareg is also a proper off-roader so you’ll not be wanting for grip should conditions turn slippery. Prices start from £45,960 for the 3.0 V6 TDI 4Motion diesel automatic.
Seven-seat SUV
If you need to carry six or seven away for Christmas plus their luggage, then there’s little this side of a minibus that will do the job well without adding a roofbox (see below) because the third row of seats always means there’s a smaller boot than a vehicle with just five seats. However, your best option is the Toyota Land Cruiser. With all seven seats in place, the boot is 380 litres, or the same size as the boot in a VW Golf.
The Land Cruiser is also famed for its reliability and off-road prowess. Prices start from £44,265 for the seven-seat Land Cruiser Active with a 240hp 2.8-litre diesel engine.
Saloon
While the popularity of traditional four-door saloons may be in decline, there are still plenty to choose from. In this case the saloon with the biggest boot is the Volkswagen Passat at 586 litres. There are bigger saloons in terms of overall length, such as the Audi A8, but these favour better cabin space over boot space. Prices for the Passat saloon start from £27,715 for the 1.5-litre TSI EVO petrol manual version.
Estate
Believe it or not, but there are two estate cars on sale today that take the ‘biggest boot’ title. The Skoda Superb, which is also the biggest hatchback, and the Peugeot 308 SW have a 660-litre boot. While the Superb is clearly the larger car overall, we’d have to favour the 308 SW for its price advantage. Pricing for the 308 SW starts at £22,260 for the Active Premium trim level version with a 1.2-litre 110hp petrol engine.
Alternative choices
Dipping briefly back into the world of van-derived cars if you need to carry five and have the maximum boot capacity just take a look at the ‘cars’ based on vans such as the Ford Transit Custom or in the size below the Citroen Berlingo. For instance, the Citroen Berlingo can be bought as a car with five seats and windows yet still has a 1050-litre boot; just search for the version carrying the Multispace XL badge.
And for those that don’t want to drive around in large car for the other 50 weeks of the year when you don’t need a massive boot, here’s a (relatively) low-cost alternative; buy a roofbox.
In fact, even those of us who own an estate car often find that the boot alone isn’t big enough for Christmas trips and holidays – particularly if it’s already full of dogs – and a roofbox is the only sensible answer this side of fitting a towbar and buying a trailer.
Keyword: Christmas getaway: Five cars with the best present-carrying capacity