A capacious and practical boot is a high priority for many car buyers. These are the models that can haul the biggest loads...
- Cars that can carry 10 suitcases
- Audi Q7
- Hyundai Santa Fe
- Kia Sorento
- Mercedes E-Class Estate
- Peugeot 5008
- Range Rover
- Range Rover Velar
- Skoda Octavia
- Tesla Model 3
- Tesla Model Y
- Volkswagen Touareg
- Volvo XC90
Whether you’re a car boot sale fanatic, a habitual Ikea shopper or a parent with loads of child paraphernalia to transport, you know the importance of having a big boot. Size is hard to judge, though; just because a car has a footprint bigger than Sasquatch’s, doesn’t mean it’ll swallow a Louis Vuitton luggage set.
So, to find out exactly how much a model’s boot can take, we do much more than compare boot volume in litres; we also cram in as many carry-on suitcases as we can. We use the space up to the load cover in hatchbacks, SUVs and MPVs, and seven-seaters are tested in five-seat mode (in other words, with the third row of seats folded down). Our cases are 560 x 350 x 230mm.
As you’d expect, many of the cars with the most useful boots are fairly large, but some small cars and small SUVs also did surprisingly well in our suitcase test. We’ve listed those separately at the end of our round-up of the best load luggers.
Cars that can carry 10 suitcases
Audi Q7
Boot size 770 litres
The Q7 has long been one of the best luxury SUVs you can buy because it’s comfortable, quiet and surprisingly agile for a seven-seat SUV.
When it’s in five-seat mode, the boot is cavernous enough to accommodate a couple of pushchairs or other large items below the tonneau cover. There are four fastening points that can be used to stop objects from sliding around, and there’s a small storage cubby on one side.
When the rearmost pair of seats are in use, the boot halves in size, but it can still take a couple of our suitcases and offers more room than a Land Rover Discovery.
If you desire pace as well as space, the SQ7 sports SUV version is just as roomy.
Hyundai Santa Fe
Boot size 571 litres
The latest Santa Fe is our reigning Seven seater of the Year, because it has space for seven adults and a huge boot, and it’s great value for money. Even though its boot is smaller than the previous generation model’s, it still swallowed 10 of our carry-on suitcases, matching the tally of the larger Audi Q7 luxury SUV.
With all seven seats in use, it has more room behind them than the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Peugeot 5008, and there are buttons in the boot to fold the third-row seats down electrically.
Although there is only minimal underfloor storage space, the boot has a low loading lip and flat floor, and is equipped with a 12-volt power socket.
Kia Sorento
Boot size 608 litres
The Sorento is a practical load-lugger that can transport seven people in comfort. There’s hardly any boot lip to lift heavy items over and the large load area is a useful square shape, with recesses for extra width at the back.
A couple of carry-on suitcases will fit behind the third-row seats when they’re in use. The hybrid Sorento has a small underfloor storage compartment that can be used with the third seat row raised or lowered. The batteries for the plug-in hybrid version take up that space, so it has a little less capacity overall.
It’s also worth noting that the rival Hyundai Santa Fe and Peugeot 5008 can carry just as many cases but cost less.
Mercedes E-Class Estate
Boot size 640 litres
The classy, spacious and well-equipped E-Class Estate has been a staple of luxury family motoring for more than 20 years. Its large, square boot can swallow eight carry-on cases, with room for two more in the underfloor storage compartment.
Useful features include bag hooks and a foldable crate for smaller items. The rear seats fold 40/20/40, so long items can be carried without lowering all the seatbacks, and there are buttons in the boot and on the rear doors to fold down the seatbacks electrically.
The performance-focused Mercedes AMG E63 Estate has the same carrying capacity, but the E300de plug-in hybrid version has a much smaller boot.
Peugeot 5008
Boot size 952 litres
Designed with families in mind, the 5008 has plenty of boot space. In fact, it easily outdoes rivals such as the Mazda CX-5 and Skoda Kodiaq in that respect.
It’s a seven-seater as standard, but with the two rearmost seats folded into the floor, the boot has flat sides with no wheel-arch intrusion and lots of height from the floor to the tonneau cover. Access is good, too, because the opening is low and there’s no lip to negotiate to get heavy items stowed.
If you opt for a 5008 in a higher trim level, you get a tailgate that will open when you waggle your foot under the rear bumper – handy when you have your hands full.
Range Rover
Boot size 818 litres (measured to the roof)
The latest Range Rover is bigger, pricier and more lavishly equipped than ever. It’s available in standard length or long wheelbase (LWB) form, and the longer version can be had with seven seats – a first for a Range Rover. That third row is pretty roomy, albeit not quite as accommodating as the BMW X7’s.
You get the same vast boot on all Range Rover models, including the LWB and plug-in hybrid. An electrically operated two-piece tailgate is standard, and the bottom section can be used as a seat when you’re parked up. There’s also the option to add a fold-up section to the boot floor that can act as either a backrest or a divider for luggage.
Range Rover Velar
Boot size 513 litres
The Velar fits neatly between Land Rover’s entry-level Evoque and the larger Range Rover Sport in the brand’s line-up, but it beats both for boot space. It also outdoes two key rivals – the BMW X4 and the Porsche Macan – both of which can take eight carry-on suitcases.
The boot floor is fairly high up, but you can opt for a model with air suspension that will lower the car when it’s parked. An electrically operated tailgate is standard, or you can add a remote opening function that works when you wave your foot under the back of the vehicle. The Velar P400e plug-in hybrid has a bit less boot space because of the battery under the floor.
Boot size 513 litres Suitcases 10
Skoda Octavia
Boot size 640 litres
It’s no wonder the Octavia has been Skoda’s best-selling model since it was launched in 1998: it has a smart, roomy interior and a range of frugal engines. It doesn’t just dwarf its family
hatchback rivals for boot space; it also puts larger cars to shame, and there are bag hooks and two small compartments in its boot to contain clutter. There’s a big load lip that could make it harder to load heavy items, though, and the hatchback doesn’t have an adjustable boot floor. If this is an issue, consider the Octavia Estate, although that version actually takes one less carry-on suitcase.
The plug-in hybrid iV loses some boot space but still beats equivalent rivals.
Tesla Model 3
Boot size 649 litres (including front boot)
One of the advantages electric cars have over petrol and diesel models is that the absence of an engine means many have a front boot under the bonnet, plus more interior space.
Tesla’s smallest model isn’t much bigger than a BMW 3 Series, but it’s much roomier inside and has two boots, plus a big underfloor compartment in the one at the rear. Together, they give you more carrying capacity than in other executive saloons and many electric rivals, including the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Polestar 2.
On the minus side, the Model 3 is a saloon, so it doesn’t have a usefully wide hatchback boot opening.
Tesla Model Y
Boot size 971 litres (up to the rear screen and including front boot)
Think of the Model Y as the gym-buddy alter ego of the Tesla Model 3. It’s an electric SUV that’s bulkier than the Model 3 and a rival to the BMW iX3.
Its boot is large and the opening is wide enough for a large pushchair. A parcel shelf to keep valuables out of sight costs extra, but there’s a smaller front boot for more luggage. The Model Y didn’t take any more cases than the Model 3 when we tested it up to where the parcel shelf would be, but its hatchback opening makes it easier to load.
All Model Ys have an electric tailgate that can be opened and closed using the car’s touchscreen, a phone app or by pressing a button on the back of the car.
Volkswagen Touareg
Boot size 810 litres
The Touareg shares its underpinnings with the huge Audi Q7 luxury SUV, so it’s no surprise that it has one of the largest boots in its class. Unlike the Q7, it’s not available as a seven-seater, but its second seating row slides back and forth so you can decide whether to prioritise cargo space or leg room for your passengers. The seats also split 40/20/40, making it easier to load long or awkward items into the car alongside people.
The load area is a good, square shape, and there’s no lip to lift your luggage over. Although the boot floor isn’t too high off the ground for an SUV, you can opt for a model with air suspension that lowers the car when it’s parked.
Volvo XC90
Boot size 775 litres
Volvo’s flagship SUV is big, luxurious and practical, and comes with seven seats as standard. The boot area is wide, with no intrusions, and it’s one of the longest in its class, so you can stow some larger items without folding down any of the three middle-row seats. Those seats slide back and forth independently, adding to the XC90’s versatility.
There’s no load lip to negotiate to lift heavy items into the boot, and the opening is large. With all seven seats in place, there’s enough room for only a couple of carry-on suitcases in the boot, but there’s an underfloor stowage cubby in most models (the T8 plug-in hybrid loses this to the battery).
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Keyword: The cars with the biggest boots