10 best cars with big boots
December 02, 2022 by carwow staff
Need a car that’ll shift loads of luggage, want to pamper your pooches with acres of space or in love with a sport that needs lots of bulky kit? Then you need a car with a big boot.
All the cars here are generously booted, but we’ve chosen a mix of cars to suit a variety of needs and budgets.
It’s worth highlighting at an early stage, though, that not all big boots are created equal: the shape of a cargo compartment is almost as important as its outright volume, for one thing, while handy features like tie-down hooks and boot-mounted rear-seat releases can also make a car easier to live with.
There’s also the small matter of how a boot is measured: manufacturers typically quote two figures for a boot’s volume, one for when all seats are in place, and one for when the rear seats are folded down. If the car is a seven-seater the data will be boot size with all seats in place; with the rearmost pair folded down; and with both rear rows folded. Cars on this list with seven seats are given two figures for ‘seats up’ configuration, with the first number being for the volume when all seven seats are in place, and the second for when five seats are up.
There’s also the small matter that some car makers measure up to the top of a car’s parcel shelf, and some assume you’ll be loading the vehicle right to the ceiling. All of the figures here are for up to the parcel shelf unless stated otherwise, as it’s fair to say this is how most of us use out boots, most of the time.
Now we’ve got that out of the way, here’s carwow’s guide to the best cars with big boots.
- Skoda Superb Estate
- Mercedes E-Class Estate
- BMW X7
- Audi Q7
- Mercedes GLS
- Range Rover
- Kia Sorento
- Tesla Model S
- Peugeot 5008
- SsangYong Rexton
1. Skoda Superb Estate
- Boot space seats up: 660 litres
- Boot space seats down: 1,950 litres
It’s impossible to write a guide for ‘the best cars with big boots’ and overlook Skoda Superb Estate with its warehouse-like 660-litre load bay. The Skoda looks great and has a smart cabin, with easy-to-use infotainment and acres of rear-seat legroom.
It’s available with a strong range of engines – including a new petrol-electric hybrid – it’s just a shame that it doesn’t feel quite as posh as the mechanically identical VW Passat. Your pick of the lot for town driving is the 1.5-litre petrol, though you’re best with the 2.0-litre diesel if you’re on the motorway often.
2. Mercedes E-Class Estate
- Boot space seats up: 640 litres
- Boot space seats down: 1,820 litres
The Mercedes E-Class Estate has just been freshened up for 2020 with revised looks, improved infotainment and a range of new hybrid engines. What hasn’t changed, though, is its enormous 640-litre boot, which means the E-Class should be top of your list if you want a classy load-lugger that isn’t an SUV.
Inside, you’ll find a luxurious design that would look perfectly at home in the range-topping S-Class, it’s just a shame the back seat isn’t as spacious as in some alternatives.
3. BMW X7
- Boot space seats up: 326/750 litres (seven/five seats up)
- Boot space all rear seats down: 2,210 litres
Say what you want about the BMW X7 and that grille, but you can’t deny it’s practical. Even carrying seven people, the X7 has a 320-litre load bay – about what you get in a small family car – and that swells to 750 litres when you fold away the third row.
Everything else about the X7 is classic modern BMW: it’s great inside, has a brilliant range of engines and is surprisingly agile for such a huge car. Some might say it has a face only a mother could love. What do you think?
4. Audi Q7
- Boot space seats up: 295/770 litres
- Boot space seats down: 2,050 litres
If you need to shift people and (lots of) stuff without drawing too much attention to yourself, then you won’t go far wrong with the Audi Q7. Even with seven people aboard it has space for some luggage, but with just five seats in place, you get a whopping 865 litres.
And that’s enough for pretty much any load. The Audi has space for five tall adults and you’ll all be impressed by how quiet and comfortable it is on long journeys. It also feels very well built, but it’s a shame the car’s new infotainment system is so fiddly to use.
5. Mercedes GLS
- Boot space seats up: 470/890 litres
- Boot space seats down: 2,400 litres
The Mercedes GLS is another huge SUV with a massive boot. Its load bay offers 470 litres of luggage capacity even with seven seats in place and – unlike a lot of other big SUVs – all its seven seats are suitable for adults. As you’d expect, its 330hp diesel engine offers effortless performance and the smooth-shifting automatic gearbox complements its comfortable air suspension.
It looks very posh inside too, but poke about a bit and you’ll find materials that feel quite out of place in a Mercedes.
6. Range Rover
- Boot space seats up: 212/857 litres
- Boot space seats down: 2,050 litres
All the large SUVs up until now owe their existence to the Range Rover – the original big, plush offroader, which combines a luxuriously appointed interior with a mammoth boot and space for five, or seven if you go for the extended wheelbase version we quote figures for here.
It feels stately with a driving position that’s yet to be bettered and suspension that soaks up anything the UK’s roads can throw at it. It offers a range of powerful engines and incredible off-road ability, although it never feels particularly agile on-road. The latest Range Rover is about as refined and palatial as you can get this side of a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, though it now comes with six-figure pricetag.
7. Kia Sorento
- Boot space seats up: 616 litres
- Boot space seats down: 1,996 litres
The Kia Sorento acts as a barometer for how far Kia has risen over the past 30 years. It’s gone from budget to mainstream and, in the Sorento, gets close to nudging into premium territory. It’s comfortable to drive and is a favourite for towing caravans thanks to its punchy diesel engine and standard four-wheel-drive system.
Okay, with seven aboard its boot isn’t much use for anything other than a few bags of shopping, but fold down the third row and the resulting 616-litre load bay should be up to anything you can throw at it.
8. Tesla Model S
- Boot space seats up: 894 litres (including front storage)
- Boot space seats down: 1,7,95 litres
We all know the Tesla Model S is a seriously quick electric car, capable of travelling further than any other EV on a charge, and that owning one grants you access to the company’s excellent Supercharger network. But did you know it also has a load of luggage space? It has 894 litres worth – 150 of which is found in the ‘frunk’ where you’d usually expect to see an engine.
That along with its decent passenger space and excellent infotainment is why the Model S was the first truly viable family EV, so it’s a shame some of the interior quality doesn’t live up to the price tag
9. Peugeot 5008
- Boot space seats up: 167/780 litres
- Boot space seats down: 1,940 litres
The Peugeot 5008 is proof that a boring family car doesn’t have to be, well, boring. It’s striking on the outside and even more eye-catching on the inside, where you’ll find a sculpted design with two large infotainment screens sporting slick graphics.
Okay, with seven aboard the boot is small but that’s par for the course in an SUV this size, fold the third row away, though, and you’re left with a 780-litre boot. The Peugeot’s easy to drive and cheap to run but given that the boot’s so big, it’s odd that rear passenger space is no better than average.
10. SsangYong Rexton
- Boot space seats up: 240/ 820 litres
- Boot space seats down: 1,806 litres
Okay, so it’s fair to say the Rexton isn’t our favourite SUV – it’s not the sharpest car to drive, and its acceleration feels a little slow compared to rivals – but it has two key things up its sleeve.
First, it’s affordable for a full-size SUV, with a starting price of under £40,000. Second, which you may be able to guess given its inclusion on this list, is the fact it has a massive boot, which can fit
Cars with big boots FAQs
What is the cheapest car with the biggest boot?
The Skoda Superb Estate is both relatively affordable and has a vast load bay, while the smaller Skoda Octavia is also impressively spacious. Also consider the Dacia Jogger, which can carry seven people, or take 213 litres of cargo with all seats up, 712 litres with five seats up, and 1,807 with all five rear seats down.
Which small car has the biggest boot?
The Volkswagen Polo has an impressive 355-litre boot, as does the SEAT Ibiza.
Which estate car has the biggest boot?
That honour goes to the Skoda Superb, details of which you can find at the top of this rundown.
Which SUV has the biggest boot?
Take a look at the numbers for the Mercedes GLS above, and you’ll see that even with seven seats up, it’s an impressively roomy machine.
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