Looking to buy a new car in 2025? Should you go electric, or stick with diesel? What about hybrid power? Do you need seven seats? Or do you want to find a good home for that Christmas bonus and really treat yourself? Well, look no further – here, we present our recommendations for the motoring year 2025.
What should I buy in 2025 if I need ... a seven-seater?
Then buy ... A Dacia Jogger Hybrid
Honestly, there’s just nothing better in the seven-seat world than a Jogger. For just over €30,000 in hybrid form, and less than that if a plain old petrol engine will do the trick, the Jogger offers genuine seven usable seats, a big boot when the rearmost seats are folded down, and surprisingly pleasant driving dynamics. OK, so it’s no GTI to drive, but did you expect it to be? More importantly, it’s comfortable, easy-going, and in hybrid form very economical. Reliable too – Dacia’s seem to always perform well in big reliability surveys. Safe, though? Well, Euro NCAP got all sniffy about the Jogger’s lack of expensive electronic safety aids, but when it comes to actually protecting you in a crash, the Jogger does just fine. The slightly small middle-row seats are best suited to children, but the seats in the boot are amazingly roomy and comfy for fully-grown adults. Better still, buy the optional “Sleep Pack” and your Jogger converts into a sleeps-two camper van. We’ve tried it and it’s a surprisingly nice place to sleep. What other seven-seater can do that?
- Plus: Affordable, seven usable seats, rugged.
- Minus: Lots of cheap plastic, middle row seats slightly small.
- Equals: Why spend more?
Also try: Skoda Kodiaq
The Kodiaq – which was for a brief burst the bestselling car in Ireland for a couple of months this year – is starting to become what most people think of when they think of a seven-seater (the rest of us are weeping into our drinks in the corner, calling for toasts to the Renault Espace, but never mind). New for this year, the Kodiaq looks broadly similar to the old, original model but has gained some softer curves instead of the old car’s blocky squareness. The cabin has been given a big glow-up, with Audi-like quality even if there are some cheap bits around. Space in the back is magnificent, and the boot, with the third row folded away, is huge, but those extra boot seats are small enough to be a child-zone only, and it’s far from cheap.
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Peugeot 5008
The dramatically styled new 5008 comes with a choice of electric or petrol-hybrid power, and soon plug-in hybrid power too. It looks every bit as arresting inside as it does outside, and it’s spectacularly roomy, with nigh-on adult-sized space in the rearmost seats. Surprisingly affordable in electric form, with a 500km range, there’s a 660km range model coming soon with a large, and expensive, battery option which should put the kybosh on range anxiety, even with seven on board.
Wild card: Volkswagen Multivan
Ignore the “van” bit of the Multivan’s name – it’s actually based on the same mechanical package as a Tiguan or Passat (RIP). Because of that, this big, tall, twin-sliding-door minivan is hugely comfortable and refined to drive, but still has the kind of interior space and versatility that you’d expect from something called van. Plug-in hybrid and diesel power are available, and a California camper-van version arrives this year. Hard to beat, really, but spicy in price terms.
But what if I want something more premium?
Then buy ... A Volvo EX90
Volvo’s biggest all-electric model yet is so late arriving – blame software glitches in development – that the market for new EVs has changed to the point where Volvo is actually keeping the old hybrid XC90 around for a while longer, even though the EX90 was supposed to replace that car. Eventually, it will, of course, and the EX90′s smooth, rapid performance, with the promise of more than 600km on one charge, should be enough to overcome the doubts of most electric agnostics. It looks fantastic too, even if the forward-facing Lidar scanner on top of the windscreen does make it look a bit like a London Taxi. Maybe don’t buy it in black. The interior is a piece of minimalist wonder, with hardly any buttons and big digital displays. This looks great when the EX90 is sitting still but is less good on the move – bring back some buttons, please Volvo. Still, it’s hard to stay mad at a car that’s this comfy, this roomy, this long-legged in its range, and this safe. You’re probably safer sitting behind the wheel of this Volvo than you are on your couch at home covered in bubble wrap with a fire marshal standing by. Expensive, but hey – you asked for premium. (Want all of this, but with five seats and a more driver-focused chassis? Buy a Polestar 3 instead.)
- Plus: Huge, roomy, stylish, long-range, safe.
- Minus: Fiddly touchscreen controls, pricey.
- Equals: Volvo’s best EV yet.
Also try: Mazda CX-80
You wouldn’t think that taking the somewhat underwhelming Mazda CX-60 and making it bigger would turn into one of our favourite cars of the year, but that’s exactly what Mazda has done with the big CX-80. There’s an extra 250mm of length between the wheels, and that translates into large rear space, and quality that’s good enough to beat Audi and Mercedes – especially if you go for the classy black leather option (avoid the pale leather – it’s all a bit too blingy). Sweet to drive, if a little firm in its ride, the CX-80 comes as a plug-in hybrid or as an utterly brilliant 3.3-litre straight-six diesel. Yes, you read that right.
Hyundai Santa Fe
Fancy a Land Rover Defender but can’t stomach the six-figure cost? For that matter, fancy a Land Rover Defender but would really like it to start every morning? Well, Hyundai has you covered as this new Santa Fe is one of the standouts of the year, with its almost-retro upright styling leavened with some deeply cool modern lighting touches. The inside is almost equally upright and blocky, and all the better for it, and Hyundai knows that you still need physical switches as well as whizzy touchscreens, so the Santa Fe is easy to use. Plug-in hybrid model doesn’t offer enough EV-only range to be truly competitive, so go for the standard hybrid instead.
Wild card: Mercedes-Benz V-Class
Available either with classical diesel power or (slightly short-ranged) battery power, the V-Class (or EQV in electric form) has actually replaced the traditional S-Class saloon as the transport choice of Hollywood and musical megastars thanks to its van-shaped discretion. Endless space in the back, plus room for both luggage and people, and it’s not bad to drive either. Horrendously expensive, though.
