- Published 05 April 2020
- 5 minute read
- By Gavin Braithwaite-Smith
Even if you don’t have five children, there will be times when a car with seven seats will come in handy. Your children will love having their mates along for the ride, while it’ll be great to offer your parents a lift for a three-generational outing.
If nothing else, a seven-seater offers excellent flexibility, because when the rear seats are not in use, you’ll have access to a much larger boot. Here, we’ve rounded up seven seven-seaters that can be leased for less than £300 a month.
Citroen Berlingo XL
It's a box, but a brilliantly practical one
Available to lease from £232 per month Lease Now
It’s almost impossible to lease a more practical car for less money. The Citroen Berlingo offers cathedral-like levels of interior space – with the echoes to match – especially if you opt for the longer XL version.
All the rear seats fold down, either separately or together, to create a flat load space. If you fold the front passenger seat as well, you have access to a cavernous 4,000 litres, with a load length of three metres.
Up to seven people can sit in the XL version, with a supermini-sized 322 litres of boot space available with all seven seats in use. There are three trim levels: Feel, Flair and the SUV-inspired Flair XTR. Just add family.
Or try: Best cars to lease for small families
Seat Tarraco
A seven-seater SUV with style and value to burn Available to lease from £239 per month Lease Now
There was a time when a seven-seat MPV was the vehicle of choice for families in need of more seats. Today, many buyers prefer the perceived prestige of a seven-seat SUV, even if this means a compromise in terms of space for passengers in the third row.
The Seat Tarraco is a good case in point. It’s the company’s first seven-seat SUV – and it’s very good. Not only does it look great, it also boasts a comfortable and upmarket cabin. However, the rearmost seats are best reserved for small children, as there’s not a lot of legroom or kneeroom.
For maximum practicality and flexibility – not to mention the convenience of sliding doors – we’d opt for the Seat Alhambra MPV. However, while Alhambra prices start from around £350 a month, you can lease a Tarraco for less than £230. You can see why the Tarraco is more popular.
Peugeot Rifter Long
Much more interesting than it looks on the inside Available to lease from £232 per month Lease Now
The Peugeot Rifter is closely related to the platform-sharing Citroen Berlingo, but there are two good reasons why you might choose the Peugeot over its French sibling. First, the styling looks a touch more upmarket. Second, the cabin is as bold and interesting as the interiors you’ll find in Peugeot’s latest breed of SUVs.
Once again, you’ll need the longer version for the option of seven seats. It’s called the Long – the naming machine must have been broken when the marketing team met – and it’s available in Active, Allure and GT Line trims.
A 1.2-litre petrol engine is available on the Active model, otherwise you’re restricted to a 1.5-litre diesel in a choice of power outputs. The Rifter feels more mature than the Berlingo, but it lacks the Citroen’s sense of fun.
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Vauxhall Combo Life
Sliding doors are a car park godsend Available to lease from £233 per month Lease Now
The Vauxhall Combo Life is the third and final member of the trio of seven-seat cars based on the same platform. So if the Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Rifter aren’t for you, maybe the Vauxhall badge will float your boat.
In common with the French pair, it’s available as a five- and seven-seater, with highlights including a pair of sliding rear doors, three rows of seats and a huge tailgate. If you opt for the Elite XL, you also get a sliding function for the third row of seats.
This is easily the least interesting of the three cars, but if you’re after a fuss-free and practical seven-seater, the Combo Life is worth a look.
Renault Grand Scenic
Like a seven-seater spaceship, styled in France Available to lease from £250 per month Lease Now
There was a time when the Renault Grand Scenic was one of the most popular family cars in the UK. Those days are gone, which means the Grand Scenic is now an interesting choice if you want to stand out from the crowd.
Cleverly, Renault has given the Grand Scenic the look of an SUV, and its avant-garde styling strikes a mean pose. Yes, those really are 20-inch alloys. It actually rides the bumps pretty well, which is amazing when you consider the car is rolling on a set of wheels fit for a hip hop video.
The neat styling is matched by an interesting interior, although the compromise is rear seating space that’s rather cramped. Which is a bit of a fail in a people carrier. Still, it has to be worth it for looks.
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Toyota Prius Plus
Hybrid fuel efficiency Available to lease from £257 per month Lease Now
If you thought the Toyota Prius was little more than the Uber you arrange for a night out, think again, because the Prius Plus – or Prius+ – is the seven-seat MPV the world forgot. Mind you, the exterior styling is very forgettable.
As is the interior, which is about as exciting as mild drizzle. So why are we recommending it? Well, it’s a genuine seven-seater – you can fit seven normal-sized adults in the Prius Plus. It’s also cheap to run, thanks to its efficient 1.8-litre petrol-electric hybrid engine.
Best of all, it’s cheap to lease, with prices starting from around £250 a month.
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Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer
It's even bigger than it looks Available to lease from £274 per month Lease Now
If we had to choose a seven-seat MPV, it would be a close call between the Seat Alhambra and the Citroen Grand C4 SpaceTourer (formerly known as the Grand C4 Picasso). The Citroen gets the edge here, because leasing deals start from around £90 a month less.
That makes it incrediby good value for money for the space you get.
What's more, the cabin feels light and airy, thanks in no small part to the massive windscreen, and there are a host of storage options designed with family life in mind.
Plus it’ll be cheap to run, while the styling doesn’t look like you’ve given up on life. Win-win all round.
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