10 of the Cheapest Used 7-Seater Cars to Buy

The Nissan X-Trail is a cheap used 7-seater which doesn’t immediately look like a car with space for seven people. That’s likely down to the fact that it was offered in both five and seven-seater configurations, but it’s obviously the latter that we’re interested in here.

The X-Trail has the chunky looks of an old-school off-roader, but inside it’s got a well-made and comfortable interior with plenty of features. A soft suspension setup means the X-Trail is geared towards a comfortable ride which makes it great for longer journeys, while most X-Trails will come with a 1.6-litre diesel which provides more than enough performance while also being quite refined.

The seating configuration is nicely flexible, too, and when you’re not using those rearmost seats they can easily be folded away flat to increase boot space.

If you want a cheap used 7-seater which really majors on space, then the Seat Alhambra should be firmly on your list. It’s a classic Multi-Purpose Vehicle – or MPV – which means that it’s got an upright, boxy design which allows it to offer loads of space to everyone sitting inside.

The Alhambra’s sliding doors make getting in and out a breeze and also mean you don’t have to worry about parking close to other vehicles in the car park. The great thing about the Alhambra’s design is that even with all seats in place it’s able to offer a large boot, while folding them all down reveals a van-like loading area. The backs of the front seats also have fold-out picnic tables fitted to them – ideal for meals on the road.

If you’d like a very similar alternative to the Seat Alhambra, then we’ve got the ideal choice – the Volkswagen Sharan. It’s built on the same platform as the Alhambra and is largely the same inside, so it means that if you haven’t been able to find quite the right specification of Seat to meet your requirements, then you could opt for the Volkswagen instead.

The Sharan is a great showcase for why the MPV layout is ideal for families. It’s big and spacious, while plenty of headroom throughout means that even taller adults and children will be able to get comfy, regardless of which row they’re in. The range of engines available with the Sharan is smooth and efficient, too, with the 2.0-litre diesel being the pick of the bunch thanks to its low emissions and good efficiency.

The XC90 was the first model in a whole new wave of Volvo cars, branching out from the ‘traditional’ estates that we’d become used to from the Swedish brand. It was also one of the first true seven-seater SUVs, combining the higher riding position of a proper off-roader with the versatility of an MPV. As a result, it’s a great choice for lots of different drivers.

Even with all rows of seats in place, there’s a well-sized boot on offer in the XC90, but it’s worth mentioning that the third row is really only suited to kids. Adults are going to find it a bit of a squeeze back there. However, the middle row is more than spacious enough for most people and all the seats slide individually so you can give yourself a little extra legroom if you don’t need the boot to be at maximum capacity.

We absolutely love the Skoda Kodiaq. It’s a big, comfortable seven-seater which feels like it has been designed specifically for families. It’s got a cleverly made interior with loads of very handy features, while Skoda’s range of ‘Simply Clever’ touches – such as a rubber gaiter around the windscreen washer filler to stop spillages – make everyday life with the Kodiaq a breeze.

It’s got a comfortable ride setup, too, while the folding mechanism for the seats is intuitive and simple – you only need to use a few levers to get the chairs to fold away and leave a really large boot. We like the variety of storage options, with cubbies and boxes dotted throughout the Kodiaq’s interior which help to keep it as clutter-free as possible.

Citroen is known for making large, comfortable cars and the Grand C4 Picasso is no different. Like the Alhambra and the Sharan, it’s a proper MPV designed to carry seven people around in true comfort while offering loads of space. All versions are very well equipped, too, while with all seven seats in place there’s still a well-sized boot to use up.

As you might expect from a true French vehicle, the steering is light and the ride is comfortable, but this makes the C4 Picasso just as useful around town as out on the motorway. It’s also great at soaking up lumps and bumps, so even the bigger potholes that you find on the UK’s roads don’t upset the Picasso.

If rugged good looks and go-anywhere capability is what you’re after, then the Land Rover Discovery could be a go-to. Handily for this list it’s also a seven-seater and this model – built between 2004 and 2017 – has dropped in price recently to become quite an affordable option. Of course, as with any big, expensive off-roader, you do need to bear running costs in mind, but get a well-looked-after example and there’s no reason why the Discovery can’t give you years of trouble-free motoring.

Inside it’s big and spacious with plenty of headroom throughout while the quality is easy to see and feel. The 2.7-litre diesel you’ll find in most Discoverys of this age provides ample performance, though expect quite high CO2 emissions. Avoid the V8 versions if you want cheaper motoring – they are very expensive to run due to poor fuel economy.

The Volkswagen Touran is a car with very few drawbacks. It’s got that classic MPV shape which makes it spacious inside, but it’s also good to drive and comfortable to live with. If you liked the look of the Sharan but don’t fancy something quite so large, then the Touran could be absolutely spot-on.

This second-generation looks and feels a little sharper than the original, but it can still be obtained for some budget-friendly prices.

Refinement is a key part of the Touran’s appeal; it’s comfortable and easy to drive over long distances while its range of engines feels particularly well-suited to those big journeys. Its comfort-focused suspension helps to make things really soft and fluid when you’re on the move, too.

The Grand C-Max follows a similar formula to the Touran. It’s a car-based MPV which has been designed to be both spacious and easy to drive; well-specified inside yet cheap to run and own.

Over the standard five-seater C-Max, the Grand version adds a pair of seats which fold out of the boot area, expanding this car’s versatility levels while still retaining the C-Max’s easy-to-live-with dimensions.

Because it’s based on the Focus platform, the C-Max remains great to drive while its engine choices are economical yet more than powerful enough. The driving position is more car-like than others on this list, too, so it could be a good option for drivers who don’t want to tower above the road in front of them.

The Ford S-Max completely smashed pre-conceived ideas about what an MPV could do. Here was a car which offered all the space and practicality that a family could want while delivering a driving experience that could keep whoever was behind the wheel entertained on their favourite roads. Needless to say, it proved quite the sales hit.

As a result, the first-generation S-Max is plentiful on the used market and available for some budget-busting prices. All five seats in the S-Max can be folded flat into the floor to open up some van-like loading space, yet when they’re back in place there’s a good amount of room for occupants. The rearmost row is best suited to kids only, though, as taller adults might find it a bit too tight.