10 spacious cars with the best driver and rear legroom

Legroom. A word you rarely hear mentioned when looking for a new car, yet it should really be one of your top priorities, especially if you are taller than average or plan to ferry passengers around on a regular basis.

To narrow down your choices, we have picked some of the most leg-friendly and spacious cars on sale today, from family friendly MPVs and estate cars to luxurious saloons and SUVs that you can lose your kids in.

Carwow’s top 10 pick of cars with the best legroom:

1. Skoda Superb Estate
2. Seat Tarraco
3. Hyundai Ioniq 5
4. Audi A8
5. Mercedes S-Class
6. Volkswagen Polo
7. Tesla Model X
8. Land Rover Discovery
9. BMW X7
10. Mercedes V-Class

1. Skoda Superb Estate

• Legroom front and rear is excellent
• Offers great value and plenty of options
• Class-leading 660 litres of boot space

The Skoda Superb Estate is well-priced, has plenty of standard equipment and is just about the most spacious estate car in its class. No wonder it won the Carwow Best Estate Car in the 2021 Car of the Year Awards.

Adults will have no problem stretching out, even in the rear, and the boot is simply cavernous. While there are plenty of options to choose from, you’ll be best off sticking with a base model to make the most of the great value this car offers.

2. Seat Tarraco

• Seven seats as standard
• Practical and decently equipped
• Will seat five adults in comfort

SUVs have been dominating the sales charts for years now, and the Seat Tarraco makes it easy to see why. The huge interior will easily seat five adults and a couple of kids in the third row, while the boot is big enough for most families.

It offers 230-litres with all seats up and an impressive 700 litres with the third row folded flat. You will have to pay extra for electrical adjustment and rear seat heating, but even the base model has an adjustable second row backrest. Basic is best here.

3. Hyundai Ioniq 5

• Great tech and decent range on a charge
• Flat floor increases legroom
• Opt for larger 72kWh battery for 298 miles of range

The Ioniq 5’s back-to-the-future looks make it stand out in any crowd, while the interior continues the retro-modern theme and offers acres of space.

Being electric, there’s no transmission tunnel protruding into the cabin which frees up legroom for the passengers in the rear. It’s packed with tech and the adjustable rear seats will accommodate a trio of adults in comfort.

4. Audi A8 L

• Seats four adults in sumptuous comfort
• Rear legroom increases by 13cm (5.1 inches) over standard A8
• Packed with all the latest tech

The Audi A8 has always been great at wafting it’s occupants along in great comfort, the latest long-wheelbase A8 L takes things to a whole new level.

For the ultimate experience be sure to tick the rear seat package option, this adds electric adjustability, 4-way lumbar support, footrest and even a massage function.

5. Mercedes S-Class Long Wheelbase

• Seemingly endless customisation
• Maybach trim feels like first-class air travel
• Plug-in hybrid offers 65 miles of electric range

There are plenty of large luxury saloons out there, but the benchmark is still the Mercedes S-Class. The ‘base’ trim will easily seat five tall people, while opting for the long wheelbase model increases the rear legroom by 11cm and replaces the rear pew with two individual back seats.

The decadent Maybach trim ups the luxury and increases the rear space by another 12.1cm (4.7 inches). If champagne flutes, high-pile carpets and temperature controlled rear cupholders are essential to you, then this is one of the plushest way to travel.

6. Volkswagen Polo

• Spacious for a small car
• Solid cabin quality
• Comfortable both in town and on the motorway

You don’t have to buy a massive SUV or a luxury limo to get loads of rear seat space, as proven by the Volkswagen Polo. There’s plenty of room for adults in the back, and the boot is a good size as well.

You also get that typical Volkswagen solidity, meaning everything feels like it’s built to last and the material quality is generally good throughout. Get the Polo out onto the motorway, and you’ll find it’s quiet and comfortable, as long as you avoid the entry level 1.0-litre engine.

7. Tesla Model X

• Seats up to seven in comfort
• Falcon Wing doors aid access to the rear
• Quicker than most sports cars

Sports car-rivalling performance, cutting-edge tech and one of the biggest interiors around make the Tesla Model X a superb all-rounder.

You can have it in five, six or seven seat configurations, and even basketball players wearing cowboy hats should have no problem getting comfortable in the first two rows. Even the third row is spacious enough for less lanky adults.

8. Land Rover Discovery

• Will seat seven adults
• Luxurious interior
• Base diesel is efficient and torquey

If you want to stretch out in comfort while scaling up a mountainside, then look no further than the Land Rover Discovery. The first two rows offer generous legroom for adults, and even the rearmost pew will accommodate taller passengers.

The base engine is perfect, although you may want to look at the top HSE trim for its 20-way front seat adjustment (base trims get 14-way adjustment) and seat heating for rear passengers.

9. BMW X7

• Hi-tech and easy to use infotainment system
• Plenty of options on offer
• Can seat up to seven adults

Offering sharp on-road dynamics, efficient and powerful engines, as well as top-class build quality, the BMW X7 is a great package. It will seat seven adults, (not always a given with seven-seaters) and you can swap out the three-abreast second row for a pair of even more luxurious seats.

Legroom is as good as any of its rivals, and the boot is still spacious even when all three rows are in place.

10. Mercedes V-Class

• The S-Class of MPVs
• Very well equipped as standard
• Pick the seven-seat package and extended wheelbase option

If you are after a truly cavernous luxury vehicle, then the Mercedes V-Class MPV should be your first and only stop. It seats up to eight (although we would opt for the seven-seat package which swaps out the second row for two luxurious seats) and is extremely practical.

The ‘Long’ extended wheelbase version extends the overall length by 230cm (90.5 inches) which gives third-row passengers even more legroom and increases the boot space as well.

Buy your next car (and sell your old one) with Carwow

Found the perfect large car for your needs? Then take a look at the latest offers on your preferred model through Carwow.

A network of trusted dealers will come to you with their best offers. There’s no need to haggle or negotiate and you can compare your offers in one place without even having to leave your home.

If you’re thinking of selling your old car, you can do that through Carwow, too. Again, a network of dealers will come to you with their best offers for your vehicle — no haggling, no stress, and the price you’re offered is the price you’ll get. The dealership will make payment and collect your car.