7 Seater Cars

You want the capacity of a 7-seater but the price and the fuel efficiency, not to mention the fuel band that it puts you in, look prohibitively expensive. So just how cheap can a 7-seater MPV get and which is the best of the budget options?

When it comes to price for just the vehicle itself, there is really only one contender. The Ssangyong Rodius does a 7, 9 and even 11 seat option as part of a range that starts at under £15,000. But then it’s a big vehicle that certainly does not come close to topping the fuel efficiency charts.

Vehicles that offer a good balance of unit price and fuel efficiency include the new Vauxhall Zafira and the Seat Alhambra, both of which come in 1.4-litre petrol versions and 2-litre diesel models while retailing at an affordable price.

The Mazda5 People Carrier keeps things tight with a 1.8-litre petrol engine that uses the i-start-stop system which uses the engine and brakes more efficiently to minimise energy wastage and reduce emissions overall by about 15 percent, a sizeable reduction in fuel demand. Similarly, the Ford Galaxy mixes price and efficiency performance – the 2-litre diesel model does 38 miles per gallon.

Toyota will next year raise the stakes significantly with the delayed and much-anticipated Prius+ which will bring a huge amount of fuel efficiency to the segment thereby reducing costs and tax. With the 7-seater market significantly raising fuel efficiency and getting much more competitive it has never been a better time to buy one on a budget.

We've just added some new pictures on the Toyota Prius MPV 7 Seater and the Toyota LC V8. Our new writer will be starting in June so that we can fill the site with even more information on 7 Seater cars. Why not visit us to see how were getting on: http://www.7-seater-cars.co.uk/

Our site is growing strength to strength with nearly 1000 visitors a day. Our blog is regularly updated with relevant information, money saving tips and latest 7 Seater Car news.  

The Audi Q7 is one of the more expensive 7 Seater cars available to buy in the UK. With a staggering £950 showroom tax on the high end models. The insurance group and VED band are also at the higher scale. However they are lovely and if I had the money i would buy one in a flash. To read our full article on the Audi Q7 7 Seater why not visit our main website by clicking here.

I have spent so long trying find a 7 Seater Car on the Internet I realised that there wasn't one website which gave me a list of all 7 Seater Cars available in the UK.

For some reason the popularity for 7 seater car is far greater in the United Kingdom than in the United States. For example in the United States there are less than two thousand searches per month for the term “7 Seater cars”, whereas in the UK there was nearly a quarter of a million searches in November for the term “7 Seater Cars” alone. This is without considering other terms such as 7 Seater car, 7 Seater used car or Seven Seater Cars.

It is unknown why this is, I can only guess that it is because most American cars are already quite large. In Great Britain there are many more smaller and economical cars than in America. Even in Ireland there are nearly 7 thousand searches for term 7 Seater Cars in Google each month. This is nearly four times as many as America!!

If you have a large family, i.e with more than three children you will of course require a 7 Seater Car. Unless like me you bought two smaller cars and drove everywhere in tandem. However if you only want one car you probably also need an economical car. Especially in the current credit crunch climate.

Many of the 7 seater cars are quite expensive. For example the Audi Q7, Land Rover, BMW X5, Jeep Commander, Defender Land Rover, Mitsubishi Shogun, Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Patrol GR and Volvo Xc90 are Band K to M in Car Tax. These cars are also extremely popular. In Google the term BWW x5 is searched for nearly 2.5 million times each month!

The car tax for these cars can be as much as £435 a year with an additional one off payment of £950 if the car is purchased from new. The miles per gallon for these cars can be as low as 21 miles to the Gallon. If you can afford one of these large 7 seater car beauties such as the Audi Q7 then good for you, if not then read on.

The most economical 7 Seater cars on the market in the UK at the moment are the Peugeot 308 SW, Fiat Doblo family edition, Renault Grand Scenic, and Vauxhall Zafira. These are all Band E to F in Car tax which is only £120 per year. They also have very good fuel consumption. For example the diesel version of the Grand C4 Picasso can do an average of 53 miles to the gallon. This is almost as good as the Honda Prius, which averages just over 60 miles to the gallon.

Middle of the road for expense and fuel efficiency 7 seater cars are your Ford S-max, Galaxy, Seat Alhambra, Toyota Verso and Vauxhall Zafira’s. Again certain cars, such as the Ford Galaxy can range from a Band G in Road Tax to a Band L. A more comprehensive list of Car Tax (efficiency) can be seen on our main 7 Seater Car website: www.7-seater-cars.co.uk.

As a general rule the number of miles per gallon decreases as the car emissions per Km/Co2 increases. It is therefore strongly advised to clearly understand what the fuel efficiency and car tax is before you go ahead and buy your 7 Seater Car.

MPVs or people carriers have been around for a while now, thanks to people needing more space, more seats and not wanting to be cramped in the back of an estate car on family holidays. The term MPV stands for multi-purpose vehicle, and now covers a broad range of 7 seater cars. They come in different sizes, from compact MPVs to full-size people carriers and SUVs, which are sports utility vehicles, but they are more for off-road duties and look more rugged.

It's not just people with large families that need a people carrier, it's DIYers, sports teams and those that take road trips with their friends. The great thing about 7 seaters is that in most cases the seats can be removed or cleverly folded into the floor, as seen first in the Vauxhall Zafira. This is where the multi-purpose part comes into it. You can have seven seats one minute and then a cargo van the next; perfect for trips to hardware shops to carry doors, timber or other large and difficult-to-carry items.

Lots of MPVs have seating that is higher up than cars, although the Ford S-Max or the Citroen C4 Picasso have bucked the trend and have a more car-like seating height. In a full-size people carrier, there is loads of head- and legroom, which makes it more comfortable on long journeys. Cars like the SEAT Alhambra or the legendary Renault Espace fit the full-size bill, and are so big that you might need a megaphone to talk to those in the rear seats! The seating arrangements in a 7 seater is usually 2-3-2, although in some cases it can be 2-2-3. Many cars have the option to remove the seats individually, so you can chop and change the arrangement to whatever suits you.

Access to a people carrier tends to be van-like with a sliding side door, or double-side doors. The Ford C-Max is the only car that has regular doors, mainly because it is more car-like than the others. As the door only moves out a few inches, it means that you can save yourself from car park dings and the doors lock open so it's easier to gain access, especially if you have small children and you need to fit them in a child seat. That's another reason why people have a need to buy a people carrier, due to it being the law for all children up to 12 years old or 135cm tall needing to be secured in a child seat.

Most MPVs are front-wheel drive to avoid having a transmission 'hump' running down the middle of the car, which also allows it to be a little lower in stance too. A lack of 'hump' also means that it is easier to carry large, flat-bottomed items as you would in a van. People carriers are so popular now that even the likes of Audi have started making 7 seaters, such as the Audi Q7, going one further than being a regular MPV, featuring swathes of leather, plush interiors and swoopy looks.