Now I have to admit, I have little to no interest in cars personally! I never quite understand why people get so caught up in them or seem to intent on spending silly amounts of money simply to own an "impressive" car - to me it's a means to an end - a way to get me from A to B and that's it! I have zero interest in the make, model, value and so on!
However, since having children I have started taking more of an interest when it comes to the safest cars on the road - keeping my family safe is of course my number one priority - and with a third baby being added to our family early next year we've started to think about family-friendly functions when it comes to cars too.
Obviously one of the biggest things to consider for a young family like ours has to be budget, but thankfully it's now to buy and sell cars on Gumtree using their fantastic new Sell My Car service - meaning not only can we find the perfect family car at a price that suits us, but that we can also sell our old car in an easy and convenient way too. Ideal!
Obviously one of the biggest things to consider for a young family like ours has to be budget, but thankfully it's now to buy and sell cars on Gumtree using their fantastic new Sell My Car service - meaning not only can we find the perfect family car at a price that suits us, but that we can also sell our old car in an easy and convenient way too. Ideal!
So when it comes to choosing the ideal family car, what should you be looking at?
1. Wide opening doors, Preferably 5 of them!
3 door cars aren't impossible to use when you have a family by any means, I know plenty of people who use them but when you do have multiple children to get in and out it can be so much easier with a 5 door car - particularly when you're heavily pregnant! The doors should also open wide enough for you to install a car seat and be able to get the little ones in and out with relative ease - sliding doors are also something well worth looking at!
2. Check the safest car recommendations
Euro NCAP, the crash test organisation, release annual reports on the cars that have performed best in its rigorous safety tests with each car given a score on numerous aspects of safety including child occupant protection.
I personally think its well worth checking these out when it comes to choosing a new family car. For 2015 the safest small family car is listed as the Volvo v40 and the safest large family car is the BMW 3 series. The safest MPV came out as the Volkswagen Touran.
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3. Plenty of space!
You want to make sure that there is plenty of room for fitting car seats, which can be quite large! Especially when you're about to need 3 of them like we do! You also want to ensure that you have boot space large enough to fit your pushchair/pram of choice as some boots can be surprisingly limiting when it comes to this - and remember you'll not only be transporting children in car seats and their prams but also their changing bags and various belongings too, kids come with a LOT of baggage - so ensure there's comfortable room inside the car too.
And always make sure you have a spare tyre in the boot - use a company like Tyre-Shopper.co.uk to find the best deals!
And always make sure you have a spare tyre in the boot - use a company like Tyre-Shopper.co.uk to find the best deals!
What do you think are the most important aspects when looking for a family car?
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