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I want an estate car for a growing family and mostly short trips. Should I go hybrid or petrol?

I have a Skoda Fabia 1.0-litre 110PS - which is great for my school run and occasional longer trips, but due to growing kids and a dog, I need a bigger car. I'm not a fan of SUVs so fancy an estate car. I have a budget of £20,000 and quite fancy a Toyota Corolla Estate but is the 1.8 hybrid worth the extra money over the 1.2 petrol? I cover about 6000 miles a year - which is mainly short trips of 10 miles with the occasional trip to London (from Manchester). Are there any other estates you would recommend. I don't want a VW Group car with a 1.5-litre petrol engine due to all the issues it seems to have.

Asked on 28 September 2020 by James H

Answered by Andrew Brady
The Toyota Corolla Touring Sports is an excellent estate car. We'd recommend the 1.8 hybrid - the 1.2 lacks guts and it sounds like a hybrid would suit your requirements well. The hybrid will hold its value better, too. Also, consider the Kia ProCeed (or Ceed Sportswagon) or a Ford Focus estate.

If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?

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