A 7-seater family car is a car that should primarily be safe, comfortable, spacious, easy to drive and see out of. Such cars tend to be huge in an effort of comfortably accommodating up to 7 passengers, and more often than not you are looking at a flagship SUV.
Besides flagship SUVs, minivans and people carriers are also a great option. But minivans are boring and they are nowhere near the best 7-seater family car option. Even though they do manage to offer lots of space, they are not as comfortable, safe, nor luxurious as most flagship SUVs are.
Even so, the best minivan out there is the VW Touran or the Honda Odyssey. If you want a medium-sized SUV, the Volvo XC90, Audi Q7, Kia Sorento are all great options depending on your budget and preferences.
If you want a full-size SUV, the Mercedes Benz GLS, BMW X7, Land Rover Discovery, or the Ford Explorer Limited are the most popular full-size SUVs on the market.
VW Touran
Minivans are dull, and there is no other way of saying it. They are not exciting to drive nor do they offer any character whatsoever. But maybe that is just what you want, and if so, the VW Touran is the best 7-seater family car money can buy.
A box on wheels is a logical way to go if you want to transport 7 people as spaciously as possible, and the Touran is indeed that. Besides the funky looks, the Touran offers wide opening doors and a seating position that is fairly easy to get into. Seats six and seven are also fairly comfortable for adults even.
Honda Odyssey
The Honda Odyssey is probably the most famous family hauler in the US of A. The Odyssey is made entirely to please families consisting of 6+ members, and the sheer one-sidedness of the Odyssey is apparent the moment you lay your eyes on it.
Nevertheless, the Odyssey is a great family car that offers loads of family-oriented features that should benefit you on longer journeys. Besides these features, the Odyssey is affordable and the second-hand market is always brimming with tempting options as well.
Volvo XC90 and the Audi Q7
Both the Audi Q7 and the Volvo XC90 are mid-size SUVs which means that they are not as comfortable in the third row as some of their larger counterparts. That being said, if your family is relatively young, these two should be more than enough for 99% of situations out there.
Between the two, the Q7 is a more upmarket experience, but the XC90 does offer better value, so it’s fairly close between the two. Nevertheless, both of these are amazing at what they do, and you are hard to be disappointed by either of the two.
Mercedes GLS
The Mercedes GLS-Class is the largest Mercedes SUV money can buy. And as with all Mercedes SUVs out there, you are getting a feature-packed, luxurious and comfortable SUV that should please even the most demanding of customers.
Seating for 7 comes as standard, and the last row of seating is quite a bit more spacious when compared to the Audi Q7 or the Volvo XC90. The differences between the Mercedes GLE and the GLS are mostly associated with the size, so if you don’t need such a big car, go for the GLE.
BMW X7
Probably the best full-size SUV on sale today is the BMW X7. The X7 is loaded with lots of technologies that should keep you and the rest of your family entertained on longer journeys without any issues.
The X7 differs quite substantially from the X5, and the X7 is a significant upgrade from the X5 which is not the case with the Mercedes GLE and GLS classes. The X7 is spacious enough for all seven passengers, safe and the levels of comfort are indeed class-leading.
Ford Explorer Limited
The Ford Explorer Limited is the largest SUV listed in this article. And there are quite a few benefits that come from such a large vehicle. You truly do feel like you are driving a tank when you drive the Explorer, but the levels of luxury are nowhere near the BMW X7.
That being said, the Explorer costs less, but still offers enough. If you pair that with more space than the BMW X7, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Ford Explorer Limited is the best 7-seater family car on the market.
Land Rover Discovery
But in the UK, the king of 7-seater SUVs has always been the Land Rover Discovery. The Disco does offer ample space and technology, but the reliability is not as good as some of its competitors. Nevertheless, if you are a UK resident, you are likely going to opt for the Discovery.
The Discovery is the most capable off-roader out of all the cars listed in this article. So if you want a full-size 7 seater SUV that can go anywhere, the Disco is the one to get.
FAQ Section
What is the most spacious 7-seater car out there?
The most spacious seven-seater car out there is undoubtedly the VW Sharan. The Sharan resembles a small bus, so if you need to regularly transport 7 adults, the Sharan should offer you the most space, but it is also dull and character-less as the rest of the minivans out there.
What is the cheapest 7-seater family car?
A used Ford C-Max Grand is probably going to be the cheapest 7-seater car out there right now. But that does not mean that the C-Max is a bad car. The C-Max offers everything any other minivan does but in lesser quantities.
Are larger cars more expensive to insure?
Size often correlates to more accidents, and, indeed, a larger car usually costs more to insure. But insurance costs vary mostly depending on the owner of the car. No matter the case, a smaller minivan is almost always cheaper to insure than a full-size flagship SUV.
The cheapest 7-seater family cars that are still large enough for seven people are usually mid-sized. So consider a mid-sized 7-seater if your insurance rates are too high.