These are the 20 best estates you can buy right now

If you can't find a 3 Series Touring to suit you, you've got some pretty special automotive needs. For most of us, it's all the car we’d ever need.

Click here to read our full review of the BMW 3 Series Touring

It’s hard to fault the Superb Estate. It’s now bigger than ever, more refined than ever, and as luxurious as you could ever need a big old barge like this to be.

Click here to read our full review of the Skoda Superb Estate

Like it or not, the estate is on the wane as SUVs continue to dominate the family market. The E-Class shows there’s still plenty of life in this traditional format.

Click here to read our full review of the Mercedes E-Class Estate

The Cross Turismo is arguably the most complete fast estate available today. Not the biggest or most practical by a long chalk, maybe not the most engaging, but in terms of its breadth of ability and fulfilling the role it sets out for itself, it is brilliant.

Click here to read our full review of the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo

You've got to get up early in the morning to find fault here. The new 5 Series is as good to drive as the BMW image (and better than what is often the actuality). And yet it's as refined and plush as a Mercedes E-Class.

Click here to read our full review of the BMW 5 Series Touring

It’s clearly twinned with the Skoda Superb, but in the large and semi-luxurious estate car class there are few better cars to riff off. Thus we have a big, practical bus with massaging seats, mostly hushed refinement and a very solid feeling.

Click here to read our full review of the Volkswagen Passat

The V60 gives you just what you’d expect. That means a lovely looking cabin, an obsessive approach to keeping everyone safe, lots of practicality and a thoroughly relaxed approach to long journeys. For a family estate, those human-centric values are pretty compelling.

Click here to read our full review of the Volvo V60

The Sport Turismo remains a formidable thing to drive. The wraparound cockpit is wonderfully designed and logical to use, the feedback from the chassis, the ride quality and overall smoothness are addictive. It’s an immensely polished machine.

Click here to read our full review of the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo

The i5 Touring is refined, comfortable, easy to drive, swift, and almost too well-equipped for its own good.

Click here to read our full review of the BMW i5 Touring 

This is a good looking, practical, economical family estate. It also rides and handles far better than that SUV you’ve got your eye on.

Click here to read our full review of the Seat Leon Estate 

Hats off to Peugeot for trying something different. The 308 SW is truly a good-looking estate, and the interior feels more premium than any of its nearest rivals. It’s rammed full of tech, offers highly competent dynamics, and a useful range of powertrains.

Click here to read our full review of the Peugeot 308 SW

Keep things sedate and this is a properly comfortable cruiser. Loads of space for dogs too – which of course is always the most important metric to judge these things by.

Read our review of Audi A6 Avant

The 508 SW is a very practical car and a more heart-than-head choice. You’ll want one for its looks, its individuality, its chic gallic flair. The big boot and sweet handling are bonuses.

Click here to read our full review of the Peugeot 508 SW

Beneath the smart styling is a car entirely focussed on hybrid power and thus making every drop of fuel last as long as the laws of physics will allow.

Click here to read our full review of the Toyota Corolla Sports Touring

You don’t need a crossover. You just don’t. An estate like the Octavia is cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, better to drive, more economical and just as practical as most of them.

Click here to read our full review of the Skoda Octavia Estate

The Cupra Leon Estate can be specced with almost exactly the same powertrains as the hatch, but rather than 296bhp and front-wheel drive, the top-spec 2.0-litre turbo makes 328bhp and sends that through all four wheels. So yeah, that’s an alternative to a Golf R wagon.

Click here to read our full review of the Cupra Leon Estate

The C-Class Estate makes a fairly good impression with its S-Class grade tech and comfy cabin. It also handles well, rides reasonably tidily, and scores highly on practicality too.

Click here to read our full review of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate

The Audi A6 Avant e-tron fulfils its brief well, carves cleanly through the air and travels a long way between charges. It’s a handsome machine that doesn’t try too hard to be an aero car, and is super-smooth and refined.

Read our review of Audi A6 Avant e-tron 

In many ways the ID.7 hits its bullseye. It’s practical and remarkably quiet, roomy and comfortable too. The range and efficiency are impressive, even in the smaller-battery version.

Read our review of Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer

It’s well-priced if you take into account the kit that comes as standard and the pure combustion powertrains are reasonably efficient and well-refined. It's handsome too: Vauxhall’s design department really is on a roll at the moment.

Read our review of Vauxhall Astra ST