best budget family cars

Toyota Prius - The world's best-selling hybrid - and with good reason - Toyota's Prius is perfect for families looking to manage their impact on their bank balance and the planet. Stylish and spacious, what we really love about the Prius is the fact that it drives as quiet as a mouse; and, if your school run involves lots of stop-start, inner city driving, then the hybrid engine is going to save you a fair bit of money over the academic year.  (Prices start from £4,350* on findandfundmycar.com)

Honda Civic - Seamlessly combining looks, performance, space and functionality at a very tidy price, Honda's iconic Civic ticks every box you could ever need from a modern, family car. Popular with petrolheads and families alike, it's a truly great all-rounder, one that you'll love to drive and your little ones will love to be driven in. And, offering frugality and space aplenty, our pick of the bunch would be any of the 1.0-litre petrol models. (Prices start from £2,395* on findandfundmycar.com)

Skoda Octavia - A sleek, stylish and smooth-performing Skoda - how times have changed, eh? It doesn't matter whether you're after a hatchback or estate, Skoda's Octavia can satisfy your family's needs at a very reasonable price point. Safe, spacious and sprightly, each and every engine model across the Octavia range is more than up to the job of getting your family around, whether that be on short city sprints or longer motorway journeys. (Prices start from £2,790* on findandfundmycar.com)

Volkswagen Golf - It doesn't matter whether you're a family of three or five: the VW Golf is built and performs with modern-day family life in mind. You can't really go wrong with any mark Golf, such is the consistency of its build quality and performance over the years. But if you are looking for something a little more economical to cut down on the cost of family living, then Volkswagen's BlueMotion Golfs use a variety of technologies to keep fuel consumption to a minimum. (Prices start from £1,695* on findandfundmycar.com)

Vauxhall Astra - If your budget can't quite stretch to a Golf, then Vauxhall's equivalent family hatchback should be next on your list. With plenty of sub £10,000 models available through findandfundmycar.com, the award-winning (European Car of the Year) 2016 model is a great first port of call; offering efficient engines, a very enjoyable drive and good tech options, for a family car that will last you for years to come. (Prices start from £1,695* on findandfundmy.car.com)

*prices correct as of 3rd September 2018