Top 10 best fast family cars 2025
Having a family shouldn't limit you to a boring hatchback or people carrier - here's our top 10 fast family cars
If circumstances dictate that you need to have a family car, you might think that the dreams of owning something fast and fun to drive are over and you’ll have to settle for driving a mundane MPV or hatchback for the foreseeable future. However, there are plenty of cars that offer both family car practicality and performance car thrills; the question is, which are the best fast family cars currently on the market?
For growing families, boot space and child seats take precedence over pace, driving dynamics and excitement. Thankfully, the best practical performance cars can easily complete the school run or weekly shop, while being able to put some of our favourite sports cars to shame on a winding British B-road.
This list of the top 10 best fast family cars brings together cars from all sectors of the market and covers most budgets. At the lower end of the price bracket, you'll find hot hatches like the brilliant Volkswagen Golf R, offering up four-wheel drive security, a practical five-door body and a punchy engine to carve up your B-road of choice.
If a hatchback isn’t versatile enough, then the market is littered with fast estate cars which offer even more performance and space. The BMW M3 Touring is designed to go head to head with the wagon rivals from Audi and Mercedes. There are numerous contenders in the EV space, too, with the Tesla Model 3 and Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo providing an effortless turn of speed and space.
Best fast family cars to buy now
Our expert road testers have had the pleasure of driving every fast family car that you can buy in the UK, so which are the best at combining fast thrills with family life? Our top 10 reveals all…
1. Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
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- Prices from £65,000
Dethroning the BMW M3 Touring from its previous top spot – and sticking a couple of fingers up to the idea that electric cars can’t be laugh-out-loud entertaining – is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: an electric performance car that’s about far, far more than just straight line speed.
Not that it doesn’t have plenty of that. Its dual-motor layout makes 641bhp, which was a supercar number a few decades ago, while a 3.4-second 0-62mph time is still pretty deep into supercar territory. By EV standards, the 161mph top speed is pretty senior too, though spend any time on the Autobahn at that velocity and you’ll chew through its 278-mile range pretty quickly.
But it’s the way the 5 N goes fast that makes it endearing. From a chassis that’s agile (despite its weight), adjustable to accelerator inputs, and delivers actual driver feedback, to various clever electronic toys that enhance the experience (such as virtual gearshifts that genuinely feel like there’s a real engine and DSG ‘box up front, to a ‘clutch kick’ drift mode), the 5 N is one of the best modern driver’s cars around. Oh, and being an Ioniq 5, it’s still a damn fine family car, too.
See our Hyundai Ioniq 5 N deals
2. BMW M3 Touring
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- Prices from £89,500
- Best for driving fun
Since it was first unveiled in 1985, the BMW M3 has cemented itself as a usable performance icon with stunning pace and minimal compromises over a standard 3 Series in terms of practicality. It’s a surprise that BMW has waited so long to produce a more practical estate version, but having driven the G81-generation M3 Touring, it has been well worth the wait.
The turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six engine delivers thunderous performance but it’s slightly lacking in terms of the sound it generates. This can be forgiven in an estate car which has a cavernous 500-litre boot and some of the best in-car tech currently available on the market.
Thanks to its 503bhp output and standard-fit four wheel drive system, the M3 Touring hurls itself from 0-62mph in just 3.6 seconds, but it doesn't top this list due to the quantity of performance on offer. Rather, it's the approachable, hugely capable chassis that defines the car – it bleeds with genuine sports car DNA, and the crisp dynamics give no hint of the Touring's sensible body style.
It's well made too, and if the mood takes you, the M3 Touring can pull-off spectacular powerslides slides thanks to its 2WD mode, which is wonderfully incongruous with its practical brief.
3. Porsche Macan GTS
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- Prices from £75,000
Porsche might now offer an all-electric Macan, but for pure fun in an SUV platform, the Porsche Macan GTS is still top of the pile. With a 4.5-second 0-62mph time it trails both the Macan 4S Electric and Macan Turbo Electric for outright speed, but its 434bhp turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 still pulls hard, sounds great, and gives the Macan a character it’s not yet managed to imbue into its EVs.
The seven-speed PDK automatic gearbox it’s attached to is capable of rapid shifts, and makes the Macan feel more like a tall hot hatchback than a typical SUV. Four-wheel drive maintains the Porsche’s performance even when weather conditions aren’t ideal, while adaptive dampers do a great job of balancing the disparate needs of ride quality on poor surfaces, and great control in corners.
As with other Porsche models, there are some performance enhancing options for the Macan GTS. Torque vectoring takes handling to another level, while the Sport Chrono package adds launch control, which makes the most of the SUV’s explosive performance off the line.
4. Cupra Formentor
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- Prices from £34,200
The Cupra Formentor arrived as Cupra’s first ever standalone model exclusive to the brand, as opposed to being a performance version of an existing SEAT. It’s also handsome to look at, with sporty proportions despite its raised stance – though 2024’s facelift has made the front end look a little awkward and beaky. The facelift didn’t alter some of the Formentor’s fundamental strong points though, so the range is still topped by a rapid 2.0-litre turbocharged all-wheel drive model, now making 328bhp and getting from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds.
If you want a manual gearbox for a little more driver interaction, then it’s only available on the basic 148bhp, front-wheel drive Formentor, though all versions are quite fun to drive. That includes the plug-in hybrid options, of which the quickest uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor combo for 268bhp (more than the 242bhp offered pre-facelift) and 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds. The 72-mile EV range is pretty useful too.
Despite not being a class leader, the Cupra has a decent amount of space to cope with family life. The Formentor offers reasonable headroom and space for passengers in the back. Boot space depends on the model. The two-wheel-drive models offer a generous 450 litres of boot space, whereas this drops to 420 litres in the four-wheel-drive models. Opt for either of the plug-in hybrid models and boot capacity is reduced even further to 345 litres, sub-par for a car this size. While not a perfect car, The Formentor is a desirable and premium feeling car.
5. Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo
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- Prices from £87,300
- Best for performance
The Porsche Taycan was built from the ground up as a high-performance electric car, so the prospect of a versatile estate version is tantalising to say the least. Few – if any – EVs tackle B-roads with the finesse of Porsche’s first electric car, which manages to exude 911 traits in a larger, zero-emissions package.
The Sport Turismo estate is arguably even more handsome than the space-age saloon, and brings more headroom and a 446-litre boot to become a genuine family car contender, albeit without quite as much room as an M3 Touring inside.
Still, the most powerful versions can easily outgun the BMW in a straight line. In fact, they could probably outgun the latest rocket from SpaceX, given the Turbo S puts 939bhp to the ground and has a 0-62mph time of 2.4 seconds. At £162,100 you certainly pay for the privilege though, so we’d instead opt for the £96,700 Taycan 4S Sport Turismo, which still makes 537bhp, has a 3.7-second 0-62mph time, and can cover up to 383 miles with the Performance Battery Plus option.
See our Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo deals
6. Audi RS 6 Avant
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- Prices from £117,500
While Mercedes AMGs have always been popular as estate versions, it’s the hot Audi Avants that arguably offer a smidge more practicality – if nothing else thanks to their all-wheel-drive quattro drivetrains that are a little less challenging to drive fast.
They’ve always been admired for their style too, and the handsome Audi RS 6 is a case in point. It’s broad-chested muscular demeanour looking polished and threatening all at once. The latest hot version of Audi’s big A6 estate car may have a downsized V8, but as you’d expect performance is undiminished. 0-62mph arrives in a shockingly quick 3.6 seconds.
7. Tesla Model 3 Performance
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- Prices from £60,000
Although many manufacturers have now released their own fast electric family cars, Tesla continues to fight its corner with one of its cheapest cars, the Model 3. It’s still one of the best EVs around thanks to its practicality and high levels of tech, and a recent facelift has improved the overall package further.
Performance versions come with a dual-motor four-wheel-drive set-up which offers around a staggering 453bhp (US models are even more powerful), allowing it to accelerate from 0-60 in 2.9 seconds. For outright performance, there’s not much that will beat a Model 3, although you’ll get an arguably more rewarding drive with rivals like the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
The performance offered in the Model 3 doesn’t come at the expense of practicality, either. Thanks to the lack of a traditional engine up front, it boasts a total of 425 litres of boot space from both the front and rear luggage areas, making it a very practical family car choice.
The Model 3’s interior is very minimalist and feels well-built with use of decent quality materials. Most major functions are controlled by a 15.4-inch central touchscreen on the dash which feels advanced and responsive, and Tesla’s frequent over-the-air updates are constantly adding new features.
8. Skoda Octavia vRS
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- Prices from £39,300
- Best for value
The Skoda Octavia vRS is a hugely versatile car which should slot into family life perfectly. Available in saloon or estate guise, it’s powered by a 261bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, capable of firing it from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and on to 155mph. Diesel and even plug-in hybrid options were previously available but the range was slimmed down at a recent facelift, so petrol’s your lot now.
The diesel will be missed for its blend of performance and economy, though the PHEV didn’t feel quite as sporty to drive. Nevertheless, the remaining petrol has a real turn of pace, handles well, has plenty of boot space (600 litres in the hatch, 640 litres in the estate), and looks pretty good too. Hot Octavias have always made great all-rounders, and the latest generation is no different.
See our Skoda Octavia vRS deals
9. Volkswagen Golf R
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- Prices from £44,500
One of the most famous hot hatches you can buy is better than ever in its latest guise. The 2.0-litre turbo has 328bhp and the Golf R takes all the standard Golf GTI attributes, and magnifies them with almost a third more power and four-wheel-drive. The result is ballistic performance that’s knocking on the door of supercar territory, and if you’re after the ultimate in family practicality there’s even an estate version of the Golf R too.
Acceleration from 0-62mph takes just 4.7 seconds, and since the recent ‘Mk8.5’ revisions, you won’t spend longer trying to adjust the cabin temperature than you will reaching 62mph. The new touchscreen isn’t perfect but it’s a whole lot better than before, and gets the Golf R one step closer to being the ideal hot hatch.
See our Volkswagen Golf R deals
10. Kia EV9 AWD
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- Prices from £73,300
- Best for big families
The Kia EV9 isn’t what you might call a traditional fast family car. It’s a big old beast for a start, more than five metres long, a couple of metres wide, and more than 1.7m tall. It has seven seats, twelve cupholders, and if you flip all the seats forward there’s more than 2,300 litres of space on offer.
Quick though? Of that, there is no doubt. We’ve got used to electric power managing to shrug off weight and deliver some rapid acceleration times, but it still raises an eyebrow to see an official 0-62mph time of 5.3 seconds from a block of flats weighing 2.6 tonnes. That’s more than a second quicker than the Skoda Octavia vRS further down, which is much more of a traditional fast family car.
Handling is of the composed and surprisingly adept variety, rather than something that will truly entertain you; if you want fun, then all of the cars below do a much better job. But by handling its substantial size with grace, and with 378bhp underfoot from a pair of electric motors, it certainly has surprising point-to-point pace.
Best fast family cars: prices and ratings table
| Best fast family cars ranking | Model | Prices from | Rating for engines, performance and drive (out of 5) | Overall Auto Express star rating (out of 5) |
| 1 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 N | £65,000 | 4.8 | 5 |
| 2 | BMW M3 Touring | £89,500 | 5 | 4.5 |
| 3 | Porsche Macan GTS | £75,000 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | Cupra Formentor | £34,200 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo | £87,300 | 4.8 | 4.5 |
| 6 | Audi RS 6 Avant | £117,500 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| 7 | Tesla Model 3 Performance | £60,000 | 4 | 4.5 |
| 8 | Skoda Octavia vRS | £39,300 | 4.2 | 4.5 |
| 9 | Volkswagen Golf R | £44,500 | 4.9 | 4.5 |
| 10 | Kia EV9 AWD | £73,300 | 4.3 | 4.5 |
Is space more important to you than speed? Check out the best family cars...
